article 8th Region Week 7 Review - The Big Three Don't Settle the Debate - Yet.

[ColonelMike]

8th Region Week 7 Review: The Big Three Don’t Settle the Debate - Yet

By Colonelmike

 

Week 7 was about as exciting a week as we’ve had this season, and when the dust settled, Collins, Oldham County, Gallatin County, and Woodford County all owned big victories…South Oldham was left contemplating “what if”…and Anderson County missed an opportunity for some statement wins.

 

And yet – we still don’t have clear separation among the top three teams in the rankings. Although Collins earned a big win on the road against South Oldham in Crestwood, the Titans had to survive by hitting three free throws in the final 15 seconds to earn a one-point victory.

 

The Titans had the opportunity to establish themselves as the clear-cut number one team in region 8, and simply were unable to do so, perhaps actually opening the top spot in the region rankings up for debate more than ever.

 

The write-up is a little thin this week on statistics; for some reason, the vast majority of the region teams had games from this past week where the stats had not yet been posted as of this writing.

 

The region went 7-6 against out of region competition this week, but the top 8 teams were a combined 4-0, including Woodford County’s win over #19 George Rogers Clark.

 

Some teams were happy to welcome back some injured players this week; Simon Kenton’s Logan Schwartz returned for the game with Cooper and finished with 13 points. For Carroll County, Wyatt Supplee and Trevor Sandusky were both back in action; against Franklin County, Supplee led the team with 23 points and Sandusky finished with 3 points and 5 rebounds.

 

On to this week’s rankings:

 

1 - Collins (15-3) Last week: #1 Bluegrasspreps.com state ranking: #5 RPI: #5 .68473 OK, for perhaps the first time this season, I had to really pause and think carefully about the region’s #1 ranking. Last week, both #1 Collins and #2 Oldham County played, and won, at #3 South Oldham. The Dragons played both teams close, but South was 14 seconds away from the upset victory against Collins, and frankly, South was the better team that night. Against Oldham, South trailed by double digits before losing by just five.

 

So who’s number 1? Honestly, it was South Oldham who looked like they would win 6 of 10 games against Collins. But can you reasonably put South ahead of Collins when the Titans won the head-to-head game? And what about Oldham County? The Colonels certainly fared better against South than Collins….so are the Colonels number one? We won’t get to see Oldham against Collins until 2/11/2020, though, so that head-to-head is still strictly conjecture…

 

At the end of the day, though, Collins retains the top spot, thanks largely to a 15-3 record that’s been compiled against top-flight competition. Collins has gone 3-3 against ranked competition – all three of the Titans’ losses this season have come in competitive games against top 10 competition (Ballard, Male, and Bourbon County).

 

And – in a strange sort of logic – Collins’ subpar performance against South even works a bit in their favor. Despite playing on the road in a hostile environment, and despite 8th Region Player of the Year candidate Dayvion McKnight’s mediocre performance – he had about as many turnovers as he had points (6) – the Titans still found a way to win.

 

Collins now has victories over three of the top teams chasing them in the region rankings – South Oldham, Spencer County, and Simon Kenton. Even more impressively, two of those games (South and Spencer) were played on the road, and the third (SK) was played on a neutral court.

 

Collins wrapped up this past week with an 81-48 rout of crosstown rival Shelby County.

 

The Titans have now won six games in a row, and have scored 63 points or more in all six games. In their last eight games, Collins has gone 7-1, with their only loss a two-point defeat at the hands of #9 ranked Bourbon County. Among those seven wins were victories over Tates Creek, Beechwood, Simon Kenton, Spencer County, and #16 South Oldham.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Boyle County 1/24/2020 vs. Anderson County 1/25/2020 vs Simon Kenton at the Henry County Invitational 6 pm

 

2 – Oldham County (16-2) Last week: #2 Bluegrasspreps.com state ranking: #13 RPI: #10 .67123 Perhaps Collins should be 1A and Oldham County 1B…the Colonels are certainly looking more and more like the top challenger to the Titans. Oldham went 2-0 last week and now sits at a region-best 16-2 on the season and riding a region-best seven game winning streak.

 

Five of those seven games have been on the road or at a neutral site.

 

Last week, the Colonels first headed on the road to one of the region’s truly tough places to play, Warsaw, KY, where Oldham defeated the Gallatin County Wildcats, 69-60. Oldham had a 15 point lead after three periods, but had to withstand a three-point barrage from the Wildcats in the fourth to hold on to the victory. Xander Wagner-Rose became the fifth Colonel to lead the team in scoring over the last six games as he completed a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

 

The Colonels rounded up the week with one of the most-heavily anticipated games of the season in the 8th. A rivalry game. A district seeding game. And this year, it was two ranked teams that went toe-to-toe in Crestwood as the #13 Colonels faced the #16 South Oldham Dragons.

 

The Colonels have won their share of games in the Oldham-South rivalry, but they hadn’t won in Crestwood since March of 2007. That changed this year, as Oldham persevered in a game that wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, but a game that featured a packed house and tournament-level intensity between two county rivals. In the end, the Colonels rallied from a small deficit in the second period, buoyed by four second period Deaton Oak three-pointers, and never looked back in a 64-59 victory over the Dragons. Oak led Oldham with 16 points; Tyler Slone had 12 points and 9 rebounds as Oldham County dominated the backboard, 33-19, according to the official stats.

 

This was just the start of a brutally difficult second half of the season for Oldham. The Colonels still have to face North Oldham, Anderson County, Simon Kenton, Pleasure Ridge Park, Tates Creek, LaRue County, and #5 ranked Collins.

 

This week:

1/24/2020 North Oldham 1/25/2020 Central Hardin (at John Hardin HS) 2:30 pm

 

3 – South Oldham (13-6) Last week: #3 Bluegrasspreps.com state ranking: #16 RPI: #34 .61219 It was a frustrating week for the Dragons, who had arguably the most challenging week they could have scheduled with games against region #1 Collins and #2 Oldham County.

 

In the end, despite the home court advantage, the Dragons fell twice. Both games were decided by the narrowest of margins; South fell to the Titans by one in the final 15 seconds of the game. Oldham County led by double figures in the second half, but the Dragons ultimately lost by just 5 at 64-59.

 

It’s the first time South Oldham has lost two in a row this season.

 

That said, South did nothing to endanger their status as one of the top 3 in the region – in fact, their strong showing against Collins may have closed the gap between the two, at least in perception, even if not in ranking position.

 

In the loss to Collins, Luke Morrison significantly outplayed his primary Player of the Year competition, Dayvion McKnight, outscoring McKnight, 32-6. And, while McKnight struggled with turnovers all night, Morrison was putting on a shooting display, hitting 7 of 10 two pointers, 3 of 6 three pointers, and a whopping 9 of 10 at the line.

 

South’s defense did something no other team had done all season – hold McKnight under double digit scoring.

