8th Region Week 9 Review

8^th Region Week 9 Review

By:  Colonelmike

 

Back at the laptop again….

Since my Week 8 recap was late, there’s not much to report….and COVID limited even that…

Never thought I’d be writing Region recaps AFTER baseball started.    This is complicating things immensely…  ?

The disparity in games continues to grow…..Grant County has played the most games of any 8^th Region team (28 games), while Carroll County has played the fewest (9 games).    About half the region is going to enter the tournaments without having their schedule appreciably shortened by the COVID virus, despite the shortened calendar.

Oldham County continues to try to be that rare thoroughbred who can win the Derby by going wire-to-wire….the Colonels return at number one this week.

And the immediate pack behind the Colonels continues to consist of two main contenders – Simon Kenton and Spencer County.

But New Castle is a one-and-done environment….and even the best teams are one bad shooting night away from a final bus ride home…  

 

After Week Nine:  (all upcoming games shown are 7:30 pm starts, unless otherwise noted):

 

1 - Oldham County – (10-4)  Last week: #1   Oldham County got saddled with another COVID quarantine over the weekend, losing out on games against Central, Highlands, and Grant County.   The Colonels’ regular season is now finished, with just 14 games in the books.

Oldham County certainly got more quality wins than any other 8^th Region team, despite limited opportunities.   OC routed a very good Conner team, beat a solid Seneca team, defeated one of their two primary contenders for the region crown in Spencer County, and put down Top 10 DeSales on the road and Top 15 Eastern.

In addition, the Colonels finished 5-0 against Region opposition, including South Oldham, North Oldham, Collins, Spencer County, and Woodford County.

Oldham has already qualified for the Region 8 tournament, as they are the #1 seed in the 29^th District, which is a 3-team district this year due to the sudden departure of Trimble County.   As the #1 seed, Oldham automatically is in the District 29 title game, giving them a ticket to New Castle.    As such, this latest quarantine – while problematic – isn’t disastrous for OC, who will have at least a week to practice prior to the region tournament.

This Week –   no games; regular season is over

 

The Top Challengers

2 –  Simon Kenton (11-8)    Last week:  #2     SK beat up on Ryle last week, 83-62, in a game where the Pioneers hit 56.2% from the floor.  Kelly Niece, who has been unbelievable this season, tallied 38 points in the game on 14 of 23 shooting from the floor and a perfect 10 for 10 at the line.

Freshman Travis Krohman added 10 for Simon Kenton.

In a year when 8^th Region teams are excelling at the line, SK continues to impress.   They hit 22 of 26 at the stripe for 84.6%.  Seven Pioneers are hitting over 70% at the stripe – including the five players who have taken the most attempts at the line.

The Pioneers continue to lead Region 8 in scoring at 73.3 ppg; SK has scored over 80 points in 8 of 19 games and is shooting over 51% from the floor overall.

This week:     3/9 at Newport     3/12 at Owen County

 

3 – Spencer County (16-5)     Last week:  #3    The Bears hammered Thomas Nelson, 77-59, behind 35 points from senior Sam Conley, and Spencer’s best shooting night of the season (60.5% from the floor).  

Conley’s night was almost picture-perfect – he hit 8 of 10 inside the arc, 5 of 5 beyond the arc, and 4 of 4 at the stripe. 

Spencer County is now 13-2 since Conley joined the lineup after a pre-season wrist injury.  More importantly, only one 8^th Region team has bested the Bears with Conley in the lineup (Oldham County, which beat Spencer by 7).  

Spencer takes a three game winning streak into the final week of the season.

This week:  3/9 at Bardstown     3/12 vs. North Bullitt (7 pm)

 

The Next Group:

 

4 – Collins (10-7)   Last week:  #4    No games.

This week:    3/8 vs.. #10 Trinity

 

5 – Walton-Verona (14-10)    Last week:  #5   Walton-Verona has hit a bit of a bumpy spell, losing 9 of its last 16 games – after a 7-1 start -  but the Bearcats are still looking like a Top 5 Region 8 team.   

Heading into this week, W-V is on a three game losing streak, but the three losses have all come to teams that were favored to beat the Cats:   Spencer County (lost by 8), Mason County (lost by 2), and Beechwood (lost by 4).    In each game, the Bearcats were competitive to the end and had the chance to win.

The bottom-line is Walton is 11-3 against 8^th Region competition, and the only three region foes to best the Cats have been Simon Kenton, Spencer County, and Collins, all of whom are ranked ahead of W-V in this poll.   And Walton has one of the 8^th Region’s top wins against an out-of-region opponent (over Lyon County, then ranked #20).

This week:  3/8 at Holmes     3/9 at Dixie Heights 7:45 pm    The 3/12 game against Oldham County is cancelled.

