The 8th Region once again claimed some nice victories against powerful competition from outside the region this past week....Kudos to Walton-Verona for a big win over Campbell County, one of the top two ranked teams in the 10th region, and ranked in the top 20 of the Bluegrasspreps.com statewide poll....have to think the Bearcats should be getting a little more love statewide...

 

Ditto for Collins; the red-hot Titans needed overtime, but they defeated 6th region power Valley, 100-94. Valley is unranked, but beat Mayfield twice and PRP, while losing to Butler and Paducah Tilghman each in one point ballgames.

 

The Bears of Spencer County knocked off Iroquois, 74-63. The Raider-Wolves are unranked, but a very athletic, experienced, and well-coached team that had just lost to Butler - by one point - the game before.

 

Other solid out of region wins....

 

Oldham defeated Woodford County in the Scott County Invitational, and South beat Bullitt East in the Henry County Invitational.

 

Oldham had a chance at the biggest out of region win of the week, but fell short against #7 Lafayette, 84-71, in the first round of the Toyota Classic.

 

The region, as a whole, seems to be playing its best basketball of the season....

 

This week's rankings (suitable for framing, or for bird-cage lining, depending on your loyalties!)

 

OK, I'd rank them 1, 1a, and 1b if I could, but... the top 3 really distinguished themselves again this week

 

Oldham, Walton, and Collins all make a serious case for #1 right now, and difference between the three is razor-thin. And with only the December game between Oldham and W-V so far existing as a matchup between two of the three teams - and that one decided by one point in a game that was close beyond belief - every ranking of the top three is pure speculation. It's really easy to make an argument for each.

 

In out of region games, all three have been very successful, with Oldham claiming the only victory over a top 10-ranked team (at the time of the game) when they defeated John Hardin, 88-60. Oldham also defeated the top-ranked 4th Region team, Warren Central, 71-39, the state's #16 team at the time. Walton has wins over Pendleton County and Campbell County (ranked at the time). Collins doesn't hold any out of region wins over ranked teams, but has quality out of region victories over Valley and Scott High.

 

Within the region, Oldham has edged W-Verona in head-to-head, and Collins just beat Simon Kenton by double digits. Walton also has a win over SK under their belts, and two victories over Gallatin County.

 

This week, Oldham and Walton both appear in the Bluegrasspreps.com top 20, with the Colonels falling from #15 to #18 (which seems a little harsh after a 13 point loss to a team ranked #7) and Walton-Verona replaces Campbell County in the poll, sliding in at #19. While both teams seem a bit under-ranked to me, having both next to each other in the poll makes perfect sense.

 

Frankly, if I were a voter, I'd have Collins at #20 instead of Warren Central. I've seen both teams; Collins is the better squad.

 

Enough drama....here's this week's rankings:

 

1. - Oldham County (18-3) Last week: #1 W-V and Collins made great cases this week, but really, Oldham didn't do anything to lose this spot. Losing 84-71 to the #7 ranked team in the state doesn't reflect badly on the Colonels in this ranking, and Oldham still has an impressive resume. They also rebounded to win their last three games, including two victories over solid Woodford County and North Oldham squads.

Oldham lost only its third game of the season last week, but fell to #7 Lafayette in a respectable fashion, 84-71, in the first round of the Toyota Classic. The win over North was dramatic last night; after jumping to an early 9 point advantage, Oldham had a rare shooting lapse in the second quarter against the North zone, shooting just 3 of 16 from the field and needing a last second putback by Travis Henderson to go into the locker room tied at 24. But the Colonels blasted the North "D" in the second half, and looked every bit the part of a top 15 team in doing so, as they outscored the Mustangs, 41-15 in a dominating second-half. The 65-39 final was the 8th time this year Oldham has held an opponent under 50 points.

 

Oldham comes into this week ranked #5 in Kentucky in field goal shooting, hitting 52.7% of their shots. Notable improvement over previous years is seen in the Colonels' three point shooting, with four of the five starters serious threats from the outside.

