article Inside the 9th Region (12-15-14)

[Walter]

Each week we will take a look back at the previous week's results, top 10 teams, and name a player of the week. Let's jump in to week two of "Inside 9th Region Hoops."

 

1. Newport Central Catholic (2-0)

 

The Breds did not play this week, therefore no reason for them to drop in the rankings.

 

Up Next: 12/16 v Boone County, 12/20 v Doss (King of the Bluegrass at Faridale)

 

2. Covington Catholic (3-1)

 

The Colonels went 2-1 this week with their only loss coming to the #1 team in the state.

 

Covcath 74 St Henry 56

The Colonels had 10 different players score in this one, led by Cole Vonhandorf with 26 points and Cooper Theobald with 19 points. Senior Grant Romes also pulled down 9 rebounds.

 

Trinity 60 Covcath 49

Despite losing, it was a great effort and solid showing by the Colonels against the #1 team in the state. Vonhandorf once again led the Colonels, with 16 points. Matt Schumate was the second leading scorer with 9 points.

 

Covcath 61 Louisville St Xavier 55

After a tough loss to Trinity, Scott Ruhtsatz' bunch responded with a win over St X behind 28 points from Cole Vonhandorf and 19 from Cooper Theobald. Bo Schuh also had a solid game with 7 points, 6 rebounds,

 

Up Next: 12/15 v Bellevue; 12/17 v Campbell County, 12/20 v Knott County Central (Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County)

 

Overall: The duo of Theobald and Vonhandorf has been really good through the first two weeks of the season. Vonhandorf is averaging 22 ppg, while Theobald is averaging 14.8 ppg. One Bo Schuh gets going, this team is only going to get better and tougher to beat. One thing that hasn't been mentioned much is how deep the Colonels have been going in their bench each game, regardless of opponent. That is only going to help as the season progresses. Two games against top 20 teams this week will only help the Colonels stock continue to rise.

 

3. Holmes (3-1)

 

After dropping their first game of the year, the Bulldogs responded by going 3-0 this week.

 

Holmes 61 Bishop Brossart 37

It was the James Bolden show as the West Va signee led Holmes with 26 points, 6 rebounds despite only playing two and a half quarters. Junior Marcus Mullins finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, while fellow senior Rod Avery tallied 10 points, 6 rebounds.

 

Holmes 65 Harrison County 57

Markel McClendon led the Dogs with 17 points, 7 rebounds., followed by 14 points from Bolden, and 10 from Rod Avery. The unsung hero? Junior Andrew Arnold, who finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds with 9 of those being on the offensive end.

 

Holmes 63 St Henry 59

It wasn't pretty but the Bulldogs picked up the win, led by James Bolden with 18 points. Marcus Mullins continue his solid play with 16 points, 7 rebounds, followed by McClendon with 14 points. Rod Avery finished just shy of a double double with 8 points, 8 rebounds.

 

Up Next: 12/16 v Lloyd; 12/20 v Bullitt East (King of the Bluegrass at Fairdale)

 

Overall: The Bulldogs are still a work in progress. They have seen nothing but zone defense their past three games and it has shown as the offense has struggled at times to get going. That will certainly be a point of emphasis in practice this week for Coach Listerman's team as they try to silence the critics. The one positive is that they have defended very well after a second half against Henry Clay that looked like a lay up line. Holmes will get a chance to prove themselves this week end with an appearance in the King of the Bluegrass, where they will see several top 20 teams.

 

4. Dixie Heights (2-3)

 

After starting the season 0-3, the Colonels picked up two wins this week and move back up to #4 with Cooper suffering a loss.

 

Dixie Heights40 George Rogers Clark 34

Mitch Bolin and Liam Rabe both finished with 10 points to lead the Colonels.

 

Dixie Heights 50 Taft, OH 46

Dixie was once again led by a pair of seniors, as Mitch Bolin and Austin Schreck both finished with 12 points, apiece.

 

Up Next: 12/16 v Highlands, 12/19 v Montgomery County, 12/20 v Johnson Central (Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County)

 

Overall: The Colonels finally got their football players back and it showed as they picked up two solid wins this week. The addition of Drew Moore and Andrew Hedger gives Coach Chevalier an athletic wing at both ends with Moore and a tough, strong inside presence, in Hedger, to boost the front court. Dixie is going to continue to be a work in progress but the added depth helps give Dixie a solid rotation of 8 players for Chevalier to use.

 

5. Cooper (3-2)

 

The Jags went 2-1 this week.

 

Cooper 54 Conner 45

Sophomore Sean McNeil led Cooper with 19 points, 12 rebounds, while senior Colin Hathorn also finished with a double double with 12 points, 10 rebounds.

 

Holy Cross 55 Cooper 44

Cooper was led by freshman Adam Kunkel and Sean McNeil with 9 points, each. Senior Phillip Hawkins also contributed 8 points.

 

Cooper 57 Shroder, OH 36

After a tough loss against Holy Cross, Cooper responded with a nice win over Shroder, which features Kent State signee, Jalen Avery. Cooper was led by Sean McNeil with 19 points, 6 rebounds and Colin Hathorn with 12 points, 10 rebounds, for his second double double of the week.