 

All Alone in the Mid-Pack

6 -  Grant County (14-14)    Last week:   #6   Grant County beat Eminence, 70-45, and lost by four to Dohn Community (Cincinnati), 85-89.    The Dohn game was a replacement for the planned game against Pendleton County.

Super sophomore Dylan Hammonds posted two double-doubles last week, with a 15 point / 13 rebound game against Eminence, and an unstoppable 43 point / 14 rebound outing against Dohn.     Hammonds continues to raise his averages; he’s now averaging 22.2 ppg and 10.9 rebounds.  

The Braves welcomed back Mason Guffey against the Warriors, and Guffey responded with 11 points, including 3 of 5 beyond the arc.    He scored 16 against Dohn, and appears none the worse for wear.

Player to watch:   Jackson Utter is averaging just 3.5 ppg for the Braves on the season, but the freshman guard – this team is SO young! – is averaging 7.5 ppg over the last four contests, and tallied 11 points against Dohn.

This week:   3/11 vs. Gallatin  7:45 pm

 

Coming – and Going

 

7 – North Oldham  (4-9)  Last week:  #7 -    North’s defense is definitely improving, but now the Mustangs seem to be having trouble scoring.   North was held to just 39 points in a loss to Top-10 Bowling Green Friday.

Despite the 4-9 mark, North holds pat at #7 for several reasons:   1) The Mustangs are 3-3 against Region foes, with wins on the road at Simon Kenton, by 19 over Trimble County, and by 4 at South Oldham.    The Mustangs’ region losses came by just 9 points to top-ranked Oldham County, 4 points to Grant County, and 11 points to Collins – all teams ranked above the Mustangs.    2) Many of North’s losses have come against elite competition, including Top 15 Oldham County, Top 10 Bowling Green, and Top 20 Eastern, and 3) the defense appears to be improving, after a rough start to the season.   North has only allowed 2 of their last 8 opponents to score over 60 points,

The Mustangs’ recent woes – including their 56-39 loss to Bowling Green last Friday – have in part been due to the caliber of the competition.   Top 10 Bowling Green handled North in Bowling Green, holding the Mustangs to just 33% shooting from the floor.

Free throw shooting is a concern; the team is hitting a pedestrian 66.2%, but the real concern lies in the fact that the North “bigs” – the players likely to get fouled as they operate inside – are bringing that average down.    Center Ian Higdon is hitting just 55.6% at the stripe; forward Caleb Hawley is hitting 58.3%, and Luke Anderson is connecting on a mere 42.9% of his free throws.

This week:  No games.   Regular season is over.

 

8– Gallatin County (12-7)     Last week:  #9    Gallatin County did not play since my last report; in fact, Gallatin hasn’t played since their win over South Oldham on February 26^th.   Since then, their last five games have been cancelled due to COVID.

SO….why does Gallatin move up one this week?   The Wildcats move up because Woodford continues their late-season swoon, and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that Gallatin County is simply better than the Yellowjackets at this point of the season, prompting the ranking swap.

It will be interesting to see how this time off affects the Wildcats, Gallatin County had won 11 of 13 prior to the quarantine, and was one of the hottest teams in the region.   Can they reclaim that magic when the District tourney starts?

This Week:     3/10 at Trimble County     3/11 at Grant County 7:15 pm

 

The “Impossible to Rank” Group  - South beat Henry at Henry by 26….Henry beat Gallatin twice….Gallatin beat South Oldham by 10.    Then there’s Owen County, who’s split with Henry County and Gallatin County.   Shelby County is surging – including a win over Henry, but a loss to Owen.  This week’s ranking is going to take each team’s recent trend into heavy consideration….

 

9 – Shelby County (9-10)  Last week:   12 – For the first time in a long time, traditional 8^th Region power Shelby County is ranked in the top half of the region.     Shelby did not play since last week’s ranking, but the Rockets have won their last two games and five of their last six, including wins over Grant County and Henry County.   The Rockets’ sole loss during that stretch was a close 8-point loss to Fifth Region power Bardstown.

Though Shelby didn’t play last week, this advance is as much about the movement of Woodford County and South Oldham downward, plus the Shelby victory over Henry County in New Castle, which moves the Rockets past the stumbling Wildcats.

The Rockets are definitely trending up, and passing slower-moving-vehicles as they go.  The emergence of sophomore Kyre Bishop as a legitimate scoring threat is making Shelby County a difficult team to defend, with multiple scoring threats.  

This week:    no games

 

10 – Woodford County (8-11)  Last week:   #8 –  The Yellowjackets continue to struggle late in the season, dropping a 65-55 decision to Bryan Station, putting Woodford on the short end of a score for the 7^th time in their last 9 games.   Ominously, the Yellowjackets have failed to crack the 60 point threshold in all seven of the losses.

Woodford is now 1-6 against their former 11^th Region rivals.

