8th Region News:

 

* North Oldham proved that Oldham County was mortal, upsetting the #1 Colonels in Goshen to claim the top seed in the 29th District Tournament. Jonathan Henry had 28 points for the Mustangs who have won 11 of their last 14 games.

* Congratulations to the Owen County Rebels, who claimed the 2015 8th Region All-A classic with a victory over Walton-Verona in Warsaw. It was the Rebels' fifth 8th Region All-A title. Good luck to Coach Duvall and Co. in Frankfort; the 8th is overdue. The last 8th Region team to make the semi-finals of the state All-A was Walton Verona in 2004; the only 8th Region team to make the finals was Gallatin Co. in 1999.

* Congratulations also to junior forward Carson Williams, who become Owen County's all-time leading scorer during the Region 8 All-A title game.

* Walton-Verona is quietly putting together a really nice season. Second-year coach Grant Brannen has the Bearcats sitting at 11-9, nearly three times last year's victory total! (The 2013-14 Bearcats won just four games, the fewest of any 8th Region team). Walton-Verona has 9 regular season games remaining; 8 are definitely winnable. Win all 8 and upset Grant County and the Bearcats would have improved from 4 wins to 20! Nice. Regardless, Coach Brannen should be a strong candidate for 8th Region Coach of the Year.

* Speaking of post-season honors, seven players seem to be moving to the forefront: Carson Williams (Owen County), Hayden Hawes (Oldham County), Jonathan Henry (North Oldham), Austin Cummins (Anderson County), Brent Kidwell (Collins), Michael Dunaway (Trimble County), and Matt Mullins (Simon Kenton). Several other quality players out there, but these have been steller night-in and night-out. Still half a season to play, though.

* Three teams remain undefeated in region 8 play: Owen County (11-0), Collins (6-0), and North Oldham (4-0). Oldham County (5-1) and Simon Kenton (3-1) have one loss each.

 

This Week's Top 10:

 

1. Oldham County (14-4, 5-1 region 8) The Colonels had a hiccup against cross-county / district 29 rival North Oldham last Friday, but still appear to be the team to beat. Oldham's body of work includes convincing victories over other contenders, including a 25 point win over Anderson Co., a 20 point win over Grant Co., and a 15 point win over Simon Kenton. The Colonels have also competed well against out of region competition, including victories over Central and St. X. Hayden Hawes is playing at a high level; he had 21 points in the loss to North. The Colonels have a chance to make another statement on Tuesday, 1/20, at home against Collins. (live video broadcast at 7 pm on The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN)

 

2. Collins (12-5, 6-0) The Titans seem to finally be getting their offense in gear. Collins has won six straight games - one of the longest winning streaks in the region - and during that stretch have averaged 64.8 ppg. Make no mistake; this team is Brent Kidwell's and Deion Cochran's, but the supporting cast is coming along. Still, there really isn't much scoring after the starting five. Collins just got their second win over Shelby County last week, 56-49. That started a huge stretch of nine games that will tell the tale. Next up: Tue 1/20 at Oldham Co. (The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN) Fri 1/23 vs. Bullitt East, Sat 1/24 vs. Simon Kenton, followed by games against Woodford County, Grant County, Eastern, Male, and Owen County.

 

3. Simon Kenton (10-7, 3-1) Simon Kenton's record is deceiving. The Pioneers have played a really challenging out of region schedule, and only two losses have been by more than 10 points. Trent Steiner's squad is averaging 67.8 ppg, second in the region only to Grant County. The starting five is as good as any in the region, but - like Collins - the bench is a question mark. Like some other region teams, the Pioneers have a tough stretch coming up: 1/23 vs. Grant Co. 1/24 vs. Collins

 

4. Owen County (16-2, 11-0) Owen just keep winning, but the caliber of competition has been somewhat suspect. After dropping two straight over the holidays, the Rebels have won seven straight, the longest current winning streak in the region. Owen just won the 8th Region All-A tournament last week, knocking off Walton-Verona, 62-47, in the finals. Carson Williams continues to be the favorite for Player of the Year, averaging 25.3 ppg and 14.3 rebounds. This Saturday, the Rebels travel to Woodford County, a pretty good 11th Region squad, and they follow it up with their toughest stretch of the year: Grant County / Simon Kenton / Collins / Cooper / North Oldham / Anderson Co. / Oldham Co.

