8th Region Week 3 Review: Earning Respect

By Colonelmike

 

No more undefeated teams reside in the 8th Region.

 

That said, this past week may have included some of the most impressive accomplishments by 8th Region teams in a while, including a win over the state’s top-ranked team.

 

Long over-looked by the prestigious King of the Bluegrass Tournament, the 8th got three teams in this year’s event – North Oldham, South Oldham, and Collins. And the region’s three representatives made the most of the opportunity, carrying the region 8 banner to a number of notable victories.

 

AS OF THIS WRITING – the tournament is not yet over, but we already know that the three combined for a combined record of 7-2 so far, with the North Oldham Mustangs scheduled for a matchup against Ballard in the championship game. Collins will play Male in the third place game, and South Oldham faces Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood, OH) in the seventh-place contest. All three teams have won at least two games in the tourney, and North owns a victory over #1-ranked Male. Regardless of the results of today’s games, the entire region tips their collective hats this week to these three squads for representing the region so well.

 

As for the rankings, I’ll be relatively brief this week. It’s a holiday week, and it’s crazy. But the rankings reflect the insanity that I think we all anticipated in the region this year. Movement abounds again this week in the rankings, as we try to react to a number of major developments…..

 

However, one thing seems fairly clear – at least at this point, the top 7 teams appear to be separating themselves from the rest of the pack a bit. I still think that more than seven teams all have potential to make big runs. For right now, however, the top 7 seem to have created a bit of space between themselves and the rest of the region.

 

As mentioned, there are no longer any undefeated teams; Collins, Oldham County, and Anderson County all took their first losses this week.

 

This week’s biggest mover: Woodford County, which moves up four spots after their upset of Oldham County.

 

On to the rankings…

 

1 - Collins (8-1) Last week: #1 BluegrassPreps State Rank: #3 The Titans continue to take care of business while owning the number one spot for the fourth consecutive week.

 

The Titans did take their first loss of the year, falling 88-81 to the Ballard Bruins in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament. Ballard is the new Bluegrasspreps #1 in Kentucky this week, so a 7 point loss isn’t anything to be ashamed of; Collins even moved up in that same poll this week to #3 in the state. A seven point differential between #1 and #3 is pretty reasonable, if you ask me.

 

The Titans had started the tournament with two victories, defeating two solid teams in Trinity (70-69) and #6-ranked Madisonville-North Hopkins, 71-70. The two narrow victories will only serve to make the Titans better as they’ve displayed an ability to win close ones over good teams.

 

Dayvion McKnight led Collins in the wins over Trinity and Madisonville-NH, with 25 points and 22 points, respectively. (no stats on the Ballard game).

 

Of note is the continued offensive development of Caleb Hawley, who hit 9 of 12 shots in the two victories, scoring in double figures in both games and averaging 12 ppg.

 

This week:

12/23 – vs Male, King of the Bluegrass Third Place Game 12/27 – Tates Creek in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.

 

2 – Oldham County (7-1) Last week: #2 OK, maybe I’m off my gourd this week, as this week’s ranking continues to have the Oldham County Colonels – unranked in the Bluegrasspreps State Top 20 – ranked ahead of two teams that are ranked in that Top 20.

However, I’ve seen all three Oldham teams at least twice each (I’ve also been fortunate enough to see Spencer County, Grant County, Henry County, Trimble County, and Walton-Verona in the region so far…). And I like what I’m seeing early from Oldham County.

Perhaps things will be different in February, but I’m rating each week the way I think the teams should be ranked if the region tournament began today.

 

Oldham played three games this week, and started well, defeating a good Grant County team, 74-60. Sam Campbell had 16 to lead the Colonels in the win. Oldham then blitzed an up-and-coming Walton-Verona squad, handling the Bearcats easily, 75-47, as four Colonels reached double figures, with nobody scoring more than 11 for Oldham.