 

Christian Harper, a 6'3" junior forward, has moved into the starting lineup and gives Oldham a dynamic playmaker on the baseline.

 

This week: 1/26 - vs. Shelby County (The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN) 1/27 - rematch with John Hardin in Elizabethtown in the Nathan McMurry Classic.

 

2. Collins (14-4) Last week: #3 The Titans move up one spot this week after the double-digit victory over SK last week. The Titans are tied with Walton-Verona for the longest current 8th region winning streak, entering this week on a 5 game streak. Collins had two trendous wins this week, knocking off Valley in OT, 100-94, before beating Simon Kenton, 73-60. Collins is still looking for that "signature" win (over a ranked team), but since losing to #1-ranked Trinity on 1/2/18, the Titans have five solid victories, including four wins over very good teams - South Oldham, Valley, SK, and Spencer County, with only the Valley win in the friendly confines of the Collins gym.

 

The 2/6/18 matchup against Oldham County is shaping up to be a much-anticipated showdown.

 

You have to tip your hat to Collins coach Chris Gaither for his management of this team. It's not that Gaither has changed his style or anything; the Collins head man still preaches defense first, and has a knack for building his teams to peak at tourney time. But Gaither has slightly tweaked his approach to this team, and the result is a squad that is "not your father's Titans team". Unlike previous Collins teams, this one has a powerful offense, with the ability to break down and beat opponents off the dribble. Four players are averaging in double figures, led by Nick Fort's 17.2 ppg. Fort, a legitimate 8th region player of the year candidate, is a force both in scoring and on the boards. Jacob Feltner is one of the top 3 or 4 perimeter shooters in the region, and Dayvion McKnight, the dynamic sophomore point guard, may well be the best sophomore in the region.

 

If there is a question mark on this Collins team, it's the bench. Nearly all the points scored by the Titans are scored by the top four.

 

This week: 1/23 - vs. Woodford County 1/26 - 30th district showdown with Anderson County 1/27 - cross-town rivalry game vs. Shelby County

 

3 - Walton-Verona (16-4) Last week: #2 Hard to move a team down after the week Walton had last week, but Collins' victory over SK was simply more impressive than W-V's the week before, and that's about the closest we have to "head to head" comparison between the two teams at this point. That said, I continue to be impressed by this Walton-Verona team. Another group of young men might have allowed the loss of Dieonte Miles to affect their mojo. Not this bunch. Grant Brannan has molded a tough, blue-collar team that finds ways to get it done, and they are perhaps the hardest team to score against in the half-court setting in the region.

 

Last week, the Bearcats got two solid wins, knocking off Gallatin County for the second time this season, in the 8th Region All-A championship game, then beating top-20 Campbell County. It's always a testament to a team's overall talent when they can shoot well against top-level competition; Walton shot 51.1% against Gallatin, and 52.5% against the Camels.

 

The 64 points scored against Gallatin was also impressive; Gallatin gives up just 50.1 ppg, fifth-lowest in KY.

 

It was a P.S. - Watch out on the girls' side; Walton-Verona's girls might not be the favorite, but Walton might have the best chance of any 8th region school to sweep the 8th Region, boys and girls.

 

This week: 1/25 vs Louisville Holy Cross in the state All-A Classic at EKU.

 

4 - Simon Kenton (12-5) Last week: #4 Simon Kenton holds at #4 this week, but the Pioneers lost out on an opportunity last week to stamp themselves as part of the Big Three, as they lost a hearbreaker at Walton-Verona by three and by 13 to Collins. The Pioneers haven't had a bad loss this year, and the worst defeat has been that 13-point deficit to Collins, but SK is still looking to take the next step within the region. Last week, the Pioneers won a district matchup with Grant County, 62-34, before the loss to Collins. The Pioneers are the top three-point shooting team in the region - percentage-wise - hitting 39.7% of their threes, #1 in the region and #9 in the state overall.

