Another week of 9th region basketball is in the books and we learned a lot this past week as far as the top teams in the region go. With district play being right around the corner, we take a look at the rankings and recap this past week's action heading in to the final week of the regular season.

 

9th Region Top 10

 

1. Newport Central Catholic (24-3)

 

Why: The Breds went 2-0 this week.

 

Newcath 62 Bellevue 27

12 Newcath players got in the box score, led by Jake Schulte's 19 points in the blow out win. Ben Weyer was the second leading scorer for the Breds with 7 points.

 

Newcath 72 Holmes 57

After getting down 10-5 early and trailing 21-18, Newcath turned it on at both ends, picking up a statement win over the Bulldogs. Three Breds reached double figures, led by Drew McDonald with 19 points. Grant Moeves started in place of injured brother Tanner Moeves and showed out with 17 points, including three 3's. Zack Pangallo was the final Thoroughbred in double figures with 15 points. Ben Weyer ( 9 points) and Jake Schulte (8 pts) also had solid contributions.

 

Overall:

Newcath has solidified themselves as the hands down #1 team in the region with an impressive win over Holmes. The Breds played without senior leader Tanner Moeves and still got the job done in convincing fashion. A lot has been made of the Breds lack of depth, but Mac Franzen came off the bench to give solid minutes and prove that Newcath's 7 deep roster is plenty good enough to not only win the region championship but also make a serious run at playing on the final day of the state tournament. This Breds team is one of the more complete teams to come through the region. They are so complete at every position but more importantly, have great leadership and can play at any tempo and be successful.

 

Up Next: 2/18 at Louisville Trinity, 2/20 v Conner

 

2. Covington Catholic (23-1)

 

Why: The Colonels went 3-0 this week.

 

Covcath 77 Conner 66

While the final margin came as a bit of a surprise, this Colonels continued to roll through Northern Kentucky competition. Ben Heppler led the Colonels with a career high 22 points, followed by Cole VonHandorf with 15 points, Mark Schult with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and Nick Ruthsatz with 13 points.

 

Covcath 49 Cooper 48

It was a battle in Union, but Covcath prevailed with a one point win over one of the best defensive teams in the region. Nick Ruthsatz led the Colonels with 24 points, followed by 11 from Ben Heppler. Cole Vonhandorf had a solid 6 points, 6 rebounds in the win.

 

Covcath 79 Dixie Heights 62

All five Colonel starters reached double figures as Nick Ruthsatz broke the school scoring record, en route to a 25 point night in the win. Ben Heppler and Mark Schult both finished with 14 points, with Schult also pulling down 8 rebounds. Cole VonHandorf finished as the second leading scorer with 15 points, while Bo Schuh had 11 points, including a nice oop dunk from Mark Schult.

 

Overall:

While Newcath pulled away from Covcath a little with the convincing win over Holmes without a starter, this is still a really good Covcath team that also made a statement with a convincing 17 point win over Dixie Heights at NKU's Bank of Kentucky Center. Nick Ruthsatz is slowly pulling away as 9th region player of the year with his consistent play in all aspects of the game, but it is the play of Ben Heppler that stood out the most this week to me. The senior guard averaged 15 ppg and showed an ability to score at all three levels, while consistently knocking down the trey. While Covcath doesn't have the talent or size that Newcath has, they are just as complete at every position on the floor with Schult and Schuh inside and VonHandorf at the 2. The freshman guard has consistently been one of the best rebounders for the Colonels. This group should have high expectations with the district and region tournament coming up.

 

Up Next: 2/18 at Simon Kenton, 2/21 v Madison Central

 

3. Holmes (20-5)

 

Why: The Bulldogs went 1-1 this week.

 

Holmes 79 Boone Co 51

Six Bulldogs scored 9 or more points in the blowout win over the Rebels, led by James Bolden's 16 points, 7 assist. Marcus Hill filled with the stat sheet with 12 pts, 7 blks, 6 rbs, and 4 ast as the Bulldogs' second leading scorer, while Armani Housely was also in double figures with 11 points. Markel McClendon, Daequan Glover, and Quinton Chames finished with 9 points, apiece.