 

5. North Oldham (11-7, 4-0) The Mustangs are the big movers up this week, in part due to their 54-51 upset win over Oldham County, but also due to their recent successes: North has won 11 of their last 14 games. Jonathan Henry is performing at a feverish pace; the Mustangs' senior guard is averaging 23.2 ppg, hitting 53.7% from the floor, and 46.4% beyond the arc. He had 22 points versus Bryan Station and 28 versus Oldham County last week. North's schedule increases in difficulty this week with four tough opponents: Tue 1/20 at Anderson County, Wed 1/21 vs. Male, Fri 1/23 at Shelby County, and Sat 1/24 at Meade County

 

6. Shelby County (12-5, 2-3) Shelby continues to be inconsistent of late. Big games this week against North Oldham (1/23) and 13th Region power Clay County (1/24) will give them a chance to get back on the winning track against top competition.

 

7. Grant County (10-7, 2-3) The Braves have the talent to be #1 on this list. But the play has been erratic of late. Grant lost to Shelby by a whopping 21 points before turning around and whipping Williamstown by 29. After a respectable 4 point loss to Boone County, the Braves struggled against Pendleton County (8-10) and lost by 8 to East Jessamine (6-13). Grant is pouring in the points; the Braves average a region 8-best 71.2 ppg and shoot the ball well from just about everywhere. This is definitely a dangerous team; we'll see if they turn it around in the second half of the season. This week: Tue 1/20 vs. George Rogers Clark, 1/23 at Simon Kenton

 

8. Anderson County (8-6, 1-2) It's unusual to see a Glenn Drury-coached team depending upon its offense and not its defense, but that's the case. Anderson averages 66.8 ppg - fourth best in region 8 - but gives up 60.1 ppg. Anderson lacks size, but has shooters, most notably Austin Cummins, averaging 22.9 ppg. The Bearcats have a lot of upside as they rely on a lot of youth: Freshmen Gunner Gillis (7.1 ppg) and Cobe Penny (8.1 ppg) are critical to their success, as is sophomore John Paul Garmon (8.0 ppg). The Bearcats have been looking for a signature win; they just missed out on one last week versus Mercer County. This week, they face North Oldham on 1/20.

 

9. Walton-Verona (11-9, 5-3) The Bearcats have improved from 4 wins last year to 11 already this year. After combining for just 13 wins over the past two seasons, Walton should come close to 20 this year. The Bearcats had a successful week last week, finishing as the All-A runner-ups, and losing to heavily favored Owen County in a much-closer-than-expected final that was just an 8 point game with four minutes to play. Shea Evans continues to lead the way for this squad, averaging 13.2 ppg.

 

10. Trimble County (12-5, 5-5) The Raiders have won 8 of their last 10 games and appear headed for a 20-win season. They had a respectable showing in the All-A, losing to Walton-Verona by just four points in the semi-finals.

 

Key Games this week

 

Tuesday 1/20

Oldham County vs. Collins - #1 vs. #2 Live video on The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

Grant County vs. George Rogers Clark

Anderson County vs. North Oldham

 

Wednesday 1/21

North Oldham vs. Male

 

Friday 1/23

Collins vs. Bullitt East

Simon Kenton vs. Grant County - big District 32 tilt

North Oldham at Shelby County

 

Saturday 1/24

North Oldham at Meade County

Collins vs Simon Kenton

Owen County at Woodford County

Shelby County at Clay County

Tuesday 1/20/15 games.....

 

North Oldham and Anderson County had a barn-burner in Lawrenceburg....North Oldham continues their hot ways with a 73-71 win.

 

Grant lost a heartbreaker on the road in an out-of-region affair vs GRC, 79-72. Solid performance, though, vs. a quality opponent. Good to see the 8th represented well, even in defeat.