 

In both games, however, the Dragons managed just 19 rebounds; Oldham County particularly took advantage, outrebounding South, 33-19.

 

South has a busy week this week as they try to get back on the winning track.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 – North Bullitt 1/24/2020 at Christian Academy of Louisville 1/25/2020 – Woodford County at Henry County HS 2 pm

 

The Next Group – “In the Hunt”

 

4 – Spencer County (10-5) Last week: #4 RPI: #35 .61168 Spencer County did not play last week. Of the Bears’ remaining schedule, this week may be their most challenging.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Christian Academy of Louisville 1/24/2020 at Woodford County 1/25/2020 #17 St. Xavier (at Henry County HS, 4 pm)

 

 

5 – Woodford County (11-7) Last week: #6 RPI: #48 .59131 – The Yellowjackets move up one spot this week. It’s a tribute to the way the Yellowjackets are playing that they jump a team in the rankings (Simon Kenton) that won both of its games last week.

 

Perhaps nobody in the region is hotter than the Jackets, though. Woodford County has won four in a row and 10 of their last 12 games. Included in those ten wins are victories over #13-ranked Oldham County, North Oldham (on the road), then-#19 ranked George Rogers Clark, and on the road at Anderson County, where the Yellowjackets handed the Bearcats their worst loss of the season.

 

The top-shooting team in the 8th Region, Woodford is #8 in the state at 51.9%. The Jackets displayed that shooting ability last week as they shot 62.8% in their upset 75-68 victory over George Rogers Clark, ranked #19 in the state at the time. Along the way, Woodford hit 9 of 16 threes (56.2%) and a solid 67% at the line. They dominated the glass, outrebounding GRC, 40-25. Four Woodford players scored in double digits, led by Ashton Myles-Devore with 16 points and Hunter Penn, who had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Woodford then put an exclamation mark on the week by traveling to Lawrenceburg, where they handed the Anderson County Bearcats their first double-digit loss of the season, winning 49-34.

 

With victories over #13 Oldham County (16-2), Anderson County (14-4), and North Oldham, the Yellowjackets have confirmed themselves as Region 8 contenders.

 

This week: 1/20/2020 at Walton-Verona 1/24/2020 vs. Spencer County 1/25/2020 vs. #16 South Oldham (at Henry County) 2 pm

 

6 – Simon Kenton (11-6) Last week: #5 RPI: #52 .58682 Simon Kenton welcomed Logan Schwartz back last week, and he contributed right away as the Pioneers went 2-0 during the week, running their winning streak to three games. It’s the longest winning streak for SK since they opened the season 4-0.

 

SK ventured out of region 8 last week for a pair of games against two lower-tier Ninth Region squads. In two games that the Pioneers were favored to win, SK took care of business, defeating Cooper, 65-46, and Dixie Heights, 78-65.

 

Schwartz contributed 13 points against Cooper, one of four Pioneers to reach double figures. Jeremy Davis led the way, scoring 16 and hitting 5 of 9 three pointers in the contest. Kelly Niece had 13 points and Andrew Smith scored 10.

 

Simon Kenton plays two district 32 seeding games this week before wrapping up the week against #5-ranked Collins. Collins defeated SK by 8 on December 30th; this week’s game will be the second neutral-site game between the two region powers this year.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Williamstown 1/24/2020 at Grant County 1/25/2020 vs. Collins (at Henry County HS) 6 pm

 

7 – North Oldham (9-8) Last week: #8 RPI: #104 .53182 The Mustangs move up one spot this week after a convincing 82-38 victory over the Shelby County Rockets in their only game last week.

 

North is starting to show some life on offense in the “post-Justin Powell” era. North shot 58.2% against the Rockets, including 12 of 21 from beyond the arc (57.1%).

 

Tyler Higdon continues to put up All-Region numbers for North, and he had 12 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Dallas Roberts, last year’s leading scorer for North, tallied 13. But the really welcome news for North Oldham was the continuing emergence of sophomore Austin (“Rico”) Carr-Cole, who tied for team scoring honors with 13 points. It was Carr-Cole’s second straight game as the team’s leading scorer.

 

In addition, Luke Barry hit four of four three point attempts and finished with 12 points. Barry’s one of the premier outside shooters on the Mustang roster, but this was his first game in double digits this year.

 

North hasn’t won back-to-back games since just before Christmas; they’ll try to do just that this week, beginning with a huge matchup on Tuesday against 14-4 Anderson County.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Anderson County 1/24/2020 at #13 Oldham County 1/25/2020 at Henry County (8 pm)

 

8 – Gallatin County (10-7) Last week: #10 RPI: #86 .54760 The red-hot Wildcats – winners of 5 of their last 6 games – jump up two spots this week to #8 after playing well in a 9-point loss to #13 Oldham County and handing Anderson County just their fourth loss of the season.

 

Gallatin fell to Oldham County at home, 69-60, to begin the week. The Cats battled from a 15-point deficit after three quarters, hitting several threes in the fourth quarter to pull to within six before Oldham put the game away at the line. Hayden Dickerson had 20 points for the Wildcats, and hit 6 of 11 threes in the game, but Gallatin was outrebounded, 31-20, by the Colonels.

 

The Wildcats were extremely impressive against Anderson County. Working against the state’s stingiest scoring defense, Gallatin tallied 55 points – fourteen above what Anderson was allowing on average, and only the fourth team all season to score over 50 points against the Bearcats – en route to a 55-47 victory. Jarin Rassman had 17 points and 8 rebounds in the win.

 

Gallatin – who just finished wrapping up the 8th Region All-A title, and will represent the region in the state All-A tournament this week at McBrayer Arena at Eastern Kentucky University – seems to be hitting their stride. That improvement seems to also be extending to the Cats’ free throw shooting, which was suspect the first half of the year. Jarin Rassman – who is shooting more free throws than anyone on the team – has been putting in extra work on his free throws and it’s showing. Rassman has hit 28 of 40 free throws over the past four games. That’s not simply a good average, that’s an above-average clip as he hit 70% of his free throws during that stretch.

 

This week, Gallatin will be challenged to prove that the recent surge is for real as they will face the top-ranked team in the 12th Region in the All-A Classic (Somerset).

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Trimble County 1/23/2020 vs. Somerset (All-A Classic at Eastern KY University 8 pm ET)

 

9 - Anderson County (14-4) Last week: #7 RPI: #61 .57232 Anderson falls two spots this week after the Bearcats went 1-2 last week, dropping two straight for the first time this year.

 

Anderson opened last week by defeating Casey County, 66-41. The Bearcats hit 61.4% from the field, and three players reached double figures, led by Jagger Gillis and Hunter Rutherford, who each finished with 15 points. The 66 points were the Bearcats’ second-highest point total of the year.

 

But the week turned south on Anderson after the win pushed their record to 14-2. The Bearcats went from their second-highest point total of the year to their second-lowest in a 49-34 loss at the hands of Woodford County, and then Gallatin County defeated the Bearcats, 55-47.