 

The day after the Walton win, Oldham travelled to Woodford County to play in the Mack Calvert Classic against the host school. The Yellowjackets, who have been quite the enigma in the region this year, with impressive wins and perplexing losses, came away with a narrow, 71-66 victory. No stats are yet available online.

 

Oldham continues to be one of the region’s highest-scoring teams, and with good offensive balance. The Colonels are hitting 51.2% of their shots, including 40.4% from beyond the arc (59 of 146). Four Colonels are averaging in double figures – Deaton Oak 15.4 ppg, Tyler Slone 13.1 ppg, Sam Campbell 13 ppg and Xander Wagner-Rose 11.1 ppg.

 

The Colonels travel to South Carolina this week to play in the Blue Star Invitational in Rock Hill, South Carolina, beginning 12/27/19.

 

3 – North Oldham (6-1) Last week: #5 Bluegrasspreps State Rank: #10 The Mustangs are the hottest team in the 8th Region right now, riding a 6-game winning streak – the region’s longest current winning streak - and playing today (12/23/19) in the championship game of the King of the Bluegrass Tournament against the state’s #1-ranked team, the Ballard Bruins. A win over the Bruins would give North their second victory over a #1-ranked team in as many games.

 

The Mustangs, after an impressive 3-0 run so far in the King of the Bluegrass, jumped up two spots in this ranking this week, and vaulted from “unranked” to #10 in the Bluegrasspreps State Top 20. If they beat Ballard tonight, don’t be surprised to see North sitting atop this ranking next week.

 

Some would say that North should be number one this week…

North went 3-0 this week, with all the games in the King of the Bluegrass. Justin Powell led the way all week, scoring 24 points as the Mustangs opened tournament play with a 65-56 win over the Bardstown Tigers. Senior center Tyler Higdon added a double-double for North, with 13 points and 14 boards.

 

Powell and Tyler Higdon both had double-doubles against Fairdale in round 2, with Powell scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds – both team highs – and Higdon adding 12 points and 14 boards. North showed an ability to dominate the glass in the win over the Bulldogs, grabbing 43 rebounds. Five Mustangs wound up in double figures against Fairdale.

 

The game that made everyone sit up and take notice came in the semi-finals, when North faced then-#1-ranked Male, and stunned the Bulldogs, 78-71, with Powell scoring 25 points, and hitting 4 of 6 threes. Guard Dallas Roberts added 24 points, and four Mustangs reached double figures for North. Against easily their toughest opponent of the year, North still shot 54.9% from the floor, including 8 of 13 (61.5%) from beyond the arc.

 

Powell (25.2 ppg, 8.2 rebounds), Tyler Higdon (11.3 ppg, 9.1 rebounds), and Roberts (10.7 ppg) lead North in scoring through seven games.

 

This week: 12/23/19 – vs. #1 Ballard, King of the Bluegrass Championship game at Fairdale HS, 12/27 – vs Frederick Douglass at the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic

 

4 – South Oldham (7-2) Last week: #3 Bluegrasspreps State Rank: #19 South had a busy, busy week, playing four games and winning three.

 

The Dragons opened up the week on Monday, defeating Trimble County, 73-30, to claim a 29th district seeding win. With the easy win, South was able to give the bench plenty of minutes; subs Chris Thieneman (18 points) and Nick Cranfill (15 points) led the Dragons in scoring.

 

South then entered tournament play in the King of the Bluegrass, facing then-#1-ranked Male. After the first half ended in a 42-42 stalemate, the Dragons watched the Bulldogs pull away in the second half to an 82-69 victory. But South rebounded to win their next two tournament games, 78-55 over LaRue County and 69-59 over Bardstown. Luke Morrison had 29 in the win over LaRue; Seth Johnson scored 21 in the Bardstown win.

 

The Dragons brought out a little more of a zone look on defense in the KOB tournament, and the early results are encouraging, as they held both LaRue and Bardstown to under 60 points. LaRue County had scored 70 points or more in five of their preceding six games.

