It's time for the Christmas Edition of "Inside 9th Region Hoops." Several teams competed out of the area for Christmas tournaments, while others stayed local and competed against district competition. Let's jump in to things and take a look at this week's Top 10 teams and which players stood out.

 

9th Region Top 10

 

1. Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (5-2)

 

Why: The Breds played in not only the best in state tournament but also one of the tops in the country in the King of the Bluegrass. Newcath went 2-2, finishing 4th in the tournament, and learning a lot about their team and where they stand statewide.

 

Newcath 68 Mitchell, TN 47

NewCath was led by Tanner Moeves with 19 points and Drew McDonald with 16 points to open up the King of the Bluegrass.

 

Newcath 69 Ft Myers, FL

NewCath was led by Jake Schulte with 23 points (10/11 FG's), Zach Pangallo with 16, and Drew McDonald with 14 to advance to the King of the Bluegrass semi finals.

 

Ballard 89 Newcath 71

The Breds opened up a double digit lead but were unable to hold on as Ballard used a 31-12 run in the 3rd quarter to take control and then pull away in the 4th quarter. Jake Schulte led the Breds with 23 points, while Tanner Moeves and Drew McDonald added 17 and 15 points respectively.

 

PRP 78 Newcath 70

Playing against their 2nd top 10 team in back to back days, the Breds once again raced out to a double digit lead, leading by 13 points heading in to the 4th quarter but were once against unable to hold on and get the win. Newcath was once again led by the inside duo of Jake Schulte and Drew McDonald with 17 and 16 points respectively.

 

Overall: Coach Dawn learned a lot about his team this week. Not only are they able to compete with the best in the state, but they also proved that they can be a dominant team regardless of competition when they are firing on all cylinders. The biggest issue with the Breds right now is their lack of depth. In both of their losses, they were unable to finish. This could be caused by multiple things, but the fresher the Breds are late in games, the tougher it will be to beat them. As the season goes on and the bench players improve, I'd expect to see less endings like this for Newcath in big games. Still, this is a great early season learning experience for Newcath.

 

Up Next: Republic Bank Holiday Classic Fri 12/27 v Warren Central/Cordia

 

2. Holmes Bulldogs (9-0)

 

Why: The Bulldogs stayed perfect this week going 3-0, improving their record to 9-0.

 

Holmes 78 Southern 47

Markel McClendon led 5 double digit scorers with 19 points and five 3's. James Bolden (17), Quinton Chames (13 & 7), Daequan Glover (10), and Armani Housely (10) were the other Bulldogs to score in double digits in the first round win of the Holmes Stop DWI Holiday Classic.

 

Holmes 67 Dixie Heights 59

Despite sitting out the entire first quarter, junior PG James Bolden led Holmes with 30 points. Senior Armani Housely had 7 1st quarter points and finished with 16 for the game as the only other Bulldog to reach double figures scoring. Markel McClendon finished with 9 pts, despite not playing the entire 1st quarter.

 

Holmes 77 St Henry 59

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 11-0 lead but saw the Cru go on a 12-0 run to take the lead in the 1st quarter. Despite the bad start, Holmes was able to pull away over the final 3 quarters behind 29 points from James Bolden. Senior Quinton Chames finished with 19 pts, 12 rebounds, while sophomore MARKEL McClendon rounded out the double figure scorers with 12 pts.

 

Overall: Holmes looked both sloppy and really good at times this week. James Bolden has been held under 20 points just 3 times this year. As long as he continues to play like that, Holmes is a legit candidate for the #1 ranking in the 9th region and capable of beating anyone that takes the court with them. They showed that their depth may be a little underrated as they were able to lead at the end of the first quarter against Dixie, despite their top 3 scorers sitting out. While it is an out of state event, we should know a lot more about them after a trip to New York this week end.

 

Up Next: Mirabito Stop DWI Holiday Classic v Long Island Lutheran, NY (12/28-12/30)

 

3. Covington Catholic Colonels (5-0)

 

Why: The Colonels improved to 5-0 with 2 wins this week.

