The Holiday tournaments have ended and teams are finally back in Northern Kentucky to start preparing for district and region play. Let's take a look back at the past week's games and which teams and players stood out and made moves in the rankings.

 

1. Newport Central Catholic (8-3)

 

Why: The Breds maintain the number 1 ranking with 3 wins over top 20 teams with the lone loss coming to top 5 Lafayette in the Republic Bank Holiday Classic at Lexcath.

 

Newcath 64 Cordia 63 (2OT)

 

it took double overtime but the Breds were able to come from behind to knock off the 14th region Lions, in what could end up being a preview of the All A state finals as well. Drew McDonald had 23 pts to go along with the buzzer beater to send the game to overtime with Jake Schulte and Ben Weyer following with 16 and 15 points respectively.

 

Newcath 67 PRP 51

 

After losing by 8 less than a week earlier, the Breds came out clicking on all cylinders and picked up a convincing win over top 15 PRP. Newcath had 4 players with double figure scoring outputs, with Zack Pangallo's 18 points leading the way.

 

Lafayette 57 Newcath 55

 

After holding a double digit lead in the 2nd half, the Breds fell on a last second put back by Rice commit Jackson Davis. Drew McDonald and Ben Weyer both finished with 19 pts apiece to lead the Thoroughbreds.

 

Newcath 56 Knott Co Central 53

 

Playing against their 4th top 15 team in 4 days, Newcath fell behind by 9 pts but righted the ship in the second half and came back to get the win. Drew McDonald (14 pts, 6 rbs), Jake Schulte (11 pts), Grant Moeves (11pts), and Zach Pangallo (10 pts) were all in double figures to lead the Breds.

 

 

Overall: It has become clear that Newcath is capable of playing with and beating anyone in the state. The way they play in the first half is second to none as they have put some serious runs on teams to jump out to big double digit leads. The problem with them continues to be finishing. That changed in the Knott Co game when Newcath fell behind early and finished late to get the win. That is a great sign for Breds fans as this team now comes back to Northern Kentucky to showcase what these past two weeks have done for the improvement of the team. If Newcath wants to be a serious state title contender, this early season schedule is exactly what they need to learn their weaknesses and what they need to work on. The emergence of sophomore Ben Weyer and consistent play that he has provided through the first month will be something to watch going forward.

 

Up Next: 1/3 at Holy Cross, 1/4 at Beechwood

 

2. Holmes Bulldogs (10-2)

 

Why: The Bulldogs went 1-2 this past week in New York in the Mirabito Stop DWI Holiday Classic.

 

Long Island Lutheran 70 Holmes 58

 

Playing against a nationally ranked team loaded with Division I talent, the Bulldogs fell by 12, despite holding a 7 point lead at the half. James Bolden led the way with 29 pts, 11 rbs with Quinton Chames chipping in 15 pts, 6 rbs.

 

Holmes 67 Poly Prep, NY 47

 

Coming off a loss, the Bulldogs came out and played a very good game, winning by 20 against a top 20 New York squad led by one of the top PG's in NY. James Bolden led Holmes with 25 pts which put him at 1,000 points for his career. Markel McClendon also finished in double figures with 12 pts, 6 rbs while Quinton Chames had 10 pts, 9 rbs in the win.

 

St. Michael's College School, Canada 68 Holmes 63

 

Playing the #1 ranked team in Canada for the previous 3 years, the Bulldogs took a 54-46 lead in to the 4th qtr but were outscored 22-9 in the final quarter to drop their second game of the road trip. James Bolden led the Bulldogs with 23 points, but it was the near triple double by Markel McClendon (12 pts, 11 rbs, 6 ast) that stole the show. Quinton Chames also finished with a double double with 14 pts, 12 rbs.

 

Overall: While it's always tough to judge how teams fair against out of state teams, this was a very good tournament for Holmes to be apart of. Three nationally ranked teams, defending NY state champs, and the #1 team in Canada. This was exactly what Holmes needed to prepare for what is going to be a tough January and February. James Bolden put on a show in New York, averaging 26 ppg against some of the toughest competition Holmes will probably see this year. Quinton Chames averaged 13 ppg and 8 ppg. It is the high level play of Markel McClendon that Holmes will need going forward if they want to take over the #1 ranking. His near triple double in the final game shows the type of versatility that he has and what he is capable of. Holmes biggest question right now is can they get consistent play from their bench players on offense.

 

Up Next: No games the rest of this week

 

3. Covington Catholic Colonels (8-0)

 

Why: The Colonels went 3-0, winning the Suncoast Holiday Classic in Florida.