 

SK continues to be led by a freshman, as Kelly Niece forges an all-region caliber season, scoring 17.5 ppg, while hitting a remarkable 53.6% of his shots (38.8% from beyond the arc.)

 

The Pioneers are still a bit of an 8th region mystery; at 1-2 in region contests, SK has played fewer games against its region opponents than any other team in region 8. SK will remedy that a bit in the final month of the season, with a solid schedule that includes South Oldham, Oldham County, Anderson County, and Gallatin County.

 

This week: 1/23 at Boone County 1/26 vs. South Oldham

 

5. Gallatin County (16-4) Last week: #6 The Wildcats move back up to #5 this week, after a solid week that saw Gallatin look good even in defeat. Gallatin lost in the 8th region finals of the All-A classic to Walton-Verona, 64-60 - a far cry from the 20 point loss at the hands of the Bearcats in December. The Wildcats then blasted an improving Owen County squad, 80-37. Owen has struggled to score all year, but had not been held to that low of a point total since 12/15/17, when Henry held them to just 29 points.

 

Most impressively, the Wildcats' shooting against the vaunted Walton-Verona defense checked in at 51.2%, including 67% beyond the arc (10 of 15).

 

Justin Rassman had a big week; the Wildcats' senior guard (14.9 ppg on the season) tallied 23 points against Walton and 26 against Owen.

 

Stats Notes: Gallatin checks in at #5 in the state in points allowed, surrendering just 50.1 ppg. Gallatin is also one of the state's top shooting teams, hitting 49.6% from the floor, ranking them 19th.

 

Jaymee Hale is also ranked #5 in the state, hitting 69.3% of his shots from the floor. (Hale is also a solid rebounder; he had 10 boards against Walton-Verona last week).

 

This week: 1/25 vs Trimble County 1/27 at Lloyd Memorial

 

6 - South Oldham (11-6) Last week: #5 South falls a notch this week, more due to the impressive performances from Gallatin County last week than due to any real shortcomings on the Dragons' part. South actually played just one game last week, outlasting a determined Bullitt East squad in the Henry County Invitational, 77-75. Devin Young continues to put up Player of the Year kinds of numbers on offense, as he tallied a season-high 33 points - his third game of 30 or more points this year. (He had 30 vs Clinton County and 31 vs. Shawnee) Young's numbers: 7 of 8 from two point range, 3 of 9 from beyond the arc, and 10 of 11 at the line. Besides the 33 points, Young also had 15 rebounds. For the season, Young has appeared in 15 games, and has scored in double figures in each.

 

For those inclined to notice trends in the stats, watch out: South has won 3 of the last 5 8th region titles, and those teams frequently excelled at scoring and free throw shooting. As of this week, South leads the Region in scoring at over 72 ppg, and in free throw shooting, at 73.6%.

 

Big week ahead for South, with high-caliber games against Iroquois and Simon Kenton.

 

This week: 1/23 @ Carroll County 1/24 vs. Iroquois (The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN) 1/26 @ Simon Kenton

 

7. Spencer County (11-7) Last week: #8 The young Bears continue to serve notice that their time may be now (kind of frightening to think what the future may hold!). The Bears went out region twice last week, outlasting Christian Academy of Louisville, 59-56, before stunning favored Iroquois, 74-63, in one of the top out of region victories for an 8th region squad last week.

 

Spencer appears to have righted the ship after an uninspiring win over Nelson County was followed by losses to powerhouses Collins and Oldham County.

 

Like SK, Spencer continues to be led by a freshman, as Sam Conley is averaging 14.5 ppg.

 

Statistical Notes: Jackson Cole ranks number 2 in the state, hitting an average of 3.8 threes per game. As of this writing, he's hitting over 43% of his shots beyond the arc.