 

CovCath 69 Rowan County 52

Nick Ruthsatz led 4 double digit scorers with 19 points. The other to reach double digits were Ben Heppler, Cole VonHandorf, and Mark Schult with 16, 11, and 10 pts respectively.

 

Covcath 81 Winton Woods, OH 66

The Colonels were once again led by Nick Ruthsatz with 25 points, with Ben Heppler (21) and Mark Schulte (17) also reaching double figures. Bo Schuh was just shy of joining the trio, as he finished with 9 points.

 

Overall:

The Colonels have showed great balance early on with atleast 3 guys in double figures over the first quarter weeks. With Ben Heppler and Mark Schult playing well in the front court, that makes Nick Ruthsatz job a lot easier and it is showing with his numbers. Covcath is a team that will continue to get better as the season progresses. Freshman Cole VonHandorf is improving every game and as he continues to progress at both ends, that makes the Colonels that much more dangerous.

 

Up Next: 12/27; 12/28; 12/30 @ Suncoast Holiday Classic (Sarasota, FL)

 

4. Dixie Heights Colonels (4-3)

 

Why: The Colonels went 3-1 this week and seem to be improving with every game.

 

Dixie 46 Male 44

The Colonels were led by Brandon Hatton's 20 points and Drew Moore's 12 points, including the game winning lay up with 6 seconds to play. Male missed two free throws with 0.8 left on the clock.

 

Holmes 67 Dixie 59

The Colonels fought back from a 10 point deficit to take a 4 point lead but couldn't hang on as James Bolden got hot and scored 10 straight to prevent a Dixie upset. Dixie was led by Brandon Hatton with 23 points and Liam Rabe with 10 points. Andrew Hedger was 2 points shy of a double double as he finished with 8 pts, 11 rebounds.

 

Dixie 82 Australia Travel Team 45

The Colonels were led by 4 double figure scorers. Mitch Bolin (16 pts), Brandon Hatton (15 pts), Austin Schreck (10 pts), and Andrew Hedger (10 pts) all helped pace the Colonels to get their record back above .500.

 

Overall: Dixie is slowly coming along and showing why there was so much talk about them over the summer. Brandon Hatton is starting to find his touch both inside and out, while the "role players" are all contributing in some way at both ends. As Dixie continues to improve and get more time together, you will see them get tougher and tougher at both ends of the court. The biggest difference in Dixie in their opening game and Dixie against Holmes is how well they are playing defensively and on the glass.

 

Up Next: v Henderson Co at Lexcath 1:30 (Republic Bank Holiday Classic)

 

5. Boone County Rebels (6-1)

 

Why: The Rebels went 1-1 this week with a home loss and road win.

 

Newcath 73 Boone Co 33

It was a rough night for the Rebels against the #1 team in the region as they managed just 33 points and were victims of a running clock in the 2nd half. Boone was led by junior Brendan Stanley with 9 points.

 

Boone Co 67 Indian Hill, OH 53

Going on the road, the Rebels were able to pick up the win over the bigger Indian Hill squad, which features a front court of 3 6'6 players in certain rotations. Stanley once again led Boone with 17 pts, 5 aast, 5 stls, while Brannen McDonald came off the bench to contribute 11 pts, 6 rbs.

 

Overall: While Boone is a solid 9th region team, the game against Newcath proved there is a big gap between the top couple teams and the Rebels. They will get better as the season progresses, but aren't at a level yet where they should be considered a serious threat to the top 3 teams.

 

Up Next: 12/26 v South Dearborn, IN at Lloyd Memorial Invitational; 12/27 at LMIT; 12/28 at LMIT.

 

6. Conner Cougars (3-2)

 

Why: The Cougars went 2-0 this week.

 

Conner 63 Holy Cross 51

Senior Samuel Hemmerich scored 26 points (five 3 pointers) to go along with 10 rbs, while senior guard Landon Lamblez scored 11 and junior guard Nic Watts added 10 points.

 

Conner 52 Ryle 42

Sam Hemmerich once again led the Cougars with 18 pts, while Nic Watts finished in double figures for the second consecutive game with 13 points.