 

Up Next: 12/16 v Ryle; 12/19 at Boone County

 

Overall: Despite the loss to Holy Cross, this Cooper team is still an easy selection for #5 in the rankings. Sean McNeil continues prove himself as a top 10 player in the region, but it is the elevated play of Colin Hathorn that is going to be needed for Cooper to knock off the teams ahead of them. The Jags have a blend of youth and talent as well as experience so there are going to be ups and downs throughout the season as Coach Sullivan tries to blend the two to form consistency every night. The fact that freshman Adam Kunkel has played well and sophomore Dante Hendrix is starting to get his basketball legs back, after a deep playoff run with the football team, will certainly help.

 

 

6. Newport (4-1)

 

The Wildcats went 3-0 this week to move up in the rankings.

 

Newport 70 Boone County 44

Newport was led by Paul Price (16 pts), Ethan Snapp (15 pts), and Dom Joseph (12 pts) in the blowout win over the Rebels.

 

Newport 61 Lloyd 44

Ethan Snapp led the Wildcats in scoring with 18 points. Senior forward Dominick Joseph ended the night with 11 points and Price had 10.

 

Newport 72 Withrow, OH 69

The duo of Paul Price (24 pts) and Ethan Snapp (20 pts) combined for 44 points as the Wildcats picked up a solid win Saturday night. Dom Joseph and sophomore Ricardo Hollis both had 8 points in the win.

 

Up Next: 12/16 at Campbell Co, 12/19 v Madison Central (US Bank Classic at Mason County)

 

Overall: Since dropping a double overtime thriller to Brossart, Newport has won 4 straight behind the duo of Paul Price and Ethan Snapp. The fact that Snapp is being face guarded and seeing double teams every game and the junior is still getting his with Newport winning says a lot about how much the supporting cast has improved. We should know a lot more about this Newport team after this week.

 

 

7. Holy Cross (4-2)

 

The Indians went 2-1 this week to move up in the rankings.

 

Holy Cross 64 South Oldham 58

 

Campbell County 70 Holy Cross 47

 

Holy Cross 55 Cooper 44

Holy Cross was led by Tyler Bezold with 15 points and Derrick Barnes with 14 points in the upset win over the Jaguars.

 

Up Next:12/16 v Scott; 12/18 v Grant County

 

Overall: It's hard to believe that we are talking about Holy Cross, not only as a top 10 team, but at #7 in this week's rankings. Their only two losses are to two top 20 teams in Covcath and Campbell County. I still think they have some more to prove to stay here, but it's tough to argue against their success so far. Tyler Bezold is averaging 15 ppg and has elevated the play of his supporting cast.

 

8. Boone County (3-2)

 

The Rebels wen't 2-1 this week.

 

Newport 70 Boone County 44

Junior Dylon Bishop scored 9 to lead the Rebels, followed by sophomore Colin Teegarden with 8 points.

 

Boone County 55 Ryle 54

On a night where senior Brenden Stanley scored his 1,000th career point, seniors Brett Mayberry and Haven Borkowski led the Rebels with 17 points. Stanley nearly recorded a triple double, however, with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists.

 

Boone County 75 Conner 63

After missing several games with an injury, senior Junior Stockwell returned in a big way to lead the Rebels with 25 points, 8 rebounds in a district win over the Cougars. Brenden Stanley finished with 15 points, 9 assists, while Dylon Bishop finished with a team high 10 rebounds.

 

Up Next: 12/16 at Newport Central Catholic, 12/19 v Cooper, 12/20 v Indian Hill, OH

 

Overall: After a one week exit out of the rankings, the Rebels are back at #8 this week. The return of Junior Stockwell makes this team much better as they now have an inside presence to take pressure off of Stanley out on the perimeter, while also give the Rebels driving lanes for easy baskets in the paint. Despite being #8, I think Boone has more talent and potential than what they've shown so far. This week should give us a better idea for exactly where they belong in the rankings, despite the loss to Holy Cross, who just knocked off district rival Cooper as well.

 

9. Conner (3-2)

 

The Cougars dropped both of their games this week and fall back to #9.

 

Cooper 54 Conner 45

Conner was led by sophomore Spencer Hemmerich with 17 points and junior Alec Garnett with 12 points.

 

Boone County 75 Conner 63

Michael Scott led Conner with 19 points, while Spencer Hemmerich was the only other Cougar to reach double figures with 10 points.

 

Up Next: 12/16 at Simon Kenton; 12/19 at Ryle

 

Overall: While the two losses this week end were disappointing for the Cougars, after rising to #6 in last week's rankings, the Cougars are showing that different players can lead them on any given night. When they put it all together on the same night, this is a team that can play with and potentially beat anyone.

 

10. St Henry (3-3)

 

The Cru went 1-2 this week.

 

Covcath 74 St Henry 46

St Henry was led by Paul Wallenhorst with 10 points and Connor Kunstek with 9 points.

 

St Henry 65 Highlands 55

 

Holmes 63 St Henry 59

The Cru held a 12 point lead at one point during the 4th quarter but couldn't hold on to upset the Bulldogs. St Henry was led by Paul Wallenhorst with 16 points. Other double figure scorers included Adam Goetz and Alex Green, both with 11 points. Connor Kunstek finished with 9 points and a game high 10 rebounds.

 

Up Next: 12/19 v Bullitt Central (Mingus Beef Jerky Hoopfest at Paris)

 

Player of the Week

Cole Vonhandorf- Covcath

The sophomore averaged 23 ppg this week and has shown early that he is ready to lead the Colonels this year and pick up the void in scoring left with the departure of Nick Ruthsatz.

[LIPTON BASH]

I'm confused on Cooper still being ahead of HC ?