 

The Anderson defense continues to play well – Woodford and Gallatin scored just 114 points total in the two losses - but the offense continues to struggle. Anderson shot less than 40% from the field in both losses, totaled just 40 rebounds in the two games, and hit just 9 of 18 free throws total in the two games.

 

Anderson County, who has defeated just one team with a winning record this year (Grant County), has two big road opportunities to regain the momentum this week.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at North Oldham 1/24/2020 at #5 Collins

 

The Third Tier – Two of the eight teams that make it to New Castle will almost certainly come from this group. The 31st and 32nd district runner-ups…

 

10 – Grant County (9-7) Last week: #9 RPI: #114 .52728 Grant County continues to have an up-and-down season, and the Braves went 1-1 last week.

 

Grant opened the week with a district seeding win, routing Williamstown, 71-41. But Conner upended Grant County, 75-59, to send the Braves into week 7 on a down note.

 

The season so far has revolved around the Grant County offense. When Grant reaches the magic number of 70 points, the Braves usually win, as Grant is 6-1 on the season when they reach 70. But when Grant County fails to reach 70 points, the Braves are just 3-6 on the year.

 

That was the story last week; Grant hit 51% of its shots against the Demons, and three players reached double figures, led by senior Luke Dawalt’s 16. Against Conner, however, Grant hit just 34.5% of its shots, and only 4 of 20 threes. Ben Vickers had 18 and Dawalt had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

 

Grant earned a nice win over Woodford this year – but that was early in the season. Since that time, Grant County has struggled to find a signature victory over a top-tier 8th Region team, with losses to South Oldham, Oldham County, and Anderson County. The Braves get a chance to turn that record around somewhat when they play Simon Kenton in a district seeding game this week.

 

This week: 1/20/2020 Calvary Christian 1/24/2020 vs. Simon Kenton

 

11 – Walton-Verona (8-8) Last week: #11 RPI: #163 .47762 Walton-Verona evened their record with two wins last week, defeating Owen County, 66-58, and Bracken County, 91-64. The victories ended a four-game skid.

 

Brent Smithers had a monster game against Owen County, scoring 27 points and hitting 5 of 5 three pointers.

 

Against Bracken, the Bearcats shot absolutely “lights-out” (67.3%), including 10 of 20 beyond the arc and a remarkable 15 of 17 at the line. Four Cats hit double figures, led by senior forward Jack Watson’s 23 points. Smithers and Carter Krohman each had 20 in the win.

Watson became the fourth different Walton-Verona player to lead the team in scoring in a game this season.

 

This week: 1/20/2020 vs. Woodford County 1/24/2020 vs. Henry County 1/25/2020 at Campbell County

 

12 – Carroll County (7-8) Last Week: #12 RPI: #193 .44652 Carroll County struggled a bit last week, but ended the week on an uptick.

 

Wyatt Supplee, who injured his ankle in the 8th Region All-A tourney loss to Gallatin County, came back to play against Franklin County, leading the Panthers with 23 points. But Franklin County won the matchup, 67-54, as the Flyers hit 55% from the floor.

 

Carroll’s second game of the week was against a beatable Boone County squad…but with Wyatt Supplee on the sidelines, perhaps to give his ankle a little more time to heal, the Panthers hit just 34.8% from the floor and lost, 65-42. Keishaun Mumphrey had 19 points and 10 rebounds – his 8th double-double in fifteen games – but the Panthers were soundly defeated.

 

The Panthers closed out the week with a dangerous Sixth Region team, the Iroquois Raider-Wolves. With Wyatt Supplee back in the lineup and scoring 29 points, the Panthers pulled off the 68-59 upset to end the week on a positive. Supplee hit 6 of 10 two pointers, 1 of 2 three pointers, and an incredible 14 of 16 free throws in the win.

 

The win over Iroquois was impressive; in the Raiders-Wolves’ last twelve games, only South Oldham and North Bullitt had scored more points against Iroquois.

 

Carroll has a crazy-busy week this week with four games, three on the road. The Panthers should be favored in at least three of the four.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Owen County 1/22/2020 at Ludlow 1/24/2020 vs East Jessamine 1/25/2020 at Eminence

 

13 – Henry County (8-8) Last week: #13 RPI: #185 .45215 Henry County had a great week last week, winning all three of their matchups, and extending the Wildcats’ winning streak to four games.

 

True, Enoch Welch’s squad went into the week as favorites in all three games, facing three of the lowest-rated teams in Kentucky, according to the new RPI index. Out of 272 schools, Trimble County is ranked 238th by the RPI, Eminence 258th, and Frankfort Christian 267th. However, that simply meant it was a great opportunity for Henry to take care of business, gain some momentum, and perhaps get some extra playing time for the reserves.

 

Henry rolled through the three games, defeating Eminence, 76-36, Trimble County by 24 points (96-72), and Frankfort Christian, 66-15. The 96 points was the most scored by Henry County in a game this year – the 76 points as the third-most. On the flip-side of the coin, the 15 points scored by Frankfort Christian and the 36 points scored by Eminence were the two lowest point totals allowed this year by the Wildcats.

 

Trevor Hardin, who appears to be back to 100% for the Wildcats, had 23 to lead the team in the rivalry game against Eminence; Ethan Lankford had 21 to lead the team against Trimble; Hardin led the way against Frankfort Christian with 17. Particularly encouraging was the play of Ryan Phillips, who was 5 of 6 against Eminence for 10 points, and 9 of 14 against Trimble for 18 points, giving the Wildcats more of a threat outside the “Big 2”.

 

Henry will face two teams that can really shoot the ball this week.

 

This week: 1/24/2020 at Walton-Verona 1/25/2020 vs. North Oldham 8 pm

 

The Longshots…

 

14 – Williamstown Last Week: #15 RPI: #214 .41557 The Demons had a short – but disappointing – week last week, falling in their only game.

 

Williamstown’s only matchup last week was a district seeding game against county rival Grant County. The Braves came away with a lopsided victory, 71-41, as the Demons shot just 22.7% from the floor. Bryant Henson had 11 in the loss; leading scorer Cole Kightlinger was held to just 7.

 

Still, the Demons move up one this week to #14, primarily because Shelby County – ranked ahead of them last week – is in free-fall and drops below the Demons.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Simon Kenton 1/25/2020 at Burgin

 

15 – Owen County (4-12) Last week: #16 RPI: #243 .36978 Owen County dropped two games last week, but the youthful Rebels were competitive in both.

 

Walton-Verona outscored the Rebels in the first game, winning, 66-58. Owen County shot a solid 48.6% from the field, and freshman guard Teagen Moore had a phenomenal 31 points.

Moore was 6 of 8 from inside the arc; 3 of 9 outside the arc, and 10 of 11 at the line. On the season, Moore is averaging 20.9 ppg, the third-highest average in the 8th Region – behind a senior (Wyatt Supplee) and a junior (Sam Conley).