 

Newcath 72 Holmes 57

It was a night to forget for Coach Booher's squad as they were never able to get going against the bigger Newcath front court. James Bolden once again led Holmes with 21 points, followed by 13 points from Markel McClendon and 11 points from Quinton Chames.

 

Overall:

The top 2 teams in the region have separated themselves a little from Holmes, but this is still a dangerous team as they have the most talented player in the region in James Bolden. The play of Markel McClendon and Quinton Chames has been consistently good all year, but it is the emergence of Marcus Hill lately and his contributions that are going to determine how far this team can go. Holmes' guards are as good as they come in the region and state at the 1 and 2 but Armani Housely and Daequan Glover seem to be the two biggest keys for Holmes down the stretch as their outside shooting can take pressure off the other 4 and really open things up inside. The Newcath loss was humbling for this team and will show them what they need to work on heading in to the post season.

 

Up Next: 2/17 v Harrison Co, 2/18 at Conner, 2/20 v George Rogers Clark, 2/22 v Ludlow

 

4. Dixie Heights (19-7)

 

Why: The Red Colonels went 2-1 this week.

 

Dixie Heights 70 Villa Madonna 30

Brandon Hatton led the Colonels with 16 points, followed by a career high 15 points from Matt Isbell. Adam Daria also reached double digits for Coach Chevy's squad in the win with 12 points.

 

Dixie Heights 55 George Rogers Clark 41

In a solid defensive outing for the Colonels, Brandon Hatton finished with 29 points, while Austin Schreck contributed 11 points in the win.

 

Covcath 79 Dixie Heights 52

Adam Daria led Dixie with 19 points, while Brandon Hatton (13 pts) and Nick Niehaus (10 pts) also reached double figures.

 

Overall:

The Covcath game was a great test for Dixie to see how they stack up with one of the top 2 teams in the region. While they were beaten in convincing fashion, much like Holmes, they now have something to build off of and learn from as they had been rolling in prior weeks with 13 straight wins. Adam Daria has emerged as a legit second scoring threat for Dixie and has consistently been good from outside for Coach Chevy's squad. Still, it is going to be the play of Dixie juniors Liam Rabe, Austin Schreck, Andrew Hedger, and Nick Niehaus that are going to determine if Dixie can make a legit run at the region championship.

 

Up Next: 2/19 v Cooper, 2/21 at Boone Co

 

5. Cooper (12-9)

 

Why: Cooper lost their only game this week.

 

Covcath 49 Cooper 48

Three Jaguar players reached double figures, led by Spencer Holland's 15 points, all in the second half. Zach McNeil finished with 13 points, while Jon Liechty tallied 10 points in the loss.

 

Overall:

After struggling early in the season, and losing back to back games to close out January, Cooper has won 3 of their last 4. This team, while inconsistent offensively at times, is a threat when the post season gets here for the simply fact that they play defense so well and have scorers in Zach McNeil and Spencer Holland that are capable of lighting you up for 20+ on any given night. While the 33rd is wide open, Cooper will be the favorite heading in to the district tournament. The schedule to close out the season will give them an opportunity to continue to get better.

 

Up Next: 2/17 v Boone Co, 2/19 at Dixie Heights, 2/21 v Scott

 

6. St Henry (12-8)

 

Why: St Henry didn't play this week due to inclement weather Friday night.

 

Overall: St Henry maintains their #6 spot in the rankings as they own wins over Boone Co, Newport, Highlands, and Conner.

 

Up Next: 2/18 v Ryle, 2/21 v Holy Cross

 

7. Boone County (14-9)

 

Why: Boone lost their only game this week.

 

Holmes 79 Boone Co 51

Boone was led by the trio of Brett Mayberry (12 pts), Junior Stockwell (11 pts), and Stephen Nash (10 pts) in the loss.