 

Luke Morrison leads South heading into the New Year with an 18.8 ppg average. Seth Johnson is averaging 17 ppg / 8.8 rebounds.

 

This week: 12/23 vs. Trotwood-Madison (OH) in the seventh place game of the King of the Bluegrass Tournament at Fairdale HS 12/26 – Harrison County in New Castle in the Henry County Invitational Tournament.

 

5 – Spencer County (4-3) - Last week: #6 Spencer picked up two wins this week to get back over .500. The Bears defeated a decent Bullitt East team, 58-49 before outlasting Conner, 73-70.

 

The Bears survived against Bullitt East despite a horrid shooting night, hitting only 38.3% of their shots. Sam Conley lifted the team on his back for this win, scoring 28 points. Lucas Hornback was the only other Spencer player in double digits with 10.

 

Statistical trivia: Only five Spencer County players have shot free throws through six games (no stats for the Conner game yet). Only four of those five have shot more than four free throws so far. Lucas Hornback leads the team in free throw percentage, hitting an outstanding 86.7%. Jake Whitlock is hitting 75% at the line, and Sam Conley 74.3%. Gage Mabry sits at 57.9% through six games. Charlie Cook is the only other player to shoot free throws, and has hit 2 of 4.

 

This week:

Three games at the RW Baird Holiday Hoops Classic at Danville: 12/27 – Lafayette 12/28 – Mercer County 12/28 – Madison Southern

 

6 – Simon Kenton (5-2) Last week: #4 Simon Kenton had a tough opener in their own Simon Kenton Invitational Tournament this week, and fell, 70-54, to the state’s #7-ranked team, Lexington Catholic. The Pioneers lost despite shooting pretty well, including 9 of 24 (37.5%) beyond the arc and a phenomenal 13 of 15 (86.7%) at the stripe. Kelly Niece scored 19 and Jeremy Davis 16 for SK. But the stat of the game came on the backboard, where SK had just 13 rebounds in the game.

 

The Pioneers bounced back with a 79-59 victory over Pendleton County to get back on the winning track.

 

"The Take" to date: Logan Schwartz seems to have really come into his own, and he not only leads the team in scoring at 16.5 ppg, he’s hitting a whopping 65.1% of his shots.

As expected, Jeremy Davis (15.2 ppg) and Kelly Niece (15.0 ppg) are also lighting it up, and Niece also is hitting at a high percentage, shooting 62% from the floor. The Pioneers have scored over 70 points in four games, and have scored 61 or more points in six of their seven contests.

 

On the other hand, the rebounding issue is becoming a trend. Simon Kenton is averaging just 19.7 rebounds a game through seven contests. Work on the glass was expected to be handled through a “committee” approach at SK this year, with a relatively small, guard-oriented lineup. But the Pioneers probably can’t consistently win unless this improves, especially with the likes of Fern Creek, Collins, Covington Catholic, and Oldham County on the schedule ahead.

 

This week: 12/28 – Traditional Bank Holiday Classic (opponent TBA)

 

7 – Woodford County (3-5) Last week: #11 This week’s big mover, the Woodford County Yellowjackets jump up four spots after going 2-0 this past week, including a win over Oldham County.

 

Woodford has been something of an enigma this year. The Jackets fell three spots, from #8 to #11, in last week’s rankings, but reverse course and go back up four spots this week, to #7. The Yellowjackets opened the year with a big upset on the road, winning by 16 points at highly-regarded (and ranked #16 at the time) Paul Dunbar. But the Yellowjackets then promptly dropped five straight, including close, competitive games against good teams – (lost to Clay County by 1 and Frederick Douglass by 4) – and head-scratching scores against lesser competition (loss to Bryan Station).

 

Woodford County rebounded to win two straight last week, though, edging Scott County, 67-65, before getting past Oldham County, 71-66, at home.

 

Will the real Woodford County please stand up??