 

The other big game of the night turned into a surprisingly one-sided affair. Oldham County took an 11 point lead into the locker room, then shot 60% in the second half en route to a 68-43 win over the Collins Titans, ending Collins' six game winning streak. The loss also knocked Collins from the ranks of the unbeaten in region 8 play.

 

That leaves two teams undefeated in region play, Owen County (11-0) and North Oldham (5-0).

Eminence gets a road win at rival henry.

Eminence gets a road win at rival henry.

 

That's always a war!! Broadcast a lot of those games between the Warriors and Wildcats in the 80s and 90s. Haven't done one in a while, though. Any details?

 

Eminence has been very competitive this year versus Gallatin / Henry / Carroll and could make it back to New Castle....

The 8th is appearing to be Oldham and then the rest. I think there is about 4 or 5 teams that could meet Oldham in the finals of the 8th. That was very impressive performance by them last night.

The 8th is appearing to be Oldham and then the rest. I think there is about 4 or 5 teams that could meet Oldham in the finals of the 8th. That was very impressive performance by them last night.

 

I think you're forgetting about a few things:

 

1) North Oldham showed that teams in the 8th can beat Oldham County.

2) Owen County is playing very well right now.

3) Simon Kenton and Grant County have played a very tough schedule and even though they have both lost their fair share of games are quite dangerous come February.

4) Shelby County is a tough out for any team in the 8th.

 

Right now this would be my predictions for the 8th:

 

29th - Oldham County, North Oldham

30th - Shelby County, Collins

31st - Owen County, Gallatin County

32nd - Grant County, Simon Kenton

I agree about Shelby being dangerous BUT then have lost to Collins twice and Anderson and still has to play Spencer. Shelby just isn't clicking.

I know North knocked them off but North and also beat Anderson but they have some games coming up to see just how strong they have gotten after a horrible start.

Here's my take after seeing Oldham, Collins, North Oldham and Shelby all play at Anderson...I wouldn't bet a plug nickel on who will win this region because after Oldham's loss to NO a few days ago, ANYBODY can beat anybody among the top 7-8 teams. Anderson Co could have beat NO last night, game could have went either way, and if it had ended 45 seconds earlier or went 45 seconds longer they very well could have been the winner. That just showed me on any night these games can be a toss up. Yes OC blew out Collins last night, but if they played tomorrow it wouldn't surprise me to see Collins win. Then you have Owen County out there with the best player in the region who I don't think anyone has an answer for. It's going to be an interesting ride the next few weeks.

I think you're forgetting about a few things:

 

1) North Oldham showed that teams in the 8th can beat Oldham County.

2) Owen County is playing very well right now.

3) Simon Kenton and Grant County have played a very tough schedule and even though they have both lost their fair share of games are quite dangerous come February.

4) Shelby County is a tough out for any team in the 8th.

 

Right now this would be my predictions for the 8th:

 

29th - Oldham County, North Oldham

30th - Shelby County, Collins

31st - Owen County, Gallatin County

32nd - Grant County, Simon Kenton

 

Shelby does not win the 30th I don't think. Heck, they already have losses to both Collins and Anderson.

Shelby does not win the 30th I don't think. Heck, they already have losses to both Collins and Anderson.

 

The question with Shelby is health. IF Gordon's back holds up. IF Manica returns. Manica is probably a top-5 player in the region but IF he returns how effective will he be? IF he returns will it disrupt the team's chemistry?

 

Grant County is another extremely strong team that is hoping to get healthy again.

 

Owen is getting ready to prove itself against the meat of its schedule. No predictions here - but I think the Rebels will fare well.

 

Collins is still in the hunt, but for the first time this year, their warts got exposed by Oldham.

 

Warts....everyone's got 'em - who will mask theirs the best????????

 

Bottom-line: Oldham County, North Oldham, Grant Couny, Simon Kenton, Collins, Shelby County, and Owen County all appear to have the ability to win three straight in New Castle. Better bring your A game.

 

But I agree with the above; right now, Oldham has to be sitting in the role of favorite. The 25 point win over Collins was very impressive, indeed.