 

The Rebels almost got win #5 the very next game, but fell in overtime, 62-54, to the Whitley County Colonels. Moore followed up his 31 points against W-V with a 32 point outing against Whitley County, including four made threes. He added a team-high 8 rebounds in the contest.

 

Owen will have an opportunity to show how far they’ve come so far this season when they face district 31 rival Carroll County this week.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Carroll County

 

16 – Shelby County (4-13) Last Week: #14 RPI: #227 .39724 Shelby County falls two spots this week.

 

It’s been a difficult season for the Rockets. After two losses by 33 points or more last week, Shelby has now lost three games in a row, 6 of their last 8, and 12 of their last 14 games.

Facing two of the better 8th Region teams last week, Shelby fell to cross-town rival Collins, 81-48, then traveled to North Oldham, where the game barely lasted an hour as North routed the Rockets, 82-38, with a running clock.

 

The issue is the offense; Shelby County is averaging just 45.5 ppg in the last six contests. Not surprisingly, the Rockets are 1-5 during that span.

 

Shelby’s lone victory over an 8th Region team was over Eminence; getting another one will be difficult. There are no “easy” wins left among Shelby’s remaining 12 opponents. Three of those opponents – Bourbon County, South Oldham, and Oldham County – are ranked in the bluegrasspreps.com Top 20.

 

Rebuilding will take time in Shelbyville. In the meantime, Rocket fans can take solace in the fact that the Rockets have won 17 Eighth Region titles; one more than second-place Oldham County.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Franklin County 1/24/2020 vs. Sayre 1/25/2020 at #9 Bourbon County

 

17 – Trimble County (3-14) Last week: #17 RPI: #238 .37450 Trimble went 1-2 last week, dropping games to Iroquois and Henry County, and defeating Eminence.

 

Trimble shot well against Iroquois (52.3%), but fell by 24, 84-60. Dylan Jennings had 17 points in the loss.

 

Jennings exploded for 26 in the next game, leading the Raiders to an 80-56 win over the Eminence Warriors. The win ended an 11-game losing streak. Reece Webster had 18 and Josh Petty 10 in the victory.

 

The week ended with a 96-72 loss to Henry County.

 

The Raiders are starting to get more offense from players not named Webster or Jennings. Webster (13.5 ppg) and Jennings (13.4) are still the only two averaging in double figures, but Tate Ogburn had 11 against Iroquois, Petty had 10 against Eminence, and in recent games Beau Turner and Ryan Long have each reached double digits. Not surprisingly, the Raiders – who had cracked 60 points only twice in their first 12 games – have averaged 68.2 ppg over their last five contests, with a “low” game of 59 points against Williamstown.

 

With the 11-game losing streak “monkey” off their back, Trimble looks ahead to the second half of the season.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Gallatin County 1/25/2020 vs. Villa Madonna 4:30 pm

 

18 – Eminence (3-15) Last week: #18 RPI: #258 .32824 The Warriors dropped three games last week to extend their losing streak to six. Eminence has now lost 12 of their last 13 games.

 

The rivalry game against the Henry County Wildcats was a bit of a one-sided affair as Henry County hammered Eminence, 76-36 to start the week. An 80-56 loss to Trimble County and a 72-17 loss to Iroquois rounded out the week.

 

The Warriors have a great chance to reverse the losing skid this week during a three-game homestand.

 

This week: 1/23/2020 vs. Burgin 1/24/2020 vs. Shawnee 1/25/2020 vs. Carroll County

 

8th Region Leaders:

 

The 8th Region has a tremendous set of head coaches. They’re a great group of individuals who have been really great to work with. They’re also pretty successful on the sidelines. Here’s a look at the records of the eight boys’ head basketball coaches in the 8th Region who have been in the region at least since the 2013-14 season. (Note: The records below are ONLY for the last 6+ seasons; 2013-14 to present. Coaches such as Steve Simpson (20 seasons), Jon Jones (20+), Trent Steiner (16), and Devin Duvall (15), for example, obviously have coached many more games…) All of these coaches have coached their teams to at least one 20+ win season over the past six years, and/or at least one appearance in the Region championship game.

Record 2013-14 Season to Present

Coy Zerhusen, Oldham County 166 wins 49 losses .772

Chris Gaither, Collins 150 wins 67 losses .691

Steve Simpson, South Oldham 141 wins 62 losses .695

Jon Jones, Gallatin County 116 wins 84 losses .580

Trent Steiner, Simon Kenton 105 wins 86 losses .550

Jason Burns, Spencer County 101 wins 88 losses .534

Devin Duvall, Owen County 94 wins 103 losses .477

Enoch Welch, Henry County 91 wins 110 losses .453

 

8th Region on the air this week: The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

1/21/2020 North Oldham vs. Anderson County

1/24/2020 Oldham County vs. North Oldham (Girls/Boys DH)

1/25/2020 South Oldham vs. Woodford County (2 pm ET)

1/25/2020 North Oldham vs. Henry County (8 pm ET)

[Runcible Owl]

If one is a bartender, there are "well and call" choices. This is "top shelf." Great as always CM, thanks.

[4 Quarters]

8th Region Week 7 Review: The Big Three Don’t Settle the Debate - Yet

By Colonelmike

 

Week 7 was about as exciting a week as we’ve had this season, and when the dust settled, Collins, Oldham County, Gallatin County, and Woodford County all owned big victories…South Oldham was left contemplating “what if”…and Anderson County missed an opportunity for some statement wins.

 

And yet – we still don’t have clear separation among the top three teams in the rankings. Although Collins earned a big win on the road against South Oldham in Crestwood, the Titans had to survive by hitting three free throws in the final 15 seconds to earn a one-point victory.

 

The Titans had the opportunity to establish themselves as the clear-cut number one team in region 8, and simply were unable to do so, perhaps actually opening the top spot in the region rankings up for debate more than ever.

 

The write-up is a little thin this week on statistics; for some reason, the vast majority of the region teams had games from this past week where the stats had not yet been posted as of this writing.

 

The region went 7-6 against out of region competition this week, but the top 8 teams were a combined 4-0, including Woodford County’s win over #19 George Rogers Clark.

 

Some teams were happy to welcome back some injured players this week; Simon Kenton’s Logan Schwartz returned for the game with Cooper and finished with 13 points. For Carroll County, Wyatt Supplee and Trevor Sandusky were both back in action; against Franklin County, Supplee led the team with 23 points and Sandusky finished with 3 points and 5 rebounds.

 

On to this week’s rankings:

 

1 - Collins (15-3) Last week: #1 Bluegrasspreps.com state ranking: #5 RPI: #5 .68473 OK, for perhaps the first time this season, I had to really pause and think carefully about the region’s #1 ranking. Last week, both #1 Collins and #2 Oldham County played, and won, at #3 South Oldham. The Dragons played both teams close, but South was 14 seconds away from the upset victory against Collins, and frankly, South was the better team that night. Against Oldham, South trailed by double digits before losing by just five.