 

Woodford lost by double digits to Grant County – ranked #9 this week – but I have the Jackets ahead of Grant County now as the Yellowjackets had a huge win this week over #2 Oldham County and Grant seems to be plateauing at the moment, going just 1-2 last week, including a 14 point loss to Oldham.

 

Woodford has been a decent shooting team, hitting 48.2% of their shots overall. Although the three point shot is not a huge part of their game, the Jackets have hit 38 of 82 in eight games, for a 46.3% percentage. They’re making nearly five a game. The team is getting solid contributions from a number of players.

 

The team has scored over 60 points in 7 of 8 games.

 

Anthony Tabor leads Woodford in scoring at 15 points per game…Hunter Penn is close to a double-double, averaging 14.7 ppg / 9.0 rebounds. Dylan Blevins has hit 9 of 16 threes and is the team’s premier outside threat, hitting 56.2% of his threes.

 

As we approach the end of the month, we still are learning a lot about Woodford County. They appear to be capable of scoring a lot of points, although their depth doesn’t appear to be quite what the coaches expected prior to the season. The Jackets have competed against good competition, but some stats don’t bode well for tournament success: Woodford is averaging just 22.6 rebounds per game, and only one player who has shot more than 3 free throws – Anthony Tabor – is hitting over 61% at the line. (Tabor is 10 of 12 for 83.3%).

Still, the basketball season is a marathon, not a sprint. Woodford will likely have something to say about who wins the 8th Region, one way or another.

 

This week: 12/27 – Mason County at Montgomery County HS in the Gateway Holiday Classic

 

8 – Anderson County (8-1) Last week: #7 The Bearcats drop one this week after going 2-1 last week.

 

Anderson County opened last week by dominating the Walton-Verona Bearcats, 64-50, in a game that wasn’t really that close. Hunter Rutherford led the way with 18 points.

 

The Cats took their first loss of the season in somewhat unexpected fashion two days later in the Louisville Collegiate Classic, losing to the host school, 47-44. Tyler Rice led Anderson with 11 points, and the Bearcats would have seemed poised to win their 8th in a row as Collegiate shot 45% from the floor, 0 for 7 beyond the arc, and just 11 of 21 (52.4%) at the line. The Bearcats, however, couldn’t stop senior forward Chez Moore, who hit 9 of 13 shots for 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both game-highs.

 

A closer look at Collegiate might remove some of the surprise…. Collegiate is 7-1 on the season, winners of 7 straight, and had beaten fellow 8th Region school Henry County by 36 points (Anderson had beaten Henry by 23).

 

The Bearcats bounced back to defeat Bethlehem, 53-35, as four players reached double figures, led by Tristian Staley’s 13.

 

Good news: The Bearcats need to find more scoring, but multiple players are showing the ability to put the ball in the hoop. Eight different players have had at least one game in which they’ve scored in double figures. Rutherford has been in double figures in 7 of the 9 games; Alex Carpenter has been in double figures in four games. Tyler Rice, Jagger Gillis, Carson Wooldridge, Dylan Stephens, and Sam Harrod have all been in double figures in 2-3 games. Tristian Staley reached double figures in the most recent contest.

 

Bad News: Despite all the potential scorers, Anderson continues to struggle to put points on the board, despite playing a relatively weak schedule to date. The Bearcats have reached 60 points only three times in nine games.

 

Anderson County beat one of the region’s highest-scoring teams – Grant County – thanks to a suffocating defense and a deliberate offense. Can they consistently duplicate that success in a high-scoring region, against teams like Collins, Simon Kenton, Oldham County, South Oldham, and North Oldham, which all score points in bunches??

 

This week: Three games in the Nelson County Classic at Nelson County HS: 12/26 vs. Bullitt Central 12/27 – vs Frankfort 12/28 – vs. Nelson County

 

9 – Grant County (4-4) Last week: #8 For the second straight week, Grant County falls a notch. The Braves went through a 1-2 week and fell to 4-4 on the season.

