BluegrassPreps.com 10th Region Boys Basketball Regional Tournament Preview

[mcpapa]

 

 

The draw is official.  The games are set.  All games will be played at the Mason County Fieldhouse.

Game 1:  Monday, March 22, 5:00PM.  Campbell County, 37th District champion (16-8, 9-2 region, 4-1 district, .588 RPI, head coach Aric Russell) vs. Bracken County, 39th District runnerup, (8-19, 4-12 region, 1-4 district, .430 RPI, head coach Adam Reed).

Previous meetings - Campbell County 63, Bracken County 30 at Campbell County, Feb. 5.

Don't let the Camels' won-loss record fool you.  Coach Russell always has his teams battle-tested come tournament time, playing a NKY-heavy regular season schedule.  Their losses have been to Mason County, Walton-Verona, Scott (which they avenged in the district final), St. Henry, Beechwood, Conner and Highlands (twice).  In the regular-season matchup with Bracken, they dominated, outrebounding the Bears by a dozen, holding Blake Reed to 8 points, and getting 11 into the scoring column.  

A pair of seniors (Garrett Beiting and Dane Hegyi) and a pair of sophomores (Eric Davie and Aydan Hamilton) give the Camels a quartet of go-to guys; with all averaging double figures on the season.  Davie has blossomed into a double-double machine; doing the dirty work inside averaging over 9 boards per contest while shooting nearly 63% from the field.  Beiting (2nd team), Hamilton (3rd team), and Hegyi (honorable mention) were selected to the 10th Region Coaches All-Region team.  Three-point shooting may be a bit suspect this season (32.5% as a team), but they did connect on 4 of 8 in the district final against Scott.

Bracken County played Mason County to a near-standstill in the 39th District final for a while, but ran out of gas after creeping to within 5 a couple of minutes into the second half.  Their prior meeting with Campbell was a blowout loss on the road that the Bears would just as soon forget.  

Freshman guard Blake Reed (3rd team all-region selection) runs the show and is among the 10th's leading scorers at 22 points per game and averages nearly one made three-pointer per quarter, while younger brother Cayden (8th grade) is the squad's other double-digit scorer.  Senior big man Nathan Jefferson (honorable mention) is Bracken's primary inside presence; putting up 7.2 points and 7.5 boards per contest.

 

Game 2:  Monday, March 22, 8:00PM, Robertson County, 38th District champion (14-5, 9-2 region, 4-1 district, .550 RPI, head coach Patrick Kelsch)  vs. Montgomery County, 40th District runnerup (11-8, 8-4 region, 5-3 district, .556 RPI, head coach Steve Wright).

Previous meetings - None.

Some may argue the Black Devils' strength of schedule, but it's difficult to argue given the success that the tiny Mt. Olivet school (71 boys in 2019-2020) has enjoyed lately.  Robertson is this year's All-A 10th Region champion, and had 20+ win seasons in '19 and '20.  This is the year that many of us (I've been saying it for three years) that many of us have said would be Robertson's year to shine.

The Devils are led by junior forward Justin Becker, the 10th Region Coaches Association Player of the Year.  Becker does it all, averaging over 26 points a game on 68% shooting, while also grabbing 10.4 boards.  He's just a junior, yet I have said that "this is their year".  Why?  Because the supporting cast is comprised primarily of seniors.  Sebastian Dixon (14.8 ppg, 50%, honorable mention), Brandon Dice (11.1 ppg, 68%, honorable mention), Tanner Horn (10.9 ppg, 68%) and Eli Dotson (7.6 ppg) are all seniors.  It's probably happened before, but for Robertson County (formerly Deming) to put three on the All-Region squad is quite the accomplishment.

Montgomery will give Robertson a stern test in the opening round of the tournament.  This will be a classic "big school - small school" matchup that often occurs in the 10th (given the recent success of Robertson, Bishop Brossart and Augusta).  The Indians are paced by first-team selection Hagan Harrison, a junior guard putting up 24.3 points and 6.7 boards per game.  He exploded for 41 in a mid-season overtime thriller against Mason County; and paced the squad with 28 in Montgomery's signature win this season, a double-overtime affair with Trinity.  Senior center Ricky Lovette has notched double-doubles in all but a couple of games this season and has a stat line of 16.4 ppg, 65.2% and 11.7 boards on the way to garnering second-team all-region honors.  Third all-region teamer JT Woosley chips in 8.7 per game on an eye-popping 72% from the field.  

 

Game 3:  Tuesday, March 23, 5:00PM, Clark County, 40th District champions (16-4, 11-0 region, 8-0 district, .615 RPI, head coach Josh Cook) vs. Harrison County, 38th District runnerup (11-10, 7-7 region, 3-2 district, .501 RPI, head coach Terence Brooks).

