article 7th Region Week 3 Review: Some really good basketball can be found in the 7th Region

[Smallhoops]

High school basketball is alive and well in the Seventh Region. Trinity has been really good and is unbeaten. St. X has beaten Waggener and remains undefeated. Central has given Male its only loss and just won the Pikeville Invitational. Male lost to Central but beat both Fern Creek and Butler this week. Ballard beat Henry Clay this week. A lot of really good basketball already has been played this season, and it is sure to continue.

 

This week brings one of the true highlights of the high school basketball season in Louisville, the Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass tournament. From the Seventh Region, Trinity, Male, and Ballard will be participating in the KOB this year. Among the Kentucky teams, Trinity must be considered one of the favorites. Many of the Commonwealth’s best players will be there, including Trinity’s David Johnson, University Heights’ KyKy Tandy, Walton-Verona’s Dieonte Miles, Madison Central’s Isaiah Cozert, and Lexington Christian’s Kyle Rode. As is the case every year, there will be a lot of great basketball played in Fairdale this week. I hope to be there for some of it, and encourage anyone else who can make it to do so.

 

TEAM RANKINGS

 

1. Trinity Shamrocks (6-0)

 

Trinity is playing extremely well. In their only game this week, the Shamrocks comfortably beat the Bardstown Tigers 67-37. Trinity’s only close game so far this season was a 3-point win over a team from Centerville, Ohio. In its five games against Kentucky competition, Trinity’s average margin of victory is 24 points. As a team, Trinity is shooting 51.3% from the field, 33.9% from 3-point range, and 69% on free throws. David Johnson leads the balanced Trinity scoring at 15.5 ppg and also contributes 7.7 rebounds per game. Scoring support is being provided by Stan Turnier (12.8 ppg), Jamil Hardaway (11 ppg), and Kolton Rice (9.8 ppg). The always enjoyable King of the Bluegrass tournament is up next for Trinity, with its first game Wednesday night against LaRue County.

 

2. St. Xavier Tigers (6-0)

 

First, the good news. The Tigers won both of their games this week, starting with a 64-57 win over Seneca. Junior Sebian Dillard had 30 points to lead the Tigers in that one. St. X followed that win with a 73-52 win over CAL. Now, the bad news. Junior point guard James Taylor, one of the Region’s top players who was scoring 20.3 ppg in addition to running the Tiger offense, is no longer on the team. While Taylor will be missed, it is a testament to Coach Kevin Klein and the Tigers that St. X came out and won both of its games this week without him. This week, the Tigers have home games against the Brown Bears and the Kentucky Country Day Bearcats before heading out of town to play Woodford County on Friday and Frederick Douglass on Saturday.

 

3. Waggener Wildcats (7-1)

 

Waggener is playing well, improving its record to 7-1 this week with wins over Atherton (65-30) and Southern (84-68). The Wildcats have four players averaging in double figures: J.J. Kalakon (15.5 ppg), Jocobi Hendricks (12.4), Kevion Hudson (11.8), and Nicholas Brewer (10.8). Waggener has been shooting the ball really well, shooting 51.5% from the field as a team. Particularly impressive is their 3-point shooting, at 37.6% as a team, led by Hendricks at 50% (14/28), Kalakon at 46.9% (15/32), and Hudson at 38.1% (8/21). Waggener has road games this week at North Oldham and CAL.

 

4. Central Yellowjackets (4-2)

 

Congratulations to the Yellowjackets on returning to Louisville as champions of the Pikeville Invitational, by first beating the host Pikeville Panthers74-54 and then beating the Southwestern Warriors 60-53. Earlier in the week, Central had beaten fellow 25th district member Manual 63-58. The Yellowjackets have now won 4 straight. Through its first four games, Central had three players averaging in double figures: Josh Watkins (17 ppg), Eric Rice (15 ppg), and Devin Perry (14 ppg). Central plays at North Bullitt on Tuesday before playing in the Great Kentucky Shoot-Out at Manual on the weekend.

 

5. Male Bulldogs (6-1)

 

The Male Bulldogs had a big week, with three wins against quality opponents. The Bulldogs’ week started with a 77-75 overtime win over the Fern Creek Tigers. Next was a 52-47 win against the Collegiate Titans, a game in which Justin Buford led the Bulldogs with 16 points. On Friday, Male was tied with the Butler Bears at 47 before outscoring Butler 14-4 to win 61-51. Tyren Moore (15 points) and Jake Evans (14 points) led the Bulldogs in scoring against Butler. A very encouraging sign: Male hit 16 out of 18 from the free throw line in the 4th quarter against Butler. Another encouraging sign: standout junior Howard Fleming is due back from injury in a couple of weeks. Male joins Trinity and Ballard in the King of the Bluegrass tournament this week, playing Collins in the first round on Wednesday afternoon.

 

6. Ballard Bruins (4-2)

 

Those questioning this year’s Ballard team do so at their own peril. Coach Chris Renner has been playing a lot of players; for example, in Ballard’s 80-54 win over CAL, fifteen players played, largely in waves of three separate groups of five players each. Walter Johnson led the way in that one with 15 points, followed by Josh Minkins with 14 and Rashad Bishop with 10. The Bruins then had an impressive win against a very good Henry Clay team 77-67, with Walter Johnson again leading the scoring with 23 points. Lewis Richards added 18 in that one. This week, the Bruins can be found in Fairdale, once again participating in the King of the Bluegrass tournament. Ballard plays Spencer County in the first round on Wednesday.