 

The week began on Tuesday with a 74-60 loss to Oldham County. The Braves didn’t click from the outside – normally one of their strong suits – hitting just 3 of 14. To compound things, a normally strong free throw shooting team made just 13 of 22 free throws in the loss. Luke Dawalt had a double-double for Grant, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

 

The Braves rebounded to beat Scott High, 86-74 in the first round of the Simon Kenton Invitational Tournament, and their shooting improved; Grant hit 53.1% of their shots overall, although their three point shooting continued to fizzle on 3 of 12 shooting. Ben Vickers had an absolute monster game, hitting 12 of 22 shots for 31 points. It was the first time this season a Grant County player had eclipsed 30 points. Jack Epperson added 24 and Dawalt had 18.

 

Grant improved their three point shooting somewhat against (Covington) Holmes, hitting 8 of 25 shots from beyond the arc, but the Braves fell in the second round of the SKIT to the Bulldogs, 80-74. Dawalt led the way with 23 points / 9 rebounds.

 

The Braves have now dropped four of their last six games and need to pick up some victories to rebuild momentum. Last year’s defensive concerns appears to be this year’s primary issue; 5 of 8 opponents have scored 70+ points against Grant County.

 

This week: 2019 Cactus Jam in Phoenix, Arizona, beginning 12/27/19.

 

10 – Gallatin County (4-3) Last week: #10 After starting the year 0-3, Gallatin has quietly put together the region’s second-longest winning streak, winning four in a row.

 

During that streak, the Wildcats have averaged 68.5 ppg, and gone 4-0 in District 31 seeding games, giving them the early “leg up” on their district competition halfway through the seeding schedule.

 

Gallatin won twice this past week, topping Owen County easily, 75-50, with five players hitting for double figures led by Jarin Rassman’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Gage Ashcraft added 16. The Wildcats wrapped up the week with a 66-57 victory over a gritty Carroll County team, with Rassman again going for a double-double as he hit 10 of 16 shots and scored 32 points with 11 rebounds.

 

The Wildcats, who are hitting just 42.6% from the field on the season, have been hot from the field of late, connecting on over 59% of their shots in both wins last week.

 

This week:

12/26, 27, and 28th – The Panther Holiday Shootout at Knox County Central

 

11 – Walton-Verona (4-4) Last Week: #9 The Bearcats fall two spots this week after their big jump up to #9 last week. Walton played against two of the winningest teams in the region this year – Anderson County and Oldham County – and got bounced in both games.

 

To date, Walton-Verona had overcome inexperience and lack of size with grit, shooting, and sheer effort. Against the Bearcats and Colonels, this just wasn’t enough.

 

The Walton-Verona Bearcats got the week off to a good start, whipping Eminence, 62-30, holding the Warriors to the second-fewest points they have scored in a game this year. But Anderson County brought W-V down to reality later in the week, defeating the Bearcats, 64-50, in a game that really wasn’t that close – Anderson led by over 20 much of the way. The week ended with a 75-47 loss to Oldham County. The Colonels raced out to a 21-0 lead in that game and never looked back, using their pressure defense to take advantage of the Bearcats’ inexperience, and their size advantage to blitz the Cats on the boards, 35-20.

 

This week is a chance for first year coach Mike Hester to press the “reset” button for his team, which holds a lot of promise. There’s not much Hester can do about his team’s lack of size, but the Bearcats can scheme to minimize its effect on their rebounding, and time can minimize the effectiveness of pressure defense against the young Bearcat players.

Walton’s next six or seven games do not include overpowering opposition, so the Cats have an opportunity to regroup and learn.

 

This week: 12/27 vs. Nicholas County at the Bracken County Holiday Showcase 12/30 vs. Holmes

 

12 – Carroll County (4-4) Last week: #12 The Panthers got another great week from Wyatt Supplee, who tallied 20 points in a 51-50 win over district rival Henry County and 33 points – his fifth game of 30+ points already this season – in a 66-57 defeat at the hands of Gallatin County.