 

So who’s number 1? Honestly, it was South Oldham who looked like they would win 6 of 10 games against Collins. But can you reasonably put South ahead of Collins when the Titans won the head-to-head game? And what about Oldham County? The Colonels certainly fared better against South than Collins….so are the Colonels number one? We won’t get to see Oldham against Collins until 2/11/2020, though, so that head-to-head is still strictly conjecture…

 

At the end of the day, though, Collins retains the top spot, thanks largely to a 15-3 record that’s been compiled against top-flight competition. Collins has gone 3-3 against ranked competition – all three of the Titans’ losses this season have come in competitive games against top 10 competition (Ballard, Male, and Bourbon County).

 

And – in a strange sort of logic – Collins’ subpar performance against South even works a bit in their favor. Despite playing on the road in a hostile environment, and despite 8th Region Player of the Year candidate Dayvion McKnight’s mediocre performance – he had about as many turnovers as he had points (6) – the Titans still found a way to win.

 

Collins now has victories over three of the top teams chasing them in the region rankings – South Oldham, Spencer County, and Simon Kenton. Even more impressively, two of those games (South and Spencer) were played on the road, and the third (SK) was played on a neutral court.

 

Collins wrapped up this past week with an 81-48 rout of crosstown rival Shelby County.

 

The Titans have now won six games in a row, and have scored 63 points or more in all six games. In their last eight games, Collins has gone 7-1, with their only loss a two-point defeat at the hands of #9 ranked Bourbon County. Among those seven wins were victories over Tates Creek, Beechwood, Simon Kenton, Spencer County, and #16 South Oldham.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Boyle County 1/24/2020 vs. Anderson County 1/25/2020 vs Simon Kenton at the Henry County Invitational 6 pm

 

2 – Oldham County (16-2) Last week: #2 Bluegrasspreps.com state ranking: #13 RPI: #10 .67123 Perhaps Collins should be 1A and Oldham County 1B…the Colonels are certainly looking more and more like the top challenger to the Titans. Oldham went 2-0 last week and now sits at a region-best 16-2 on the season and riding a region-best seven game winning streak.

 

Five of those seven games have been on the road or at a neutral site.

 

Last week, the Colonels first headed on the road to one of the region’s truly tough places to play, Warsaw, KY, where Oldham defeated the Gallatin County Wildcats, 69-60. Oldham had a 15 point lead after three periods, but had to withstand a three-point barrage from the Wildcats in the fourth to hold on to the victory. Xander Wagner-Rose became the fifth Colonel to lead the team in scoring over the last six games as he completed a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

 

The Colonels rounded up the week with one of the most-heavily anticipated games of the season in the 8th. A rivalry game. A district seeding game. And this year, it was two ranked teams that went toe-to-toe in Crestwood as the #13 Colonels faced the #16 South Oldham Dragons.

 

The Colonels have won their share of games in the Oldham-South rivalry, but they hadn’t won in Crestwood since March of 2007. That changed this year, as Oldham persevered in a game that wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, but a game that featured a packed house and tournament-level intensity between two county rivals. In the end, the Colonels rallied from a small deficit in the second period, buoyed by four second period Deaton Oak three-pointers, and never looked back in a 64-59 victory over the Dragons. Oak led Oldham with 16 points; Tyler Slone had 12 points and 9 rebounds as Oldham County dominated the backboard, 33-19, according to the official stats.

 

This was just the start of a brutally difficult second half of the season for Oldham. The Colonels still have to face North Oldham, Anderson County, Simon Kenton, Pleasure Ridge Park, Tates Creek, LaRue County, and #5 ranked Collins.

 

This week:

1/24/2020 North Oldham 1/25/2020 Central Hardin (at John Hardin HS) 2:30 pm

 

3 – South Oldham (13-6) Last week: #3 Bluegrasspreps.com state ranking: #16 RPI: #34 .61219 It was a frustrating week for the Dragons, who had arguably the most challenging week they could have scheduled with games against region #1 Collins and #2 Oldham County.

 

In the end, despite the home court advantage, the Dragons fell twice. Both games were decided by the narrowest of margins; South fell to the Titans by one in the final 15 seconds of the game. Oldham County led by double figures in the second half, but the Dragons ultimately lost by just 5 at 64-59.

 

It’s the first time South Oldham has lost two in a row this season.

 

That said, South did nothing to endanger their status as one of the top 3 in the region – in fact, their strong showing against Collins may have closed the gap between the two, at least in perception, even if not in ranking position.

 

In the loss to Collins, Luke Morrison significantly outplayed his primary Player of the Year competition, Dayvion McKnight, outscoring McKnight, 32-6. And, while McKnight struggled with turnovers all night, Morrison was putting on a shooting display, hitting 7 of 10 two pointers, 3 of 6 three pointers, and a whopping 9 of 10 at the line.

 

South’s defense did something no other team had done all season – hold McKnight under double digit scoring.

 

In both games, however, the Dragons managed just 19 rebounds; Oldham County particularly took advantage, outrebounding South, 33-19.

 

South has a busy week this week as they try to get back on the winning track.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 – North Bullitt 1/24/2020 at Christian Academy of Louisville 1/25/2020 – Woodford County at Henry County HS 2 pm

 

The Next Group – “In the Hunt”

 

4 – Spencer County (10-5) Last week: #4 RPI: #35 .61168 Spencer County did not play last week. Of the Bears’ remaining schedule, this week may be their most challenging.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Christian Academy of Louisville 1/24/2020 at Woodford County 1/25/2020 #17 St. Xavier (at Henry County HS, 4 pm)

 

 

5 – Woodford County (11-7) Last week: #6 RPI: #48 .59131 – The Yellowjackets move up one spot this week. It’s a tribute to the way the Yellowjackets are playing that they jump a team in the rankings (Simon Kenton) that won both of its games last week.

 

Perhaps nobody in the region is hotter than the Jackets, though. Woodford County has won four in a row and 10 of their last 12 games. Included in those ten wins are victories over #13-ranked Oldham County, North Oldham (on the road), then-#19 ranked George Rogers Clark, and on the road at Anderson County, where the Yellowjackets handed the Bearcats their worst loss of the season.

 

The top-shooting team in the 8th Region, Woodford is #8 in the state at 51.9%. The Jackets displayed that shooting ability last week as they shot 62.8% in their upset 75-68 victory over George Rogers Clark, ranked #19 in the state at the time. Along the way, Woodford hit 9 of 16 threes (56.2%) and a solid 67% at the line. They dominated the glass, outrebounding GRC, 40-25. Four Woodford players scored in double digits, led by Ashton Myles-Devore with 16 points and Hunter Penn, who had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Woodford then put an exclamation mark on the week by traveling to Lawrenceburg, where they handed the Anderson County Bearcats their first double-digit loss of the season, winning 49-34.

