Augusta wins a pair

 

Brent Bach & the Panthers were in action twice this past week. Augusta hosted upstart Robertson County in the Panthers Den on Monday night. The Black Devils entered the game having won 9 of their previous 10, but were sent back to Mt. Olivet with a 64-50 loss. Bach was outstanding, scoring 38 points & grabbing 11 boards, hitting 17-22 FG's for the game. Sophomore forward Camryn Snapp also had a double-double with 14 points & 12 boards. Twenty-four hours later Augusta hosted its chief rival Bracken County. The Polar Bears started hot, holding a 27-14 lead in the 2nd quarter, but the Panthers closed the 1st half on a 17-4 run to tie the game at 31. After Bracken took a 5-point lead in the 3rd quarter, Augusta went on another run & led by 6 entering the 4th, then pulled away for an 82-69 victory. Bach topped all scorers with 31 points, but the surprising stat came from Panthers senior forward Clay Gray, who scored a career-high 26 points. The Polar Bears were led by freshman guard Austin Crawford who scored 25 & seniors Ryan May (17) & Nate Haight (15). The win was the 8th straight by Augusta over their county rivals.

 

Shawn Johnson eclipses 1,000 points in Royals romp

 

Weather permitted just one outing for the 10th's newly ranked #2 team. Nicholas County traveled to Maysville on Tuesday night & the Royals rolled to a dominating 91-42 win. Two career nights were enjoyed by Mason County players. 6'7" center Shawn Johnson had a putback basket a little over two minutes into the 2nd quarter. The bucket gave Johnson his 1,000th & 1,001st career points & the senior standout finished with what has essentially become his average night: 15 points & 10 rebounds. The Royals were led in scoring, however, by junior guard Ryan Johnson who netted a career-high 19 points.

Campbell County finishes 1-1 vs. 8th Region squads

 

The Camels battled a pair of 8th Region foes last week, beginning with a home contest opposite Simon Kenton on Tuesday. The Pioneers controlled the 1st half, taking a 41-34 lead to the locker room, but Campbell was considerably stronger in the 2nd half, outscoring SK 34-24 en route to a 68-65 win. The Camels' big 3 led the way, as Dre Jackson scored 25, Matt Wilson finished with 19, & Corey Holbrook earned 15. It was a different story the next night as the Camels traveled to Dry Ridge, where a hot-shooting Grant County squad blitzed Campbell with an 89-74 win. The host Braves hit 54% of their field goal attempts, 47% of their 3pt attempts, & an amazing 90% (27-30) of their free throw attempts. Foul trouble plagued Campbell County & only Jackson earned double figures scoring, finishing with 24 points.

Eagles go 1-1 at home

 

Scott hosted Ryle on Tuesday night and received solid contributions from what has become its three primary producers. Junior guard Blake Schneider scored 19 points & senior bruiser Kameron Crim added 11 points & 7 rebounds. Freshman guard Jake Ohmer connected on 4-7 3pt. FG's, ending the game with 17 points; but the visiting Raiders had more firepower in coming away with a 74-68 win. On Saturday, Brad Carr's Eagles turned in what was arguably their most impressive performance of the season thus far, upending Simon Kenton 92-80. Schneider again led the way with 27 points, while Ohmer chipped in 22.

 

GRC falls twice more

 

The Cardinals traveled to Franklin County on Tuesday night & dug an early hole, allowing the home-standing Flyers to rattle off 18 unanswered points in the opening quarter. But feisty GRC battled back with 14-2 run of its own & trailed by just 3 points at halftime. The 2nd half, unfortunately, was all Franklin County as they dominated the Cards to the tune of 50-30, ending with a 78-55 victory. Energetic junior guard Damion King paced the Cardinals with 22 points & Khmarkis Blanton added 18. Senior night saw 9th Region foe Dixie Heights travel to Winchester & the Cards put up a fight for about 29 minutes. GRC trailed 26-20 at the break & then 35-28 after 3 quarters. But Dixie's high-scoring guard Brandon Hatton had a pair of 3-point plays, which fueled a 9-0 run in the 4th, & the Colonels left with a 55-41 triumph. Blanton was the only Cardinal in double figures, finishing with 18 points. Scott Humphrey's club has lost 5 straight games & 7 of its last 8.

 

Paris wins in OT, then loses on the road

The Greyhounds played their 3rd overtime game in 7 outings on Monday night in a home contest with Garrard County. The game was nip-and-tuck through 3 quarters, but the Hounds held a 4 point lead entering the final frame. The Golden Lions erased that deficit to force the extra session, but Terrence Brooks' team controlled the overtime period 16-9 to come away with an 81-74 win. Three Paris players did most of the offensive work, led by senior guard Cameron Downey's 24 points. Sophomore forward Koebe Garrard contributed 21 points, while freshman forward Jekobi Wells chipped in 17. The Greyhounds had a chance to get to the .500 mark on Saturday in a road contest with 13th Region foe Williamsburg. The Yellow Jackets proved too strong, though, in delivering a 64-59 knockout punch. Paris enters the final week of the regular season with an 11-13 record.

