2014 37th District Tournament Preview

 

The 37th District Tournament is always a dogfight & while some might feel like there will be less intensity this year, we think otherwise. Granted, Bishop Brossart does seem to be a step ahead of the competition. The 'Stangs have held the #2 spot in 10th Region rankings most of the year, most recently grabbing the spot back after an impressive win over Mason County. Mike Code has done sensational work with this Brossart team, who has faced an injury to a key player. The Mustangs have again gone undefeated in District play which is good enough to earn the top seed for the tournament.

 

Campbell County & head coach Aric Russell are the #2 seed, with the lone District loss coming to Brossart. The Camels have put together a pretty solid year, but are limping a bit entering the postseason having lost 3 of their last 4 games. Campbell County missed out on the party last year when it came 10th Region Tournament time & they hope to reverse their fortunes this year.

 

Scott is undoubtedly the wild card in the 37th. The defending 10th Region runners-up have battled injuries for a vast portion of the season & their record reflects that fact. Scott lost 10 consecutive games during one stretch of the season, but it appears as if the Eagles have collected themselves & are playing their best ball of the season, having just lost a buzzer-beater to Brossart.

 

A pleasant surprise in the 37th District has been Silver Grove, the #4 seed in the Tournament. The Big Trains are unlikely to get past Bishop Brossart, should they win their quarterfinal game, but Bobby Aldridge's team enters postseason play with 16 wins as of this writing.

 

It's been a tough year, however, for Thomas Douthit & the Calvary Christian Cougars, who own the 10th's worst record at 5-21.

 

The Pairings (all games at Campbell County Middle School)

#4 Silver Grove vs. #5 Calvary Christian - Feb. 24th 7:30 pm

 

#1 Bishop Brossart vs.#4 Silver Grove/#5 Calvary Christian winner - Feb. 26th 6:00 pm

#2 Campbell County vs. #3 Scott - Feb. 26th 7:30 pm

 

Championship- Feb. 28th 7:00 pm

 

Players To Watch

 

We'll start here with the 10th Region's most dominating front line--the Bishop Brossart 6'7" senior tandem of Alex Trentman & Drew Burns. The more versatile Trentman leads the team in both scoring (20.4 ppg) & rebounding (8.1 rpg). Burns is your more traditional big man, who is at his best with back to the basket. He is second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) & rebounding (6.9 rpg). A big boost for the 'Stangs has been the very recent return of senior point guard Jake Jennings, who went down with injury just prior to the Class "A" State Tournament. The 5'10" scrapper scored 12 points in his return vs. Scott & makes a huge difference. Another senior, 6'3" Erik Rieger, averages 8 ppg & does a little bit of everything for Brossart.

 

Campbell County brings an outstanding trio of players to the table. Junior guard Deondre Jackson is the team's top individual talent. At 6'2", Jackson leads the team in scoring at 18.6 ppg & is a 40.2% 3-point shooter. Just behind him is 5'11" senior guard Corey Holbrook, who nets 16 ppg. 6'6" sophomore center Matt Wilson is very nearly averaging double-double on the year, at 13 ppg & 9.9 rpg. The big man also swats 2.3 bpg & has made significant strides in the paint all season long.

 

Junior guard Blake Schneider has battled injuries this season, but has averaged 18.5 ppg in 16 games played for Scott. Freshman guard Jake Ohmer has been a sizzling shooter, averaging 12.8 ppg & hitting 4 3pt. FG's per game. Senior forward Kameron Crim is a strong presence on the block & posts averages of 9.1 ppg & 6.3 rpg. Another senior, guard Ben Osborne, averages 7.6 ppg & pulls down a team-high 6.8 rpg.

 

Silver Grove sees consitent production from a pair of juniors: swingman Billy Miller & guard Anthony Turcios. Senior guard Chris Lambert and junior guard Christian Pollitt are also dependable scorers for the Big Trains.

 

Carson Kaufman, a 6'0 senior, leads Calvary Christian as the only double figures scorer at 14 ppg. Riley Worstell, a junior guard, averages 9.8 ppg.

 

Our Predictions

 

gold sunrise's picks:

 

Silver Grove 60

Calvary Christian 49

 

 

Bishop Brossart 70

Silver Grove 40

 

Scott 65

Campbell County 63

 

 

Bishop Brossart 70

Scott 65

mcpapa's picks:

 

Silver Grove 62

Calvary Christian 44

 

 

Bishop Brossart 66

Silver Grove 39

 

Campbell County 71

Scott 69

 

 

Bishop Brossart 61

Campbell County 49

Randy Parker's picks:

 

Silver Grove 71

Calvary Christian 60

 

 

Bishop Brossart 63

Silver Grove 30

 

Campbell County 62

Scott 61

 

 

Bishop Brossart 69

Campbell County 60

Again great preview

 

Silver Grove 75

Calvary Christian 59

 

Bishop Brossart 70

Silver Grove 50

 

Scott 68

Campbell 58

 

Bishop Brossart 73

Scott 68

I've got Brossart and Scott in the finals with Brossart winning by 9.

Camels and Brossart advance to finals. Camels lose but in much closer fashion. 56-55.