 

With victories over #13 Oldham County (16-2), Anderson County (14-4), and North Oldham, the Yellowjackets have confirmed themselves as Region 8 contenders.

 

This week: 1/20/2020 at Walton-Verona 1/24/2020 vs. Spencer County 1/25/2020 vs. #16 South Oldham (at Henry County) 2 pm

 

6 – Simon Kenton (11-6) Last week: #5 RPI: #52 .58682 Simon Kenton welcomed Logan Schwartz back last week, and he contributed right away as the Pioneers went 2-0 during the week, running their winning streak to three games. It’s the longest winning streak for SK since they opened the season 4-0.

 

SK ventured out of region 8 last week for a pair of games against two lower-tier Ninth Region squads. In two games that the Pioneers were favored to win, SK took care of business, defeating Cooper, 65-46, and Dixie Heights, 78-65.

 

Schwartz contributed 13 points against Cooper, one of four Pioneers to reach double figures. Jeremy Davis led the way, scoring 16 and hitting 5 of 9 three pointers in the contest. Kelly Niece had 13 points and Andrew Smith scored 10.

 

Simon Kenton plays two district 32 seeding games this week before wrapping up the week against #5-ranked Collins. Collins defeated SK by 8 on December 30th; this week’s game will be the second neutral-site game between the two region powers this year.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Williamstown 1/24/2020 at Grant County 1/25/2020 vs. Collins (at Henry County HS) 6 pm

 

7 – North Oldham (9-8) Last week: #8 RPI: #104 .53182 The Mustangs move up one spot this week after a convincing 82-38 victory over the Shelby County Rockets in their only game last week.

 

North is starting to show some life on offense in the “post-Justin Powell” era. North shot 58.2% against the Rockets, including 12 of 21 from beyond the arc (57.1%).

 

Tyler Higdon continues to put up All-Region numbers for North, and he had 12 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Dallas Roberts, last year’s leading scorer for North, tallied 13. But the really welcome news for North Oldham was the continuing emergence of sophomore Austin (“Rico”) Carr-Cole, who tied for team scoring honors with 13 points. It was Carr-Cole’s second straight game as the team’s leading scorer.

 

In addition, Luke Barry hit four of four three point attempts and finished with 12 points. Barry’s one of the premier outside shooters on the Mustang roster, but this was his first game in double digits this year.

 

North hasn’t won back-to-back games since just before Christmas; they’ll try to do just that this week, beginning with a huge matchup on Tuesday against 14-4 Anderson County.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Anderson County 1/24/2020 at #13 Oldham County 1/25/2020 at Henry County (8 pm)

 

8 – Gallatin County (10-7) Last week: #10 RPI: #86 .54760 The red-hot Wildcats – winners of 5 of their last 6 games – jump up two spots this week to #8 after playing well in a 9-point loss to #13 Oldham County and handing Anderson County just their fourth loss of the season.

 

Gallatin fell to Oldham County at home, 69-60, to begin the week. The Cats battled from a 15-point deficit after three quarters, hitting several threes in the fourth quarter to pull to within six before Oldham put the game away at the line. Hayden Dickerson had 20 points for the Wildcats, and hit 6 of 11 threes in the game, but Gallatin was outrebounded, 31-20, by the Colonels.

 

The Wildcats were extremely impressive against Anderson County. Working against the state’s stingiest scoring defense, Gallatin tallied 55 points – fourteen above what Anderson was allowing on average, and only the fourth team all season to score over 50 points against the Bearcats – en route to a 55-47 victory. Jarin Rassman had 17 points and 8 rebounds in the win.

 

Gallatin – who just finished wrapping up the 8th Region All-A title, and will represent the region in the state All-A tournament this week at McBrayer Arena at Eastern Kentucky University – seems to be hitting their stride. That improvement seems to also be extending to the Cats’ free throw shooting, which was suspect the first half of the year. Jarin Rassman – who is shooting more free throws than anyone on the team – has been putting in extra work on his free throws and it’s showing. Rassman has hit 28 of 40 free throws over the past four games. That’s not simply a good average, that’s an above-average clip as he hit 70% of his free throws during that stretch.

 

This week, Gallatin will be challenged to prove that the recent surge is for real as they will face the top-ranked team in the 12th Region in the All-A Classic (Somerset).

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Trimble County 1/23/2020 vs. Somerset (All-A Classic at Eastern KY University 8 pm ET)

 

9 - Anderson County (14-4) Last week: #7 RPI: #61 .57232 Anderson falls two spots this week after the Bearcats went 1-2 last week, dropping two straight for the first time this year.

 

Anderson opened last week by defeating Casey County, 66-41. The Bearcats hit 61.4% from the field, and three players reached double figures, led by Jagger Gillis and Hunter Rutherford, who each finished with 15 points. The 66 points were the Bearcats’ second-highest point total of the year.

 

But the week turned south on Anderson after the win pushed their record to 14-2. The Bearcats went from their second-highest point total of the year to their second-lowest in a 49-34 loss at the hands of Woodford County, and then Gallatin County defeated the Bearcats, 55-47.

 

The Anderson defense continues to play well – Woodford and Gallatin scored just 114 points total in the two losses - but the offense continues to struggle. Anderson shot less than 40% from the field in both losses, totaled just 40 rebounds in the two games, and hit just 9 of 18 free throws total in the two games.

 

Anderson County, who has defeated just one team with a winning record this year (Grant County), has two big road opportunities to regain the momentum this week.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at North Oldham 1/24/2020 at #5 Collins

 

The Third Tier – Two of the eight teams that make it to New Castle will almost certainly come from this group. The 31st and 32nd district runner-ups…

 

10 – Grant County (9-7) Last week: #9 RPI: #114 .52728 Grant County continues to have an up-and-down season, and the Braves went 1-1 last week.

 

Grant opened the week with a district seeding win, routing Williamstown, 71-41. But Conner upended Grant County, 75-59, to send the Braves into week 7 on a down note.

 

The season so far has revolved around the Grant County offense. When Grant reaches the magic number of 70 points, the Braves usually win, as Grant is 6-1 on the season when they reach 70. But when Grant County fails to reach 70 points, the Braves are just 3-6 on the year.

 

That was the story last week; Grant hit 51% of its shots against the Demons, and three players reached double figures, led by senior Luke Dawalt’s 16. Against Conner, however, Grant hit just 34.5% of its shots, and only 4 of 20 threes. Ben Vickers had 18 and Dawalt had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

 

Grant earned a nice win over Woodford this year – but that was early in the season. Since that time, Grant County has struggled to find a signature victory over a top-tier 8th Region team, with losses to South Oldham, Oldham County, and Anderson County. The Braves get a chance to turn that record around somewhat when they play Simon Kenton in a district seeding game this week.