 

Montgomery pounds Pendleton County

The Region's top-ranked squad saw action just one time last week & it was a breeze. The Indians traveled to Falmouth where they made quick work of outmatched Pendleton County on Wednesday night. MoCo scored the final 24 points of the 1st half, taking a 47-14 lead to the locker room. The running clock was going midway through quarter 3 & Jason Holland's team cruised to an 80-34 win. Eleven Indians scored points, led by Bryan Wallace & Darius Jones who both tallied 18. Senior forward DeAnte Cisero added 13 points.

 

40th District Tournament Pairings Set

 

The 40th District, which seeds its District Tournament, has its postseason pairings ready to go. They are as follows:

 

#1 Montgomery County vs. #4 Bourbon County - Tuesday, February 25th at 6:00 pm

#2 George Rogers Clark vs. #3 Paris - Tuesday, February 25th at 7:30 pm

 

Championship Game - Thursday, February 27th at 7:00 pm

 

* All games held at Montgomery County

 

10th Region Top 10 Rankings

 

1. Montgomery County (23-1)

2. Mason County (19-4)

3. Bishop Brossart (19-3)

4. Campbell County (15-6)

5. Harrison County (11-13)

6. George Rogers Clark (8-16)

7. Augusta (15-10)

8. Scott (7-18)

9. Paris (11-13)

10. Robertson County (12-10)

Edited February 17, 201412 yr by Randy Parker

Going into the postseason the #1 team won't have played #2, 3 or 4. That seems unusual to me.

 

With that said, Montgomery Co's out of region schedule has been relatively challenging. They've probably had the second toughest schedule in the region behind 40th district foe GRC. Scott and Mason Co would be in the discussion as well.

Going into the postseason the #1 team won't have played #2, 3 or 4. That seems unusual to me.

 

With that said, Montgomery Co's out of region schedule has been relatively challenging. They've probably had the second toughest schedule in the region behind 40th district foe GRC. Scott and Mason Co would be in the discussion as well.

 

I've been waiting for someone to mention "Strength of Schedule" so I could say this: We (Augusta) has ARGUABLY of Course, played the toughest schedule in the Region if not the state if you take into consideration the schools' student populations. We have 105 kids.

I've been waiting for someone to mention "Strength of Schedule" so I could say this: We (Augusta) has ARGUABLY of Course, played the toughest schedule in the Region if not the state if you take into consideration the schools' student populations. We have 105 kids.

 

I think you could add Augusta and Harrison Co in with Mason Co and Scott, but I think GRC is the clear cut leader. They have 7 games against teams I consider top 25 teams, and a couple others against teams that others would have in that group.

 

If we are talking about challenging schedules based on individual school's circumstances, Augusta would be right there at the top.

Going into the postseason the #1 team won't have played #2, 3 or 4. That seems unusual to me.

 

With that said, Montgomery Co's out of region schedule has been relatively challenging. They've probably had the second toughest schedule in the region behind 40th district foe GRC. Scott and Mason Co would be in the discussion as well.

With the unknown due to the lack of matchups at the top you mentioned, as well as the ingredients for a few upsets, this should be an outstanding district(s) and regional tournament.

I think you could add Augusta and Harrison Co in with Mason Co and Scott, but I think GRC is the clear cut leader. They have 7 games against teams I consider top 25 teams, and a couple others against teams that others would have in that group.

 

If we are talking about challenging schedules based on individual school's circumstances, Augusta would be right there at the top.

 

Harrison's schedule has been brutal this year for sure.

Harrison's schedule has been brutal this year for sure.

 

Agree. I overlooked them in my first post. After this week they will have had 6 games against teams I'd consider top 25 teams, and anther 3-4 against teams in that next 10-15 range.

They aren't far (if at all) behind GRC after this week.

Augusta and Harrison both did in fact play very hard schedules. Question is did they win any of those hard games? I've yet to see Montgomery County, but from what I've heard, they are double digit favorites against any one else in the region.

Regarding schedule strength & without looking at any of the schedules, I would say off the top of my head that Harrison County & GRC have the tougher slates.

Pre-Season I thought Montgomery County was the prohibitive favorite but after they got Cisero I was absolutely convinced they were the favorite and after playing them and seeing them play multiple times this year, nothing has changed my mind. They're the odds on, 10+ point, favorite with Mason and Brossart closest to the 10 point deficit mark.

Yes GRC has had a very challenging schedule. Why our W/L record is deceiving. Been in all games this year but 2 and one or 2 OT's to Madison Central on their floor.

Yes GRC has had a very challenging schedule. Why our W/L record is deceiving. Been in all games this year but 2 and one or 2 OT's to Madison Central on their floor.

 

I should add this caveat to my post: if Clark and Montgomery play in the Region final you can throw out conventional wisdom and stats because it's a rivalry game and it'll be close.

I should add this caveat to my post: if Clark and Montgomery play in the Region final you can throw out conventional wisdom and stats because it's a rivalry game and it'll be close.

Hopefully we will meet in the finals of the district. :thumb:

Pre-Season I thought Montgomery County was the prohibitive favorite but after they got Cisero I was absolutely convinced they were the favorite and after playing them and seeing them play multiple times this year, nothing has changed my mind. They're the odds on, 10+ point, favorite with Mason and Brossart closest to the 10 point deficit mark.

 

My thinking as well.

Those rankings will change now.