 

Covcath 57 Cardinal Mooney, FL 38

 

Nick Ruthsatz finished with 19 pts on 7 of 17 shooting to lead the Colonels. Ben Heppler finished with 12 pts, while Bo Schuh has 10 pts, 5 rbs.

 

Covcath 68 Riverview, FL 65

 

Cole VonHandorf hit a buzzer beating shot to send the game to overtime, while finishing with 8 pts. Nick Ruthsatz led the Colonels with 20 pts, 10 rbs, 7 ast in a near triple double performance. Mark Schulte and Bo Schuh were the other Colonels in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively, with Ben Heppler rounding out the scoring with 9 pts.

 

Covcath 65 Northport, FL 43

 

The Colonels went in to the championship game undefeated and left Florida undefeated with a 65-43 win in front of Dick Vitale. Nick Ruthsatz once again led the way with 19 points, while Bo Schuh (14), Cole VonHandorf (13), and Ben Heppler (12) rounded out the balanced scoring attack for the Colonels.

 

Overall: Much like Holmes, it's tough to gauge how Covcath should have fared against out of state competition, but outside of the semi final game against Riverview, the Colonels dominated this tournament led by Nick Ruthsatz. The Colonels are playing as well as anyone right now and are slowly creeping up in the state rankings as well. The emergence of Ben Heppler is proving to be a nice second scoring option for the Colonels and they have shown great balance with VonHandorf, Schult, and Schuh also at or near double figures consistently. The one weakness, if you want to call it a weakness, is the lack of a dominant rebounder. Call it Covcath rebounded well as a team or a weakness, but that is all I can pick out with this Colonel team to this point.

 

Up Next: 1/3 v Cincinnati St Xavier, 1/4 v Highlands

 

4. Dixie Heights Colonels (6-6)

 

Why: The Colonels went 2-2 this week at the Republic Bank Classic.

 

Dixie Heights 66 Henderson Co 61

 

Only two Red Colonels got in to double figures but that would be all they'd need as Brandon Hatton poured in 34 points with Liam Rabe chipping in 10 pts and 4 ast in the first round win.

 

Dixie Heights 56 Male 46

 

In a rematch from exactly one week prior, the Colonels once again came out on top, this time by 10. It was once again the Brandon Hatton show as the senior guard finished with 35 pts in the win.

 

Knott Co Central 54 Dixie Heights 52

 

Playing a top 10 team in the state, the Colonels led for the majority of the game before falling by 2 after Brandon Hatton missed two looks from 3 with time winding down. Hatton led Dixie with 16 pts.

 

Manual 53 Dixie Heights 49

 

In a game where Hatton only scored 3 points, the Colonels still had a solid showing against a tough Manual team. Dixie was led by 12 points from junior Andrew Hedger in the loss.

 

Overall: We learned a lot about Dixie this past week end. Brandon Hatton is still capable of single handedly beating teams, as seen in the Colonels two wins. The biggest area of concern is the offensive production of players not named Hatton. Liam Rabe had consistently been the second leading scorer and been around double digits. As he looks for his shot more, his scoring output will rise. Despite the lack of scoring by the other players, defensively the Colonels have been very good. Dixie has been the most improved team this month and are slowly showing why I was so high on them to start the season. After a tough December, the Colonels get a little bit of a break during the first 3 weeks of January as the schedule is dialed down some before picking back up with Lafayette on Jan 22nd.

 

Up Next: 1/3 v St Henry (NKYSports.com game of the week live broadcast)

 

5. Boone County Rebels (10-2)

 

Why: The Rebels went 4-1 this week.

 

Boone Co 69 South Dearborn, IN 34

 

It was a balanced scoring attack as Barry Ordu and Hunter Hixenbaugh led the Rebels with 11 and 10 pts, respectively. Ordu also had 7 rbs with both scoring all their points in the first half in the blow out win.

 

Bullitt East 66 Boone Co 57

 

Senior center Brannen McDonald came off the bench to lead Boone County with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Hunter Hixenbaugh added 14 points while Stanley had 12 points.

 

Boone Co 60 Madisonville North Hopkins 58

 

Junior guard Brett Mayberry led the Rebels with 15 points on 6-8 shooting with Junior Stockwell finishing with 14 points on 7-9 shooting.

 

Boone Co 70 Scott 58

 

Brenden Stanley led the Rebels with 21 points while Hunter Hixenbaugh finished with a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Brett Mayberry rounded out the double figure scoring with 14 points.

 

Boone Co 69 Paris 64

 

Brenden Stanley led the Rebels once again with 21 points with Brannen McDonald (14), Hunter Hixenbaugh (13) and Junior Stockwell (11) also reaching double figures. Barry Ordu finished with 6 pts, 12 rebounds in the win.