This week:    no games.   The regular season is over for Woodford.     

 

11 – South Oldham (5-9)   Last week:  #10  –  The Dragons have just one victory over an 8^th Region foe – but that was an 81-55 bushwhacking of the Henry County Wildcats back in January, on the road.    That victory is keeping South ahead of Henry County in this poll…but the Dragons have gone into a steep nosedive since that impressive victory.

South has now lost 8 of its last 10 games.   But the Dragons got a big feel-good win Friday over Iroquois, defeating the Raider-Wolves, 71-64 at home.    Cole Davis and Ben Michel both scored 18 in the win, and South shot a sizzling 638% from the floor.  

Still – some things that are normally South Oldham strengths still aren’t what Dragon fans expect.   South hit just 3 of 11 threes against Iroquois, and the Dragons were just 8 of 20 (40%) at the charity stripe.   Wildcats are coming off an 18-win season, and this year’s Cats have a good chance of exceeding that win total, despite the shortened season.

I get the feeling that South is full of untapped potential, and I am convinced that this is a team that could knock off many of the teams ranked ahead of it.    Given Steve Simpson’s track record, I wouldn’t want to face this team in the post-season; they’re good enough to make anybody’s day a bad one.    Strong performances against Henry County and CAL have shown the team’s potential.

This Week:    3/9 vs. Anderson County     3/11 at Central Hardin

 

Looking for momentum….

 

12 – Henry County (15-9)  Last week:  #11     Henry County fell for the third straight game, and the fourth time in their last six contests, dropping a 68-64 decision to Bishop Brossart.

Senior center Trevor Hardin, a candidate for 8^th Region Player of the Year, wrapped up the regular season portion of his senior year with a 32 point / 10 rebound outing in which he hit 14 of 17 shots from the floor.     Hardin has had an incredible season, averaging 22.2 ppg and 11.9 rebounds.  

Though Henry County is in a bit of a late-season funk, Wildcat fans are certainly encouraged by the late-season play of junior center Sam Royalty.   The Henry County football quarterback has emerged as a legitimate threat alongside Hardin, giving Henry a devastating 1-2 punch on the inside.   Over the last six games, Royalty has recorded two double-doubles, and averaged 10.8 ppg and 9 rebounds over that stretch.

Poor three-point shooting (29.8%) and free throw shooting (61.3%) are holding back the Wildcats, who nonetheless look likely to finish as one of District 31’s two representatives at the 8^th Region tournament.  

This week:   No games; end of regular season.

 

13 – Owen County (11-9)  Last week:  #13   The Rebels dropped a 74-69 decision to Boone County last week, despite shooting 59% from the floor.   Sophomore Teagan Moore scored 29 points in the loss to lead Owen.   The story of the game:   Boone County won the rebounding battle, 30-18.

Owen will sprint to the end of the regular season with four home games this week.

This week:   3/8 vs. Dayton      3/9 vs. Ludlow     3/10 vs. Carroll County     3/12 vs. Simon Kenton

 

14 – Anderson County (5-8)   Last week:  #14    Anderson County did not play.

 

This Week:   3/9 at South Oldham     3/1 at Frankfort Christian   3/12 vs. Franklin County 6:30 pm

 

15 – Trimble County (7-12)    Last week:  #15 –  Trimble routed Ryle last week, 78-57, and shot 61.5% from the floor in the process.

Dylan Jennings led four Raiders in double figures with 17 points.   Tate Ogburn had a double-double, with 16 points / 10 rebounds.   J.T. Wilcoxson had 16 points and Jace Ogburn 12 in the win.

The Raiders have now won two straight, and have three games they should be competitive in to close out the season.

This week:    3/8 vs. Carroll County     3/10 vs. Gallatin County    3/12 vs. Bethlehem

 

16 – Williamstown (9-16)   Last week:  #16    Williamstown defeated St. Patrick, 66-53.   No stats were available at the time of this writing.

Williamstown will be favored in both of their games this week; two wins would give the Demons their first three-game winning streak of the year.

This Week:    3/9 at Villa Madonna     3/11 vs. Dayton

 

17 – Carroll County (1-8)   Last week:  #17  –    Carroll County has not played since February 23^rd, when the Panthers lost to Henry County.

Since then, Carroll has suffered through six game cancellations; the Panthers have had a whopping 19 cancellations so far this year.

Carroll has an opportunity to cram in some games this week, with four games scheduled.

This Week:   3/8 at Trimble County     3/9 vs. Frankfort 8 pm     3/10 at Owen County     3/12 at Great Crossing 7 pm

 

18 – Eminence (4-18)   Last week:  #18   –   Eminence lost to Grant County, 70-45, but bounced back to defeat Whitefield Academy, 49-45.   No stats are available.

This week:   3/8 at Walden     3/9 at Burgin