 

Supplee, who’s averaging 29.2 ppg, continues to lead the Carroll attack this season, with Keishaun Mumphrey (14.9 ppg / 9.5 rebounds) adding a near-double-double. There are, however, signs that other players may be growing as role players to support the “Super Two”; Trevor Sandusky grabbed 7 rebounds in the win over Henry County and Justin Williams is hitting 55% of his shots from the floor while averaging nearly 7 ppg.

 

Carroll is 3-1 in district seeding games at the halfway mark of the district schedule, and gave District 31 favorite Gallatin County a run for its money in the last game.

 

This week: Two games in the Bracken County Holiday Classic: 12/27 vs. St. Patrick 12/28 vs. Bracken County

 

13 – Shelby County (2-7) Last Week: #13 Shelby has lost six in a row now, the longest losing streak in the 8th Region. Last week, the Rockets dropped four games as they fell to 2-7 on the season.

 

The good news is that it isn’t one specific thing that seems to be derailing Shelby County.

The Rockets sometimes shoot well, sometimes rebound well, and sometimes connect at the line. It always seems to be something different that keeps the Rockets on the short end of the stick.

 

Last week, in a 50-47 loss to Meade County, Shelby couldn’t hit the basket, making just 34.1% of their shots, 22% of their threes, and 59.1% of their free throws.

 

They then fell to Harlan County, 77-48, on a night when Shelby could manage just 20 rebounds total.

 

The Rockets were competitive against Southern last week to wrap up the week, but lost, 73-62 when they could hit just 15 of 30 free throws (50%).

 

Of the four games last week, the Rockets played perhaps their best game overall in a 70-62 loss to Moore, hitting nearly 44% of their shots and 73.7% of their free throws.

 

On the bright side, Shelby had three different players lead them in scoring last week. Kaden Dugle had 19 points against Meade and 21 points / 9 rebounds against Southern, leading the Rockets in both games. Against Harlan County, JaShon Marshall had 15 points, and against Moore, the Rockets were led by Austin Griffin’s 17.

 

For the season, Griffin leads the team in scoring with 11.9 ppg. Dugle (9.1 ppg) leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 boards a game. Trenton Burchfield is leading the team behind the arc, with 19 threes made out of 54 for a 35.2% clip.

 

The Rockets have the potential, but still need to put together all the pieces to start coming up with victories. If they can’t do so, it could be a long season in perhaps the most competitive district in the region, District 30.

 

This week: 12/26 – vs Menifee County in the Henry Clay Holiday Invitational

 

14 – Henry County (2-4) Last week: #14 Henry County continues to play without all-region performer, Trevor Hardin, and the Wildcats certainly miss his contributions.

 

Henry lost its third game in a row to start last week, dropping a heartbreaker, 51-50, to Carroll County. Ethan Lankford had 18 to lead Henry, and Sam Royalty came alive, hitting all six of his field goals to score 14.

 

Lankford continues to lead Henry in scoring at 18.6 ppg; Royalty is becoming more of an offensive presence; he currently averages 6 ppg / 5.4 rebounds.

 

Henry bounced back to record a 64-59 victory over Owen County in two overtimes to give them a 1-2 District 31 seeding mark.

 

The Wildcats dearly miss Hardin. The team is hitting just 38.4% of its shots, grabbing just 23.8 rebounds per game, and averaging a mere 51.7 points per contest. Hardin would improve those numbers immediately; the junior averages 18.5 ppg, 9 rebounds, and hits 65.2% of his shots.

 

This week: 12/26 – Henry County Invitational Tournament vs. Boone County

 

15 – Trimble County (2-7) Last week: #15 - Tough week for the Raiders as Trimble dropped three straight games, running their losing streak to five, with all three losses by 32 points or more.

 

Trimble began the week by dropping its final district seeding game to South Oldham, 73-30. The Raiders only managed to take 28 shots – making 28.6% - in the loss, which ensured the Raiders will be the number four side during the 2020 District 29 tournament, which will be played in Bedford.