 

Overall: While the Rebels took one on the chin against Holmes, they come in at #7 this week as they own a 3-2 district record with 2 wins over Ryle. Brett Mayberry played well against the Bulldogs, as did Junior Stockwell down low but were completely outmatched against Holmes' talent and athleticism. Boone will be in for a battle this week to close out the regular season as well as next week in the district tournament.

 

Up Next: 2/17 at Cooper, 2/19 at Newport, 2/21 v Dixie Heights

 

8. Ryle (8-11)

 

Why: The Raiders won their only game this week.

 

Ryle 74 Scott 68

Tanner White scored a team high 24 points to lead the Raiders in the win. Sophomore Tyrek Owens also reached double digits with 11 points, while Travis King finished with 10 points, respectively.

 

Overall:

Tanner White continues to solidify himself as one of the most underrated scorers in the region. He has put up big numbers consistently this season and Ryle has needed it as Will Stuhr has been the only other consistent scoring threat. Still, the play of Owens, Travis King, and Greg Rice were all solid this week. Ryle has good depth. Coach McFarland's team just needs to put it all together as the district tournament is approaching quickly.

 

Up Next: 2/18 at Campbell Co, 2/20 at Campbell Co, 2/21 v Tates Creek

 

9. Conner (10-11)

 

Why: The Cougars went 2-1 this week.

 

Covcath 77 Conner 66

Conner got good balance across the board with five players scoring 9 or more points, but it wasn't enough as the Colonels came out on top. Landon Lamblez led the Cougars with 17 points followed by 16 from Sam Hemmerick, 11 from sophomore Mike Scott, and 9 from Andrew Way and Nic Watts.

 

Conner 73 Walton Verona 40

 

Conner 73 Grant Co 61

Landon Lamblez continued his solid week with a 26 point performance to lead the Cougars. Sam Hemmerich also finished in double figures with 16 points, followed by Andrew Way with 11 points.

 

Overall:

Landon Lamblez played extremely well for the Cougars this week and the Grant Co game was a good showing of what he is capable of when he is assertive and aggressive. I know it is said every week, but Conner has very good offensive weapons with Hemmerich, Way, Watts, and Scott. The biggest problem is their consistency. The talent is there. If they can put it all together at the right time, don't be surprised if Coach Jim Hicks' team upsets someone come district tournament play.

 

Up Next: 2/18 v Holmes, 2/20 at Newcath

 

10. Newport (13-9)

 

Why: The Wildcats didn't play this week.

 

Overall: Newport moves in to the top 10 after Highlands lost to Holy Cross and for the simple fact that Newport owns a win over the Bluebirds. Their final regular season game this week will help determine if they deserve to be ranked higher.

 

Up Next; 2/17 at Villa Madonna, 2/18 at Beechwood, 2/19 v Boone Co

Great job and an excellent read, true asset to the board. :thumb:

I could be convinced Cooper is #4.

Just wanted to mention.....Jake Schulte had 18 rebounds in the Holmes game to go along with his 8 pts.

I could be convinced Cooper is #4.

 

I believe you could be convinced of a lot of things.

Edited February 17, 201412 yr by ennam_iv

Just wanted to mention.....Jake Schulte had 18 rebounds in the Holmes game to go along with his 8 pts.

 

Didnt realize Jake had that many rebounds. Not too often youre going to see a kid pull down that many boards against the inside duo of Chames and Hill.

I could be convinced Cooper is #4.

 

2/19 Cooper at Dixie

 

We will know for sure then

Just wanted to mention.....Jake Schulte had 18 rebounds in the Holmes game to go along with his 8 pts.

 

That is Big Time rebounding!!! Wow I am very impressed with that stat.

I believe you could be convinced of a lot of things.

 

Such as?

Great job and an excellent read, true asset to the board. :thumb:

 

Agreed. Great Job with this summary. My only nit-picky comment is that St. Henry is ranked higher than Boone. I could be wrong and a lot will be decided in the next couple of weeks, but it seems like St. Henry has had just a couple of significant wins (against Conner when they were having one of their off nights and then against Boone when Stanley got in foul trouble). They are a decent team, just not sure if being catapulted to number six from a couple of upsets makes sense.

Such as?

 

Boone is #4??