 

This week: 1/23 a big 30th district showdown at home vs. Anderson County 1/27 @ Thomas Nelson

 

8 - North Oldham (10-9) Last week: #7 North Oldham had a solid week last week, but saw their momentum stalled a bit. After a wire-to-wire victory over Shelby County, 75-54, to start the week, the Mustangs kind of sleep-walked through a 55-46 win at Henry County against a motivated Wildcat squad. They rebounded for a half last night, battling #18 Oldham County to a 24-24 halftime tie, only to be overwhelmed by the Colonels in the second half, 41-15, en route to a 39-65 district seeding game loss.

 

Still, North seems to emerging as at least a threat to reach the region, something they haven't done since 2015, when coach Rob Burton first took over in Goshen. Last night's game may have been a preview, though, of the first round of the district, as South Oldham is in the driver's seat to get the #1 seed, meaning Oldham and North could square off in round 1 of the district (to be played on North Oldham's court).

 

The development of Dylan Yates as a scorer - averaging nearly 11 ppg - has taken a huge load off star senior guard Justin Rose, and made this North team much more capable offensively. But when Rose gets into foul trouble - as he did against Oldham County, where he fouled out with just 7 points - North struggles to score.

 

This week: 1/24 @ North Bullitt 1/26 vs. Moore

 

9 - Anderson County (7-8) Last week: #9 Don't look now, but the Anderson County / Glen Drury machine may be starting to finally warm up. Anderson has played just three games since New Year's - but the Bearcats have won all three, over Shelby County, Casey County, and a solid Central Hardin team. (The Cats did not play last week) Cobe Penny eclipsed the 2,000 career scoring mark against the Central Hardin Bruins, and is closing in on the top scoring spot in Anderson County history. He needed 15 points going into the game, and scored 30 points (to go along with 13 rebounds). That puts Penny at 2,015 points for his career, and he's chasing Jimmy Dan Conner (2,100 points), and Penny's older brother, C.J., who finished with 2,101 points.

 

Put your money on Cobe being the new number one at season end.

 

Tyler Rice seems to be making strides as a starting guard alongside Penny, and if he can maintain the improvement, Anderson will be a real threat by the end of the season. The other big variable continues to be the health of Christian Gritton's gimpy ankle; Anderson needs their big man on the inside to be at 100% come tournament time.

 

This week: Two critical district seeding games, both on the road: 1/23 @ Spencer County 1/26 @ Collins

 

10 - Grant County (7-13) Last week: #10 Grant was unable to challenge SK in a district matchup last week, casting doubt on the Braves' chances of reaching New Castle this year. The final was 62-34, the Braves' lowest scoring output of the season, as they hit just 21.4% of their shots and only 12.5% of their threes.

 

Grant rebounded to defeat an improving Owen County squad, 63-53, but defense continues to be a concern. Sixteen of 20 opponents have scored 60 or more points against Grant County, and 9 of 20 have scored 70 or more.

 

This week: Grant goes out of region against some nearby NKY schools, 1/25 vs. Dixie Heights and 1/27 vs. Beechwood.

 

11 - Henry County (10-10) Last week: #12 The Wildcats move up this week after going 1-1 last week, a 74-60 win over Trimble County and a gritty effort in a loss to North Oldham by just 9 points.

 

It's been an up-and-down season for Henry County; the Wildcats haven't won two games in a row since they won three in a row (their longest win streak) from 12/12/17 - 12/18/17 (beating Carroll County, Owen County, and Washington County). Of course, they also haven't lost more than 2 in a row all season....

 

I got to watch Henry against North Oldham and frankly, was impressed by the grit of Enoch Welch's squad. Undersized at almost every position, Henry County effectively frustrated North frequently on defense, and only an inability to execute on the offensive end consistently kept them from pulling the upset on their home floor. It won't be easy - Henry looks likely to face the Carroll County Panthers in the first round of the 31st district tourney, and those two have split two games - but Henry looks to have a solid shot at making the region tourney.