 

7. Seneca Redhawks (3-4)

 

Seneca split its two games this week, falling to the St. X Tigers 64-57 but then bouncing back to beat the Doss Dragons 61-50. Through the Redhawks’ first five games, Carl Parker was averaging a double-double (15.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg) while Richard Ninamou was the leading scorer at 16.2 ppg. Additional offensive support is being provided by Phillip Armstrong (9.8 ppg) and Timothy Gordon (8.3 ppg). Seneca plays just once this week, hosting Iroquois on Tuesday.

 

8. DuPont Manual Crimsons (3-4)

 

Manual lost both of its games this week. The Crimsons were led by Alex Conlin’s 12 points in a 58-49 loss to Southern and then fell to Central 63-58. Eli Roberts leads the Crimsons offensively, averaging 13 ppg. Manual hosts Fern Creek from the Sixth Region on Monday before hosting the Great Kentucky Shoot-Out on the weekend, with Manual scheduled to play Doss, DeSales, and Jeffersontown.

 

9. Louisville Collegiate Titans (5-3)

 

Collegiate had a very good week, starting with a 63-39 win over the Brown Bears. Then, in probably its best performance of the season, the Titans played the Male Bulldogs extremely tough before losing by just 5 points, 52-47. On Friday, Collegiate traveled to Nelson County and beat the host Cardinals 62-56. At 16.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg, Chez Moore is almost averaging a double-double. The Titans play Shawnee this week before hosting the Louisville Collegiate Classic on Friday and Saturday.

 

10. Christian Academy of Louisville Centurions (3-3)

 

After winning its first three games, CAL has lost 3 in a row, including its 2 games this week. But those losses were to Ballard (80-54) and St. X (73-52), 2 really good teams. Next up is another opponent from the upper tier of Seventh Region teams, Waggener, before the Centurions head to Hancock County to play in the Hancock County Classic.

 

11. Eastern Eagles (3-4)

 

The Eagles were 2-0 for the week, starting with a 78-65 win over KCD in which Jacob Robinson had 24 points (including 5 of 8 on 3-point shots). Trent Robinson added 15 points (3 of 7 on 3-point shots). Eastern followed that up with a 63-54 win over Lincoln County. The Eagles are shooting the three well, led by Trent Robinson’s 45.8% (11/24), Jacob Robinson’s 41.4% (12/29), and Ethan Coury’s 37.9% (11/29). The Eagles play Franklin County on Tuesday and then will participate in the Kentucky Bank Challenge at Rowan County during the weekend.

 

12. Kentucky Country Day Bearcats (4-6)

 

The Bearcats went 2-1 this week, losing to Eastern (78-65) and Moore (62-56) before beating the St. Francis Wyverns (80-70). The most recent statistics posted on the KHSAA website show the Bearcats being led offensively by Anthony O’Neal at 14 ppg (including 3.1 3-pointers a game) and Michael Collis at13.7 ppg. KCD plays twice this week, facing Southern on Tuesday and St. X on Thursday.

 

13. Shawnee Golden Eagles (4-3)

 

Shawnee had a good week, getting to 4-3 for the season with wins over St. Francis (61-48) and Beth Haven (71-31). In the St. Francis game, the Golden Eagles were led by Lajuantre Gray (16 points) and Robert Pillow (15 points). Shawnee hosts the Collegiate Titans Monday night before traveling to Breckinridge County later in the week to participate in the Cecilian Bank Tournament.

 

14. Atherton Rebels (1-7)

 

This was not a good week for the Rebels, losing three games by an average of 24 points. Waggener dispatched Atherton 65-35, Fairdale beat them 85-68, and Moore got the best of them 59-38. Atherton will try to turn things around this week with a game with Western on Tuesday and participating in the Cecilian Bank Tournament at Breckinridge County.

 

15. St. Francis Wyverns (1-4)

 

St. Francis dropped both of its games this week, falling to Shawnee 61-48 and Kentucky Country Day 80-70. As is common with teams still trying to find their way under a new coach (their third in three seasons), I believe the Wyverns’ best basketball is still ahead of them. St. Francis is scheduled to play Wolfe County in the Louisville Collegiate Classic on Friday.

 

16. Portland Christian Eagles (4-2)

 

Portland Christian improved to 4-2 on the season, going 2-1 during the past week. The Eagles bested Frankfort Christian 78-75 before traveling to Western Kentucky where they split their two games, falling 63-54 to Community Christian in Paducah and then beating Christian Fellowship 80-70. The Eagles host the Portland Christian School Holiday Classic this week.

 

17. Brown Bears (2-7)

 

The Bears suffered three losses this week, falling to Collegiate 63-39, Southern 73-32, and Richmond Model 73-38. Brown faces a big challenge on Tuesday night when it plays St. X, but will have the opportunity to play opponents closer to its size in the Portland Christian School Holiday Classic on the weekend.

 

18. Walden Wolverines (7-1)

 

With a 69-38 loss to Butler County on Saturday, Walden’s dreams of an undefeated season were dashed. But it is indeed a rare season in which the Wolverines start the season with seven straight wins, which they achieved earlier in the week with a 85-64 win over Evangel Christian. Walden has no games on its schedule for the rest of the calendar year.

[theguru]

ttt

[Tigerpride94]

St.X Jr. G/F Sebian Dillard followed up his 30 pts against Seneca with 29 pts against CAL. He seems to be picking up the load in absence of James Taylor. JR F Kyle Bansbach who is best rebounder should return from injury very soon. Tigers are thin down low so Kyle’s return is much needed. Have tough upcoming game at Woodford County. Also, up coming tough opponent Booker HS (Sarasota, FL), ranked #17 in FL according to Max Preps, in Christmas tourney.