Final from Ft. Thomas in this 1pm game. It was close throughout. Tied 35-35 with 6 minutes to go. 2-3 key turnovers in a row by Dixie and Highlands converted and pushed the lead 8. Once Highlands forced Dixie out of their zone they played keep away the rest of the way and converted their free throws down the stretch. Highlands was pretty balanced. Dixie was led by Tibbs with 20.

Highlands had a game plan from the start....drive inside and kick the ball out for 3 point shots. Dixie gave up 10 three points totally ungaurded. Tibbs was open all day, not sure why the front court won't get her the ball.

BoosterB, I took in the game today and I don't know what you were watching. The Birds basically beat Dixie with two players, Adler and Graves. Combined they hit 7 threes, both are taller girls that your back court can't cover. I thought your front court out played us. The combo of Davis, Brock, and East probably had 25 points. Where is the help in Dixies backcourt? That's the problem, the only elite defender is Brock but she can't guard 5 players. Anyway it was a gpod game to watch.

BoosterB, I took in the game today and I don't know what you were watching. The Birds basically beat Dixie with two players, Adler and Graves. Combined they hit 7 threes, both are taller girls that your back court can't cover. I thought your front court out played us. The combo of Davis, Brock, and East probably had 25 points. Where is the help in Dixies backcourt? That's the problem, the only elite defender is Brock but she can't guard 5 players. Anyway it was a gpod game to watch.

I agree Brock can defend. Not sure what the answer would have been today I think highlands only had 3 2 point field goals everything else was a 3 or foul shot. Dixie stayed in a lazy 2 - 3 except for the last 3 min. Maybe flip that around play a 3 - 2 or try man do something. Don't just let them shoot over you all game. Dixie has little to no penatration again Brock seems to be one of the only to drive the ball. Good things happen when you drive towards the basket.

I don't think Dixie played bad from what I heard. I just think Highlands is a pretty good team.

I agree Brock can defend. Not sure what the answer would have been today I think highlands only had 3 2 point field goals everything else was a 3 or foul shot. Dixie stayed in a lazy 2 - 3 except for the last 3 min. Maybe flip that around play a 3 - 2 or try man do something. Don't just let them shoot over you all game. Dixie has little to no penatration again Brock seems to be one of the only to drive the ball. Good things happen when you drive towards the basket.

 

Sounds like poor adjustments, in game, by the Dixie coaches.

I only saw the second half, but I can tell you what I saw. I actually felt Dixie played well. I felt they matched up in the zone the best they could and kept the Birds from getting quick hitters. They took away some things the Birds do very well. I think people are being a little too critical of Dixie.

 

I'm not saying this to tell you how good HHS is. I telling you this to show you that Dixie didn't really play that bad. HHS is good! They are VERY patient and disciplined. Very good on defense. And very well coached. They almost always execute what they are trying to do and that sets them apart from others. What happens against HHS is they don't "wow" you. So you leave the gym thinking "they are okay, but we could have beat them" or "I just wasn't overly impressed" or "They have some nice shooters." But what you don't realize is how well they play together. How every player has their role and they execute that role. They make extra passes and don't usually make silly turnovers or poor decisions with the ball. They make you beat them and don't usually give games away. Yes, Tibbs was open at times in the second half. And if you just watch her, you'd say "she's open, get her the ball!" Well that's easier said than done when she is only open for a split second and you are being pressured by long guards all over the place. The other thing is HHS does different things each time down the court. Some are very obvious and some just come from the experience of the kids playing together. So what may have been open one time, is not the next. They have done that to just about every guard in the region. Some handle it a little better, but they still make all of them make mistakes. It's part of what they do very well. No guard has been immune to it.

 

As far as open looks, they have several plays to make that happen. Again, they do that to everyone. I actually felt Dixie played them well on defense and made the Birds work a lot harder than they typically have to. If Dixie would have went to man, I don't think that would have worked out well. It's easy to watch one game against the Birds and say you should have tried this. But I'm sure the Dixie staff has seen the Birds multiple times and knows their own team better than most parents and I'm sure they played what they felt gave their team the best chance. And they almost hung in there!

 

HHS did play without Leigh again in this one and that would most likely have made some difference in a game like this. And HHS had a lot going on with playing the night before and their Sweethearts Dance right after the game...but I felt Dixie played them about as well as they could have. I was actually impressed with them and the way they moved the ball and defended.

 

I don't have much history with Dixie this year, but I thought they played well. HHS is very good (not saying that because I'm a homer). You just don't realize it because of their style of bball.

Don't blame coaches.

Dixie's strategy was sound. It is the only way they could legitimately match up with technically the five guards that Highlands started and played most of the game. Their 2-3 match up zone slowed Highlands down and forced them to work pretty hard for their shots. Keep in mind it was 35-35 with six minutes left in the game. It definitely put them in a position to win the game. Coming out man to man would have forced Tibbs and Davis to guard on the perimeter which is definitely not their strength. Turnovers have been Dixie's Achilles Heal all year. It was the same in this game especially at key moments. Dixie turned it over 3 straight times down the floor with the score tied 35-35. Highlands converted 8 straight points. Dixie came out of their zone at that point and Highlands spread them out. Game over. Dixie had a match up advantage in the post on offense with Tibbs, but they have trouble getting it to her at times especially when there is perimeter ball pressure. She was 7/8 from the field so she converted when she got the chance. In the end, Dixie played pretty well and had a chance to win against a very good and well coached Highlands team.

I agree, Dixie can't go man to man with there lineup. But when the other team knows that you are going to pass the ball around trying to get it to the post, you become one dimensional. That leads to turnovers. Let the guards play and take shots and they might be a better team. I saw numerous chances at fast breaks but they slow it up. One player can't win a game by themselves. Anyway I thought Dixie played well.

I agree, Dixie can't go man to man with there lineup. But when the other team knows that you are going to pass the ball around trying to get it to the post, you become one dimensional. That leads to turnovers. Let the guards play and take shots and they might be a better team. I saw numerous chances at fast breaks but they slow it up. One player can't win a game by themselves. Anyway I thought Dixie played well.

Well said couldn't agree more. Good things happen with ball penatration. Just my opinion but Dixie has a lot more tools then they are using.

I'm curious as to what all these tools are that you say Dixie has?

Bench players are not used correctly Tibbs seems tired at times and only time she gets a break is if she is in foul trouble. They seem to spread the floor nicely but need to be instructed to drive the ball not to pass around the outside waiting for a turn over to happen. I agree, with Tibbs they need to play inside out but the only way they (Dixie) get the ball inside now is to pass to Tibbs. They need to drive the ball dump off to Tibbs or back out to Davis or Brock for a open shot. I'm assuming since you committed you must also be a Dixie fan do you think this is the best they can play with talent they have?

A lot of fans feel like they can coach a team better than the coaches, but the coaches know the players better than the fans since they practice with them everyday. If they are not playing the way that you would like them to play, then maybe they are not physically able to do the things that the fans want them to do. I am a fan of Kenton County basketball. I have kids who will be coming up in the Kenton County district, however I might pull them to the Boone County District where the fans are a lot nicer. :ylsuper:

Going into the 4th quarter Dixie is in a tie game with 22-3 Highlands, a favorite to win the 9th region, and the takeaway from much of the Dixie fan base is questioning strategy, a lack of adjustments, and hidden treasures. This is difficult to comprehend.

 

Highlands averages 65 points per game. The "lazy zone" kept them 14 points below their average.