Inside the 8th Region 2-26-15

Hated to miss last Sunday's update, but wound up working...ugh.

COMING UP IN THIS SPACE....analysis of all 8 teams headed to New Castle for the annual classic, the 8th Region tournament.

For those unaware....the 8th Region is the longest-tenured region tournament in Kentucky at its current location. The 8th began playing in New Castle when the current gym was opened in 1963. It's been there ever since. It's become such a revered tradition that - a few years ago when Henry County HS performed some major renovations, amid serious parking concerns - they kept the tourney there, anyway. Parking was terrible that year - but nobody seemed to mind. It's a fantastic place for a region - it has all the feel of a HS gym (which it is), yet it's big enough to handle the big crowds. I hope the tourney never leaves this old-feel gym in my lifetime....

So far, the districts seem to be playing out as expected....

29th district Oldham County, the defending distrct titleists, and North Oldham, the top seed, go at it tomorrow night at South Oldham HS. The game will be broadcast over the internet (video) on The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN. (live and archived). Oldham's only loss to an 8th region foe was a 54-51 defeat at the hands of North in Goshen. Since then, the Colonels have been a juggernaut, winning 11 consecutive games and looking every bit the region favorite. Six different Colonels have led the team in scoring during those 11 games. North Oldham's Jonathan Henry has been a beast of late, and scored 30 vs. South Oldham in the semis; look for him to get his, but the Colonels figure to have the emotional edge. Favorite: Oldham

30th District All-Shelby final. Shelby vs. Collins. These two have had two great games already this year, and now Malik Manica is back for the Rockets. Shelby hasn't posted stats on the khsaa.org site for a long while, but Manica's presence back in the lineup has had noticeable results: Shelby has won 7 straight to reach 20 wins on the season. Tonight's 2 point win over Anderson Co reversed a 9 point loss just a few short weeks ago. As for Collins, the Titans are on an even more impressive run, having won 8 of their last nine - with the wins including victories over Bullitt East, Male, Eastern, Grant County, and a dramatic come-from-behind win over Owen County. Collins is proof the old adage is true: Defense wins games. Favorite: hard to beat a good team three times, but I'm going with Collins

31st District The "Wizard of Warsaw" does it again. Jon Jones, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the region, and by far one of the best at his craft, pulled a rabbit out of a hat when it seemed least likely. On a season in which the Gallatin County Wildcats lost their best player the first game of the season. When the team lost 17 regular season games and finished the year on a 5 game losing streak....he proved once again that a Jon Jones-coached team is one of the tournament's toughest outs, as Gallatin upset Eminence to reach the district finals against heavily-favored Owen County. Owen won both earlier meetings, by 4 and by 24. Gallatin will be ready, but Owen's Devin Duvall simply has too many weapons at his disposal, and Carson Williams is a matchup nightmare. Favorite: Owen County

32nd district It's been a perplexing year for the two 32nd district finalists. Simon Kenton has won just 15 games, but the Pioneers have played one of the tougher schedules. SK has also come up with a good ending to their regular season, with three straight wins, including a win over 21-win Campbell County, Anderson County, and Williamstown. In a rematch of last year's district finals, the Pioneers will face Grant County, the defending champs. Like SK, the Braves have had a disappointing season in terms of wins, but injuries played a big role. But also like SK, Grant County has come alive of late, winning four of their last six games. This is a high-scoring, good-shooting Braves squad, and the play of Austin Johnson may well dictate how this plays out. SK won the previous meeting by just 8 points, but the Pioneers have the home court advantage. Favorite: Simon Kenton, in a barn-burner!

Along the way, kudos to the 8th region player of the year, Carson Williams of Owen County. Perhaps the worst-kept secret of the season and hardly a surprise to anyone. Considering he's just a junior, he might be one of those rare birds that wins the award twice in a row. Certainly, he'll be the favorite to do so again beginning next season. It's fun to watch Carson play - it's easy to forget how big he actually is when you watch him on the court, he moves so well.

Coach of the year went to Devin Duvall, also of Owen County. Congrats to Devin, one of the truly "nice guys" in the region, who also just happens to be a brilliant coach. He's really turned around the program and elevated the expectations since he's been in Owenton, and the Rebels are proof every year that you don't have to be a "big" school to be a top-tier contender.

Region Tournament Preview will be posted LATE SUNDAY NIGHT.

ONE OTHER REMINDER: ALL 8th region tournament games (boys and girls) will be broadcast as they are every year on the Pegasus Sports Network. http://www.pegasussportsky.com All games are LIVE and also ARCHIVED indefinitely.

CM