 

Overall: The Rebels 10-2 record is a bit misleading as their schedule hasn't been very tough to date. Their toughest game vs Newcath, they lost by 40. The Rebels have a very balanced scoring attack and a nice team but still are missing the game changing player that separate the top 4 team from the rest of the region. If Brenden Stanley can become that guy, you could possibly see Boone move up a spot or two in the rankings. Until then, #5 is where they will stay.

 

6. Cooper Jaguars (6-5)

 

Why: The Jags went 3-1 this week in the Lloyd Memorial Invitational.

 

Cooper 60 Bourbon County 38

Cooper 52 Conner 50

Cooper 51 Shelby Co 35

 

Bullitt East 59 Cooper 55

 

The Jags got off to a hot start but couldn't hang on as Bullitt East took over in the second half. Cooper got a turnover with 6 seconds left, down 2, but an offensive foul on the next possession ended the hopes of a Cooper win. Spencer Holland led the Jags with 15 pts, with Zach McNeil finishing with 12 pts. Those two, along with Colin Hathorn, were named to the All Tournament Team.

 

Overall: Cooper lands at #6 this week with their second win over Conner and a strong performance in the Lloyd Memorial. The Jags were playing without stud freshman Sean McNeil and still looked like a strong 9th region team. One constant has been the Jags defense to this point. Very physical and they force you to work for every bucket. Cooper has top 5 talent and once fully healthy, shouldn't be a surprise to rise in the rankings. Spencer Holland and Zach McNeil are on of the best scoring guard tandems in the region when at their best.

 

Up Next: 1/3 at Harrison Co

 

7. Conner Cougars (5-3)

 

Why: The Cougars went 2-1 this week at the Lloyd Memorial Invitational.

 

Conner 56 Walton Verona 57

Conner 64 Madisonville North Hopkins 54

Cooper 52 Conner 50

 

Overall: The Cougars had a productive week at the Lloyd Memorial Tournament but come in at #7 after their second loss to Cooper. Conner is a team that is capable of beating a few teams ahead of them but would need Sam Hemmerich to have a huge game and a couple other guys to step up for it to happen. For right now, #7 is fair for the Cougars.

 

Up Next: No games the rest of this week.

 

8. Ryle Raiders (5-5)

 

Why: The Raiders went 1-2 this week at the John Fendley Classic at South Oldham.

 

Jeffersontown 77 Ryle 61

 

Tanner White led the Raiders with 24 pts in the loss.

 

Ryle 60 Christian Academy-Louisville 59

North Oldham 70 Ryle 62

 

Overall: Ryle is a team that is capable of pulling off an upset or two on teams ahead of them, as seen in the Cooper game, but will need to get more consistency before moving up in the rankings.

 

Up Next: 1/3 v Simon Kenton

 

9. St Henry Crusaders (5-4)

 

Why: The Crusaders went 1-1 this week.

 

Campbell Co 70 St Henry 63

St Henry 64 Villa Madonna 23

Conner Kunstek and Jordan Noble led the Cru with 18 and 14 pts, respectively.

 

Overall: St Henry is capable of beating the #7 and #8 teams ahead of them. Their 4 losses have come to the #2 and #3 team in the 9th region and two top 5 teams in the 10th region.

 

Up Next: 1/3 v Dixie Heights (Nkysports.com Game of the Week Live Broadcast)

 

10. Newport Wildcats (5-4)

 

Why: The Wildcats went 2-1 this week.

 

Nicholas Co 84 Newport 81

Ethan Snapp led Newport with 31 points.

 

Newport 87 Pendleton Co 70

Ethan Snapp finished with a game-high 20 points, and sophomores Kameron Covington and Brian Ochoa added 16 points each. Covington also pulled down 12 rebounds. Paul Price was the other Wildcat in double figures with 13 pts.

 

Newport 80 Bracken Co 61

It was once again the Ethan Snapp show as he put up 31 points in the win. Fellow sophomore Kam Covington had a career high 21 pts, 11 rbs with Paul Price chipping in 11 pts.

 

Overall:

Ethan Snapp continues to put up huge numbers on a regular basis but lately he has been getting help from fellow sophomores Kam Covington and Brian Ochoa along with Paul Price. Newport is a team that can put up points but will have to improve defensively to move up in the rankings.

 

Up Next: 1/4 Cincinnati Oyler, OH

Good work, Walter!

Good stuff Walter.

Agree great information, Thanks!

Sounds about right. Thanks for the thorough details. :thumb:

 

So many questions will be answered next Tuesday and Friday when CovCath faces off with Holmes, then NewCath. Outside of a late season game between NewCath and Holmes, those two games IMO for CCH make next week one of the main centerpieces of the season for the 9th Region outside of post season play.