38th District Tournament Preview

38th District Tournament Preview

The 10th Region's newest home floor, Robertson County High School, will be the site for the 2015 38th District Tournament. One of four districts in Kentucky that uses a blind draw for its postseason, the 38th actually looks more like a seeded tournament than a drawn tournament this year. Harrison County and Pendleton County are opposite one another after having squared off in the opening round the last 3 seasons. This year, the Thorobreds will face Nicholas County, while the Wildcats take on the host Black Devils.

Harrison County, the two-time defending 38th champs, enter again as the tournament favorite. The (re)addition of outstanding guard D.J. Jenkins (13.4 ppg) in January gave Larry Kendall's team a shot in the arm. The Breds were 7-8 without Jenkins and 7-5 with him. As good as Jenkins is, however, the team leader this year has been forward Trenton Thompson, one of the 10th's top performers all season long. The 6'5" senior averages 22.5 ppg & 7.7 rpg. 6'4" junior forward Zack Pulliam has ended the season strong, and averages 10.9 ppg. This trio will make it hard for anyone to dethrone the Breds in the 38th.

First-year coach Keaton Belcher has led Pendleton County to a nice 2014-15 campaign thus far. While the team suffered a difficult injury to star 8th grader Dontaie Allen early on, they have proven a tough out for some of the 10th Region's top teams. Sophomore guard Michael Antrobus, a bit of a 3-point shooting specialist, leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.5 ppg. Hunter Lea, a 6'4" senior, has had a tremendous season of 10.3 ppg & 8.7 rpg despite not having played since he was a freshman. Pendleton loves the 3-ball, as evidenced by their 213 treys made this year.

Nicholas County and second-year coach Roger Newton enter the tournament having lost 6 of their last 7, but the Jackets bring a balanced offensive attack. Senior guard Tyler Newton leads the way at 13.7 ppg, while fellow senior Ben Duncan averages 10.8 ppg and tops the team in rebounding at 5.3 rpg. A third senior, guard Devin Trussell, is the team's other double-digit scorer, averaging 10.4 ppg. Nicholas' opening round contest with Harrison County will be a rematch of a December 5th game that the Breds won 71-54 in Cynthiana.

It's been a tough year for John Brown's Roberston County squad. A great deal of the firepower from last year's 38th District runner-up graduated, which helps explain the 6-20 record. Dawson Cooper, a 6'2" senior, averages a team high 19.1 ppg & 8 rpg and is the backbone for Brown's club. Freshman guard Mason Burden has had an outstanding season thus far, scoring 15.9 ppg and grabbing 6.7 rpg. While the Black Devils do host the tourney, an upset of Pendleton County seems unlikely. Robertson is 0-4 in district play, 1-12 against 10th Region opponents overall, and fell to the Wildcats 73-51 on February 2nd in Mt. Olivet.

The Pairings (all games at Robertson County)

Harrison County vs. Nicholas County - Feb. 23rd 8:00 pm

Pendleton County vs. Robertson County - Feb. 24th 8:00 pm

Championship Game- Feb. 27th 7:00 pm

Our Predictions

gold sunrise's picks:

Pendleton County 83

Robertson County 60

Harrison County 85

Nicholas County 55

Harrison County 73

Pendleton County 60

mcpapa's picks:

Pendleton County defeated Robertson County handily earlier this month with big games from Micheal Antrobus and Hunter Lea, and there is little reason to think that things will change this time around. The Devils' Dawson Cooper and Mason Burden will need help and have to hope that the Wildcats' sharpshooters have an off night to advance.

Pendleton County 72

Robertson County 55

Another m&m-er on paper; the Thorobreds have perhaps as much talent as anybody in the 10th; but have been very inconsistent all season. That being said, the Jackets will not have enough firepower to pull off the upset.

Harrison County 71

Nicholas County 49

This one could shape up to be an entertaining final. First-year coach Keaton Belcher's squad's record is deceptive as the Wildcats have played a several quality teams close - Mason County, Grant County and Montgomery County come to mind. The Breds present matchup problems for the Cats in this one, though, and should pull out the win.

Harrison County 70

Pendleton County 63

Randy Parker's picks:

Harrison County 74

Nicholas County 52

Pendleton County 68

Robertson County 49

Harrison County 71

Pendleton County 62