 

Trimble took two additional losses last week, 93-56, to Montgomery County, and 79-47, to Franklin County.

 

Rebounds were a huge culprit in Trimble’s struggles last week; the Raiders managed just 16 boards against South, 22 against Montgomery, and 23 against Franklin County.

This contributed to the scoring issues; Trimble has only scored over 50 points once during the losing skid.

 

It’s still the first month under new coach Marcus Mumphrey; it will be interesting to see how quickly the Raiders develop.

 

This week: 12/27 and 28th – Jefferson County (IN) Invitational at Southwestern, IN

 

16 - Williamstown (3-2) Last week: #16 Williamstown didn’t play last week.

This week: 12/26 – Adair County in the Williamstown Holiday Tournament.

 

17 - Owen County (2-6) Last week: #17 Owen County dropped two district games last week, before ending the week with a victory over St. Francis.

 

The two losses left Owen at 1-3 in District 31 seeding play. Gallatin County took the measure of Owen, 75-50, on December 17th, in Owenton. Freshman guard Teagan Moore led the way for the Rebels with 19 points; Isaac Wash added 11 points / 7 rebounds. It was encouraging to see the shooting percentages; Owen shot 50% from the floor against the district favorites.

 

Three nights later, Owen had a golden opportunity slip through its grasp as the Henry County Wildcats eked out a 64-59 double-overtime district win. But the next day, Owen got its second win of the season, defeating St. Francis by a score of 59-51.

 

Owen is showing some improvement on offense. After averaging 46.5 ppg in the first four games of the season – all losses – the Rebels are averaging 57.3 ppg over the last four games, and Owen County has gone 2-2 during that stretch.

 

This week: 12/27 vs Russell County in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge at South Laurel HS.

 

18 - Eminence (3-11) Last week: #18 Eminence continues to set a blistering pace in terms of games played. The Warriors have already played fourteen games as of this writing, including five last week.

 

The Warriors went 1-4 last week, just missing out on winning three of those five. They opened the week against 8th Region rival Walton-Verona, falling, 62-30. They followed with a narrow four point loss to Jackson City, 69-65, before rebounding to blast Evangel, 64-40.

Eminence closed out the week with narrow loss, 61-60, to Monroe County, and an 84-40 loss to Jackson County.

 

The Warriors have now dropped 8 of 9 games, and are 0-5 against 8th Region competition.

Eminence has not posted stats since game three of the season.

 

This week: No games. Eminence’s next game is January 7th, 2020 at Williamstown

King of the Bluegrass Update: The three 8th Region representatives, after making three great runs through the KOB tournament, all suffered defeats on the last day.

 

7th Place game: Trotwood-Madison (OH) 105 South Oldham 99

3rd Place Game: Male 83, Collins 72

Championship: Ballard 82, North Oldham 72

 

Still - kudos to all three teams. They combined for a 7-5 record in the tournament, with all three winning at least 2 games, and North Oldham defeated then-number 1 Male.

 

Kudos to all three teams for representing the region so well!

 

CM

Good article in the Courier Journal about the resurgence of the eighth region. Mentions Collins, all three Oldham County Schools, Spencer County, and Simon Kenton.

Anyone know what's going on with Hardin for HC? When will he be back?

 

I went to the KOB, Justin Powell is the real deal and worth seeing. The game him and freshman Dallas Roberts had against Male was amazing. I could see them making a run at state, if they can get out of their own district. Once out of the district I could say the same thing about Collins being a state title contender. As a neutral fan I'd love to see a NO v. Collins final at the Roy in March.

 

Great write up as usual @ColonelMike

Anyone know what's going on with Hardin for HC? When will he be back?

 

I went to the KOB, Justin Powell is the real deal and worth seeing. The game him and freshman Dallas Roberts had against Male was amazing. I could see them making a run at state, if they can get out of their own district. Once out of the district I could say the same thing about Collins being a state title contender. As a neutral fan I'd love to see a NO v. Collins final at the Roy in March.