 

This week: 1/23 Gallatin County 1/26 @ Williamstown

 

12 - Eminence (11-9) Last week: #15 The Warriors are this week's big movers in the rankings, moving up three spots after beating Carroll County, 61-55 last week. Eminence has been on a roll, winning 10 of their last 13 games, but it was hard to put a label on this team, as the competition had been somewhat suspect. After a while, though, the sheer weight of all the wins begins to become persuasive - and the 13 point loss to 8th region power Gallatin County in the 8th region All-A was certainly respectable.

 

Maurice Richardson (15 points) and Braeden Hinkley (14) led the way against Carroll. About the only thing that kept Eminence from a more impressive victory was the poor free throw shooting (10 of 23!).

 

This week: 1/23 vs. Owen County 1/27 @ Carroll County

 

13 - Trimble County (7-11) Last week: #13 The Raiders, surprisingly, appear to be trending downward. I say "surprisingly" because this is a veteran squad, but Trimble has now lost 10 of its last 14 games. The Raiders split two last week, losing to Henry County by 14 before rebounding to defeat Williamstown, 75-50.

 

It will be interesting to see if the Raiders, who will almost certainly have to deal with South Oldham in the first round of the 29th district tourney, will rebound over the final month of the season. Though two matchups with Gallatin and one against Walton-Verona loom large, the other 8 regular season games should be games in which Trimble is favored, or at least should be competitive, in.

 

This week: 1/23 @ Brown 1/25 @ Gallatin County 1/26 vs. Villa Madonna

 

14 - Shelby County (2-14) Last week: #14 In fairness to Shelby County, the Rockets have faced an awfully challenging schedule this year, in part leading to their record. Then again, rarely has a Shelby County team struggled so much offensively.

 

Shelby dropped two last week, losing to North Oldham, 75-54 and then dropping an 82-48 decision to Valley. The 54 and 48 point totals actually were more than Shelby's average; the Rockets are averaging just 48.5 ppg this year, 15th best in region 8.

 

Not surprisingly, shooting percentages have not been great. The Rockets shot 40.5% from the floor against North, and 42.9% against Valley.

 

Coach Ken Cates is trying to move more to an uptempo style of play to jump-start the offense; we'll see if that helps re-vitalize a team that is decent on the glass and on defense here in the final week of the season.

 

Stat note: In the last 20 years, Shelby County - one of the most successful 8th region teams of all time - has had 15 winning seasons, 10 seasons with 20 or more wins, 5 region runner-up finishes, and 3 region titles. The Rockets have only had one occasion in that timeframe where they had multiple losing seasons in a row, going 20-67 from the 2010-11 season to the 2012-13 season. A losing season this year would make two straight losing seasons (Shelby was 7-22 last year).

 

This week: 1/23 vs Western Hills 1/24 @ Franklin County 1/26 @ Oldham County (The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN) 1/27 @ Collins

 

15 - Owen County (3-14) Last week: #16 The Rebels move up one this week, after showing definite improvement on the court last week. Owen County defeated Carroll County, 59-54, before losing to Gallatin County (80-37), then showing some fight in a tough ten point loss to Grant County.

 

Owen is still struggling to find the basket, averaging a region-worst 46.1 ppg, and they have lost 8 of their last 9. But the last few games are showing some promise. In the first 13 games of the season, the Rebels scored over 50 points only four times. In the last four games, they've eclipsed the 50 point mark three times.

 

The rally is, in part, due to increased contributions from more players. Kirby Young, averaging just 5 points and 2 rebounds on the season, tallied 16 points and 6 rebounds in the loss to Grant, for example.

 

This week: 1/23 @ Eminence 1/26 Frankfort Christian

 

16 - Carroll County (6-14) Last week: #11 Last week, I moved Carroll up to #11; this week the Panthers take the biggest drop in the rankings, falling 5 spots to #16.

 

The Panthers have lost three straight, and 7 of their last 9. Last week, they feel to a resurgent Owen squad, 59-54, before losing to Eminence, 61-55. Both relatively narrow losses, but it continues a trend. Unfortunately, shooting continues to plague Carroll, who hit 34.7% of their shots against Owen and only 37.9% against Eminence. For the season, Carroll is hitting 40.8% of their shots overall, and 28.7% from beyond the arc.