 

This week: 1/20/2020 Calvary Christian 1/24/2020 vs. Simon Kenton

 

11 – Walton-Verona (8-8) Last week: #11 RPI: #163 .47762 Walton-Verona evened their record with two wins last week, defeating Owen County, 66-58, and Bracken County, 91-64. The victories ended a four-game skid.

 

Brent Smithers had a monster game against Owen County, scoring 27 points and hitting 5 of 5 three pointers.

 

Against Bracken, the Bearcats shot absolutely “lights-out” (67.3%), including 10 of 20 beyond the arc and a remarkable 15 of 17 at the line. Four Cats hit double figures, led by senior forward Jack Watson’s 23 points. Smithers and Carter Krohman each had 20 in the win.

Watson became the fourth different Walton-Verona player to lead the team in scoring in a game this season.

 

This week: 1/20/2020 vs. Woodford County 1/24/2020 vs. Henry County 1/25/2020 at Campbell County

 

12 – Carroll County (7-8) Last Week: #12 RPI: #193 .44652 Carroll County struggled a bit last week, but ended the week on an uptick.

 

Wyatt Supplee, who injured his ankle in the 8th Region All-A tourney loss to Gallatin County, came back to play against Franklin County, leading the Panthers with 23 points. But Franklin County won the matchup, 67-54, as the Flyers hit 55% from the floor.

 

Carroll’s second game of the week was against a beatable Boone County squad…but with Wyatt Supplee on the sidelines, perhaps to give his ankle a little more time to heal, the Panthers hit just 34.8% from the floor and lost, 65-42. Keishaun Mumphrey had 19 points and 10 rebounds – his 8th double-double in fifteen games – but the Panthers were soundly defeated.

 

The Panthers closed out the week with a dangerous Sixth Region team, the Iroquois Raider-Wolves. With Wyatt Supplee back in the lineup and scoring 29 points, the Panthers pulled off the 68-59 upset to end the week on a positive. Supplee hit 6 of 10 two pointers, 1 of 2 three pointers, and an incredible 14 of 16 free throws in the win.

 

The win over Iroquois was impressive; in the Raiders-Wolves’ last twelve games, only South Oldham and North Bullitt had scored more points against Iroquois.

 

Carroll has a crazy-busy week this week with four games, three on the road. The Panthers should be favored in at least three of the four.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Owen County 1/22/2020 at Ludlow 1/24/2020 vs East Jessamine 1/25/2020 at Eminence

 

13 – Henry County (8-8) Last week: #13 RPI: #185 .45215 Henry County had a great week last week, winning all three of their matchups, and extending the Wildcats’ winning streak to four games.

 

True, Enoch Welch’s squad went into the week as favorites in all three games, facing three of the lowest-rated teams in Kentucky, according to the new RPI index. Out of 272 schools, Trimble County is ranked 238th by the RPI, Eminence 258th, and Frankfort Christian 267th. However, that simply meant it was a great opportunity for Henry to take care of business, gain some momentum, and perhaps get some extra playing time for the reserves.

 

Henry rolled through the three games, defeating Eminence, 76-36, Trimble County by 24 points (96-72), and Frankfort Christian, 66-15. The 96 points was the most scored by Henry County in a game this year – the 76 points as the third-most. On the flip-side of the coin, the 15 points scored by Frankfort Christian and the 36 points scored by Eminence were the two lowest point totals allowed this year by the Wildcats.

 

Trevor Hardin, who appears to be back to 100% for the Wildcats, had 23 to lead the team in the rivalry game against Eminence; Ethan Lankford had 21 to lead the team against Trimble; Hardin led the way against Frankfort Christian with 17. Particularly encouraging was the play of Ryan Phillips, who was 5 of 6 against Eminence for 10 points, and 9 of 14 against Trimble for 18 points, giving the Wildcats more of a threat outside the “Big 2”.

 

Henry will face two teams that can really shoot the ball this week.

 

This week: 1/24/2020 at Walton-Verona 1/25/2020 vs. North Oldham 8 pm

 

The Longshots…

 

14 – Williamstown Last Week: #15 RPI: #214 .41557 The Demons had a short – but disappointing – week last week, falling in their only game.

 

Williamstown’s only matchup last week was a district seeding game against county rival Grant County. The Braves came away with a lopsided victory, 71-41, as the Demons shot just 22.7% from the floor. Bryant Henson had 11 in the loss; leading scorer Cole Kightlinger was held to just 7.

 

Still, the Demons move up one this week to #14, primarily because Shelby County – ranked ahead of them last week – is in free-fall and drops below the Demons.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Simon Kenton 1/25/2020 at Burgin

 

15 – Owen County (4-12) Last week: #16 RPI: #243 .36978 Owen County dropped two games last week, but the youthful Rebels were competitive in both.

 

Walton-Verona outscored the Rebels in the first game, winning, 66-58. Owen County shot a solid 48.6% from the field, and freshman guard Teagen Moore had a phenomenal 31 points.

Moore was 6 of 8 from inside the arc; 3 of 9 outside the arc, and 10 of 11 at the line. On the season, Moore is averaging 20.9 ppg, the third-highest average in the 8th Region – behind a senior (Wyatt Supplee) and a junior (Sam Conley).

 

The Rebels almost got win #5 the very next game, but fell in overtime, 62-54, to the Whitley County Colonels. Moore followed up his 31 points against W-V with a 32 point outing against Whitley County, including four made threes. He added a team-high 8 rebounds in the contest.

 

Owen will have an opportunity to show how far they’ve come so far this season when they face district 31 rival Carroll County this week.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Carroll County

 

16 – Shelby County (4-13) Last Week: #14 RPI: #227 .39724 Shelby County falls two spots this week.

 

It’s been a difficult season for the Rockets. After two losses by 33 points or more last week, Shelby has now lost three games in a row, 6 of their last 8, and 12 of their last 14 games.

Facing two of the better 8th Region teams last week, Shelby fell to cross-town rival Collins, 81-48, then traveled to North Oldham, where the game barely lasted an hour as North routed the Rockets, 82-38, with a running clock.

 

The issue is the offense; Shelby County is averaging just 45.5 ppg in the last six contests. Not surprisingly, the Rockets are 1-5 during that span.

 

Shelby’s lone victory over an 8th Region team was over Eminence; getting another one will be difficult. There are no “easy” wins left among Shelby’s remaining 12 opponents. Three of those opponents – Bourbon County, South Oldham, and Oldham County – are ranked in the bluegrasspreps.com Top 20.

 

Rebuilding will take time in Shelbyville. In the meantime, Rocket fans can take solace in the fact that the Rockets have won 17 Eighth Region titles; one more than second-place Oldham County.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 at Franklin County 1/24/2020 vs. Sayre 1/25/2020 at #9 Bourbon County

 

17 – Trimble County (3-14) Last week: #17 RPI: #238 .37450 Trimble went 1-2 last week, dropping games to Iroquois and Henry County, and defeating Eminence.