 

Great write up as usual @ColonelMike

 

Trevor Hardin's mom posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that he would be having season ending ankle surgery in January. I don't know if that is still the plan. He has horrible ankles. During the past two AAU seasons he's had multiple severe ankle sprains. She mentioned wanting him to be ready for his senior year. Great kid! Hope he gets back to himself.

That's terrible news about Hardin. He's fun to watch when he's healthy. Hope he's back to 100% next year.

Trevor Hardin's mom posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that he would be having season ending ankle surgery in January. I don't know if that is still the plan. He has horrible ankles. During the past two AAU seasons he's had multiple severe ankle sprains. She mentioned wanting him to be ready for his senior year. Great kid! Hope he gets back to himself.

 

That’s the story I heard over the weekend from a person close to the Henry County team.

Trevor Hardin's mom posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that he would be having season ending ankle surgery in January. I don't know if that is still the plan. He has horrible ankles. During the past two AAU seasons he's had multiple severe ankle sprains. She mentioned wanting him to be ready for his senior year. Great kid! Hope he gets back to himself.

 

Thanks for the info. Hadn't heard that - of course, I also don't go out on Facebook except maybe twice a year!! LOL

 

Hate to hear that, but certainly understand the sentiment to have a strong (and healthy) senior year!

 

CM

Hope for the best with Hardin. Basketball in the 8th Region and in the 31st District is much better with him playing! Wish him the best!

Trevor Hardin's mom posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that he would be having season ending ankle surgery in January. I don't know if that is still the plan. He has horrible ankles. During the past two AAU seasons he's had multiple severe ankle sprains. She mentioned wanting him to be ready for his senior year. Great kid! Hope he gets back to himself.

 

Looks like he likes the AAU circuit more so than high school basketball.

I hate to hear that. I hope he is 100% next year. He's a real good athlete with some college potential. HC would jump to the head of the 31st next year with a healthy Hardin.

Bump.

Interesting storylines in the region so far....

 

....the top storyline (so far) has to be the return of Justin Powell to North Oldham. His impact has been huge already, and the scary thing is that I think North Oldham's upside is still largely yet to be realized as they jell as a unit. The Mustangs have already knocked off one number-one ranked team and have lost just one game (a 10 point defeat at the hands of top-ranked Ballard) with Powell in the lineup.

...Two districts with at least three legitimate contenders for the 8th Region crown. The 29th (North Oldham, Oldham County, South Oldham) and the 30th (Collins, Spencer County, Woodford County, and Anderson County) districts are loaded beyond belief. Three of those seven teams won't even make it to the Region 8 tourney in New Castle... Will the tickets for those district tournaments double in price this year? The semi-final games will be region-tournament caliber contests.

...Which team(s) will end long droughts by making the Region 8 tournament? Carroll County hasn't made the field since 2006, but looks to be a strong contender to come out of the 31st. North Oldham last made it to New Castle in 2015... Grant County also last made the 8th Region tournament in 2015... Woodford County, of course, as an 8th Region newcomer, has never played in the 8th Region tourney.

 

All four teams are expected to have a real chance to make it this year. Grant County probably is the one - of the four - most likely to make it, though if Walton-Verona keeps improving, nothing will be certain come tournament time.

 

What streak is most likely to end? These five teams have the longest streaks of 8th Region tournament participation:

 

Oldham County has competed in 9 consecutive 8th Region tournaments.

Collins has never missed the region tourney; the Titans have also made 9 straight.

 

South Oldham has been in four straight tourneys.

Walton-Verona has made four straight tournaments.

 

Gallatin County has competed in three consecutive tournaments.

I hate to hear that. I hope he is 100% next year. He's a real good athlete with some college potential. HC would jump to the head of the 31st next year with a healthy Hardin.

 

Hardin's mom just updated on Facebook and said that he was cleared by doctor to play and will play tonight. Great news!