 

There are some reasons for optimism: Carroll has made a habit of keeping games close; 8 of their last 11 games were decided by 8 points or less. And senior Eli Yocum - averaging about 5 ppg this season - may be blooming late; he had 21 points and 19 rebounds in the loss to Eminence.

 

This week: 1/23 vs. South Oldham 1/24 @ Ryle 1/27 vs. Eminence

 

17 - Williamstown (0-16) Last week: #17 A tough season continues for the Demons, who fell to powerful Pendleton County (93-44) and Trimble County (75-50) last week. Williamstown has faced some challenges this year, playing 12 of their 15 games on the road or on neutral courts, and playing a pretty solid schedule, that includes the likes of Gallatin County, Boone County, Iroquois, Morgan County, Walton-Verona, and Pendleton County. And they've faced that schedule with one of the smallest lineups in the region; only sophomore Preston Wiedner (6'0") and freshman Cole Kighlinger (6'1") are listed over 6 feet. Four players on the roster are listed at 5'5" or shorter.

 

Last night, the Demons played a gutsy game against Nicholas County, before falling, 69-55, in one of their best efforts of the year.

 

A bit of good news: 8 of the final 14 regular season games are at home.

 

This week: 1/23 vs. Calvary Christian 1/26 vs. Henry County 1/27 @ Morgan County

 

To all - Best of luck this week! See you next week!

 

Colonel Mike

Sorry for all the typos....I was typing in a hurry today!

Great post CM.

Thanks as always for the summary CM. Spot on analysis. Should be a great finish over the next month.

Congratulations to Walton-Verona on the big, 58-32 victory over Louisville Holy Cross in the State All - A!

 

CM

Big games tonight: 1/26/18

 

Collins vs. Anderson County - 30th district seeding game

Oldham County vs. Shelby County - one of the oldest rivalries in the state is re-visited.

Moore at North Oldham

Frankfort Christian at Owen County

South Oldham at Simon Kenton - big time clash in NKY....

Villa Madonna at Trimble County

Henry County at Williamstown

Collins can be interesting but don’t think it will. Collins by 7.5

Interesting game with south at Simon Kenton

I'm going over to watch the Anderson/Collins game tonight my 4th one this week. Good time to be a fan of HS basketball.

I beleave it is homecoming at Collins tonight.

Game will be on WXLN 93.3 or

WXLN radio.com

Sorry CM

I will probably be watching one and listening to other

Big win for South tonight on the road - without three starters! (Devin Young, Luke Morrison, and Jason King, all out with the floor. Young - a Player of the Year candidate - and Morrison are South's #1 and #3 scorers, respectively)

Big win for South tonight on the road - without three starters! (Devin Young, Luke Morrison, and Jason King, all out with the floor. Young - a Player of the Year candidate - and Morrison are South's #1 and #3 scorers, respectively)

 

If that is true--South Oldham was missing all those players and beat Simon Kenton then that's all I need to know about Simon Kenton. I hadn't seen them play this year, but they aren't a top tier team if that really happened. They just dropped down the my rankings for our region big time.

Wow, the 8th is hard to figure out. Whoever gets hot at the right time will take it. Any one of 6 or 7 teams can come out of Henry Co. in about 5 weeks

I'm going over to watch the Anderson/Collins game tonight my 4th one this week. Good time to be a fan of HS basketball.

You need to catch up, I saw twelve games last week.

If that is true--South Oldham was missing all those players and beat Simon Kenton then that's all I need to know about Simon Kenton. I hadn't seen them play this year, but they aren't a top tier team if that really happened. They just dropped down the my rankings for our region big time.

Yes, it is true.

You need to catch up, I saw twelve games last week.

 

I was just counting varsity games I really saw 11 counting the 3 from yesterday. lol