 

Trimble shot well against Iroquois (52.3%), but fell by 24, 84-60. Dylan Jennings had 17 points in the loss.

 

Jennings exploded for 26 in the next game, leading the Raiders to an 80-56 win over the Eminence Warriors. The win ended an 11-game losing streak. Reece Webster had 18 and Josh Petty 10 in the victory.

 

The week ended with a 96-72 loss to Henry County.

 

The Raiders are starting to get more offense from players not named Webster or Jennings. Webster (13.5 ppg) and Jennings (13.4) are still the only two averaging in double figures, but Tate Ogburn had 11 against Iroquois, Petty had 10 against Eminence, and in recent games Beau Turner and Ryan Long have each reached double digits. Not surprisingly, the Raiders – who had cracked 60 points only twice in their first 12 games – have averaged 68.2 ppg over their last five contests, with a “low” game of 59 points against Williamstown.

 

With the 11-game losing streak “monkey” off their back, Trimble looks ahead to the second half of the season.

 

This week: 1/21/2020 vs. Gallatin County 1/25/2020 vs. Villa Madonna 4:30 pm

 

18 – Eminence (3-15) Last week: #18 RPI: #258 .32824 The Warriors dropped three games last week to extend their losing streak to six. Eminence has now lost 12 of their last 13 games.

 

The rivalry game against the Henry County Wildcats was a bit of a one-sided affair as Henry County hammered Eminence, 76-36 to start the week. An 80-56 loss to Trimble County and a 72-17 loss to Iroquois rounded out the week.

 

The Warriors have a great chance to reverse the losing skid this week during a three-game homestand.

 

This week: 1/23/2020 vs. Burgin 1/24/2020 vs. Shawnee 1/25/2020 vs. Carroll County

 

8th Region Leaders:

 

The 8th Region has a tremendous set of head coaches. They’re a great group of individuals who have been really great to work with. They’re also pretty successful on the sidelines. Here’s a look at the records of the eight boys’ head basketball coaches in the 8th Region who have been in the region at least since the 2013-14 season. (Note: The records below are ONLY for the last 6+ seasons; 2013-14 to present. Coaches such as Steve Simpson (20 seasons), Jon Jones (20+), Trent Steiner (16), and Devin Duvall (15), for example, obviously have coached many more games…) All of these coaches have coached their teams to at least one 20+ win season over the past six years, and/or at least one appearance in the Region championship game.

Record 2013-14 Season to Present

Coy Zerhusen, Oldham County 166 wins 49 losses .772

Chris Gaither, Collins 150 wins 67 losses .691

Steve Simpson, South Oldham 141 wins 62 losses .695

Jon Jones, Gallatin County 116 wins 84 losses .580

Trent Steiner, Simon Kenton 105 wins 86 losses .550

Jason Burns, Spencer County 101 wins 88 losses .534

Devin Duvall, Owen County 94 wins 103 losses .477

Enoch Welch, Henry County 91 wins 110 losses .453

 

8th Region on the air this week: The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

1/21/2020 North Oldham vs. Anderson County

1/24/2020 Oldham County vs. North Oldham (Girls/Boys DH)

1/25/2020 South Oldham vs. Woodford County (2 pm ET)

1/25/2020 North Oldham vs. Henry County (8 pm ET)

 

Just think, this whole debate could be settled by one player, Justin Powell.

[ColonelMike]

Just think, this whole debate could be settled by one player, Justin Powell.

 

You're saying North Oldham is #1 if Powell plays? That could be.

Edited January 21, 2020 by ColonelMike

[theguru]

Bump.

[ColonelMike]

8th Region Results from Tue 1/21/2020:

 

North Oldham 74, Anderson County 31 - most complete game we've seen from North Oldham since the Justin Powell injury. Stunning result against the state's top-ranked scoring defense.

 

Carroll County 55, Owen County 51 - important district 31 seeding game win for the Panthers. Keeps them well-positioned in the district tournament race to avoid the play-in game.

 

CAL 78 Spencer County 73 - somewhat surprising result. Thought the Bears would win this one, perhaps handily.

 

Collins 73 Boyle County 39 - impressive win for the Titans against a solid Rebel team.

 

Franklin County 64, Shelby County 49 - Rocket fans need to be patient as the rebuild continues.

 

Gallatin County 70, Trimble County 60 - Wildcats may have been looking ahead to the state All-A this week (they could be forgiven if they were), but the Raiders very nearly made them pay for it.

 

Simon Kenton 78 Williamstown 36 - SK takes care of business in a 32nd district seeding game.

 

South Oldham 98, North Bullitt 51 - Not surprised by South's score - the Dragons have scored over 90 in four of their last 11 games - but very impressed that the Dragons held a high-scoring North Bullitt team to just 51.

 

CM

[4 Quarters]

8th Region Results from Tue 1/21/2020:

 

North Oldham 74, Anderson County 31 - most complete game we've seen from North Oldham since the Justin Powell injury. Stunning result against the state's top-ranked scoring defense.

 

Carroll County 55, Owen County 51 - important district 31 seeding game win for the Panthers. Keeps them well-positioned in the district tournament race to avoid the play-in game.

 

CAL 78 Spencer County 73 - somewhat surprising result. Thought the Bears would win this one, perhaps handily.

 

Collins 73 Boyle County 39 - impressive win for the Titans against a solid Rebel team.

 

Franklin County 64, Shelby County 49 - Rocket fans need to be patient as the rebuild continues.

 

Gallatin County 70, Trimble County 60 - Wildcats may have been looking ahead to the state All-A this week (they could be forgiven if they were), but the Raiders very nearly made them pay for it.

 

Simon Kenton 78 Williamstown 36 - SK takes care of business in a 32nd district seeding game.

 

South Oldham 98, North Bullitt 51 - Not surprised by South's score - the Dragons have scored over 90 in four of their last 11 games - but very impressed that the Dragons held a high-scoring North Bullitt team to just 51.

 

CM

 

Would you have the schedule for the games this Saturday at Henry County? Are you guys doing any of them?

[NEERFAN]

SKs Davis started 5 of 5 from 19'9" last night. He finished 8 of 12, three shy of the record. Hecwas pulled early in the 3rd.

[ColonelMike]

Would you have the schedule for the games this Saturday at Henry County? Are you guys doing any of them?

 

The Henry County Classic Schedule: (Saturday, January 25th)

 

2 pm - #16 South Oldham vs. Woodford County

4 pm - Spencer County vs. #17 St. Xavier

6 pm - #5 Collins vs. Simon Kenton

8 pm - North Oldham vs. Henry County

 

As of now, Pegasus Sports will be broadcasting the South - Woodford and the North - Henry games. We may try to pick up one of the other two games - especially the Collins - SK game, since it involves two Region 8 teams - if I can line up the crew to do so.

 

The Pegasus Sports Network - PSN

 

CM

[theguru]

Bump.