 

Overall: Conner could be listed anywhere 6-8 but land at 6 this week because they seem to be playing the best ball right now between them, Ryle, and Cooper. Sam Hemmerich continues to be one of the most underrated players in the region as he simply goes out and puts up big numbers on a nightly basis.

 

Up Next: 1/6 v Grant County

 

7. Ryle Raiders (4-3)

 

Why: The Raiders went 1-1 this week, picking up a key district win while also dropping a district game.

 

Ryle 64 Cooper 61

Will Stuhr sank 4 free throws in overtime to help preserve the Ryle overtime win. Stuhr finished with 17 points while Tanner White had 15 pts, and Josh Bellew 12 points.

 

Conner 52 Ryle 42

It was a rough game for the Raiders as they were held to their lowest scoring output of the season. Ryle was led by Will Stuhr's 12 points.

 

Overall: Ryle is better than some realize but need to show more consistency. The 33rd has teams 5 through 8 in the rankings. 6-8 could be listed in any order but for now, we go with this order until the season progresses and we see more of each.

 

Up Next: v Jeffersontown at South Oldham (John Fendley Classic 12/26-12/28)

 

8. Cooper Jaguars (3-4)

 

Why: The Jags went 1-3 this past week, losing a couple games that they probably shouldn't have lost.

 

Ryle 64 Cooper 61

Cooper was led by Spencer Holland's game high 18 points.

 

Harrison Co 54 Cooper 42

Zach McNeil led the Jags with 13 points but was the only Jaguar to reach double figures as Jon Liechty and Sean McNeil were the second leading scorers with 7 pts apiece.

 

Fleming Co 56 Cooper 53

Cooper was led by freshman guard Sean McNeil and senior brother Zach McNeil with 18 and 17 points respectively.

 

Cooper 60 St Patrick 24

Cooper trailed 15-14 at the half but used a 24-1 run in the 3rd quarter to put the game out of reach. Cooper was led by junior Colin Hathorn's 12 points and Zach McNeil's 9 pts.

 

Overall: Cooper is really struggling right now to score. The loss of seniors Lou Maniacci and Drew Shelton really hurt the Jags inside and their presence is sorely missed at both ends. Cooper has top 5 talent but simply need to put it all together before they rise in the rankings.

 

9. St Henry Crusaders (4-3)

 

Why: The Cru went 1-1 this week with a blowout district win and loss to one of the top 2 teams in the region.

 

St Henry 60 Ludlow 40

The Cru were led by Conner Kunstek's 14 points and Jordan Noble's 10 points, followed by Adam Goetz and Nick Rechtin with 9 points, respectively. Sophomore Paul Wallenhorst also contributed 8 pts.

 

Holmes 77 St Henry 59

Coach Faust's squad was tied with Holmes after 1 at 12 but simply couldn't keep up over the next 3 quarters. Senior Jordan Noble led the Cru with 14 points, while Sophomore Adam Goetz finished with 11 points and Conner Kunstek with 8 pts.

 

Overall: St Henry has a very scrappy team and solid starting 5 but lack the depth to compete with the elite teams in the region over a full 4 quarters. St Henry has a nice group of young players with Paul Wallenhorst and Adam Goetz. The future looks bright for both as they looked fearless going against Holmes.

 

10. Newport Wildcats (3-3)

 

Why: The Wildcats went 1-0 this week.

 

Newport 66 Lloyd 51

Jr guard Paul Price scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Wildcats. Sophomore guard Ethan Snapp scored 14, while other sophomores Kameron Covington and Ryan Ochoa each added 10 points.

 

Overall: Newport is young but a very scrappy team that is going to be tough be season's end. I think the Wildcats are a year away from being able to compete with the teams listed 1-8 but for right now #10 is an appropriate spot for Coach Snapp's bunch.

 

Up next: 12/26 v Nicholas Co at Bracken Co (Bracken Co Tournament 12/26-12/28)

Nice work, Walter.

 

And good to meet you the other night.

Nice work, Walter.

 

And good to meet you the other night.

 

Same to you. I'm sure I'll see you again soon at a game.