Previous meetings - Clark County 89-56 at GRC, Jan. 5.

Clark County remains the only squad without a 10th region loss.  They manhandled Harrison in the early-season (Harrison's first game) with four (Jerone Morton, Jared Wellman, Trent Edwards and Aden Slone). reaching double figures while holding Harrison to 35 percent from the field. 

The Cardinals were pretty much the consensus region number one from the jump.  The midseason loss of first-teamer Jerone Morton (24.1ppg) for a handful of games and another week of COVID cancellations had GRC scrambling for answers, but the ship has been righted.  Their season RPI is second only to Mason County, but the Cardinals were able to whip the Royals by 28 without Morton in the lineup and as a result, have kept their top spot . Senior wingman Jared Wellman (18.1/7.6, 2nd team) has been steady all season.. Danville transfer Aden Slone (12.2 ppg, honorable mention) has ably handled the duties at point; and Trent Edwards (10.2 ppg, 53% shooting) is the fourth Cardinal averaging double figures.  

Harrison County has been up and down all season.  They have had games where they rose to the level of the competition (a 3-point loss to Campbell County on the road, a one-point win on the road at Robertson County, a narrow overtime loss at home to Mason County), but have also had a couple of inexplicable losses as well, falling to Pendleton County at home and by 20 to depleted Bishop Brossart on the road.  Senior guards James Soard (14.3 ppg, 85% FT) and Kaydon Custard (10.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) are both honorable mention all-region selections, while senior backcourt man Clay Carpenter contributes 10.4 per contest.

 

Game 4:  Tuesday, 8:00PM, Mason County, 39th District champions (18-3, 9-2 region, 5-0 district, .639 RPI, head coach Brian Kirk; 10th Region Coach of the Year) vs. Scott, 37th District runnerup, (15-9, 6-1 region, 4-1 district, .586 RPI, head coach Steve Fromeyer).

Previous meetings - None.

Mason County came into the season having lost seven seniors and roughly 80 percent of last year's offensive production; and were very much a mystery after dropping an early season road game to Bourbon County.  However, since a 3-point home loss to Frederick Douglass (no shame there), and the beatdown at Clark County on January 29 Mason has run the table; notching wins over the likes of Montgomery County, Dixie Heights and Walton-Verona.  Mason County got quite the scare from Augusta in the district tournament opener, as the Panthers shot roughly eleventy billion percent from the field before ultimately falling 95-89; then handled Bracken County after a shaky first half in the district final..

First-team all-region selection Terrell Henry was the only returnee with significant varsity experience; and averages nearly 21 a game.  Much of his success has been at the charity stripe, connecting on 131 free throws on the season; and he averages a team-high 7.7 boards per contest.  Junior running mate Nate Mitchell averaged less than a bucket a game last season, but blossomed into a third-team all-region selection this year, scoring 18 per contest.  Senior AP Perry kicks in nearly 12 a game, with sophomore forward Philip Bierley contributing 9.

Scott finally saw their unblemished 10th region record come to an end in the 37th District finals loss to Campbell County.  Senior Grant Profitt rounds out the 10th Region's first team with 18.2 points and 6.6 boards per contest; while Cameron Patterson (13.3 and 8.0) is an honorable mention selection.  The Eagles aren't just a two-man show, however.  Brayden Howell, Nolan Hunter and Dasani Lane all average over 7 points a game.  Scott typically plays fewer 10th region games than anyone else, electing to stick close to Northern Kentucky; and all but two (but to be fair, COVID had something to do with it) of their regional games being contested in the 37th.

Semifinals:  Upper bracket winners, Friday, March 26, 5:00 PM; lower bracket winners, Friday, March 26, 8:00PM

Finals:  Saturday, March 27, 7:00PM.

Papa's peerless prediction - Clark County cuts down the nets for the second straight time and takes up where they left off in Rupp a season ago.

 

 

 

 

[Randy Parker]

Excellent preview, Pappy!  Thanks for all the hard work this year keeping us up to date on the 10th.

Now go enjoy Square Dancing Night at Shady Pines and don't break a hip.

[Randy Parker]

I like Campbell to beat Bracken, but it will be closer than the regular season. 

Robertson County will play Montgomery tough, but I foresee a single-digit Indians victory. 

GRC will be too much for Harrison County, who does have a promising future with some young talent. 

That Mason County/Scott matchup looks like a dandy on paper.  I'm normally inclined to go with the 37th District in games like this, but I am picking the Royals in an Overtime thriller. 

As for the semis, it might be stupid to pick against Aric Russell in March, but I think Montgomery County is going to move on to the championship. 

A GRC/Mason County showdown is a terrific thing for the Region.  I think it happens, and I think the Cards come out on top.

As for the title game, I concur with Methuselah C. Papa...GRC remains undefeated in the 10th and cuts down the nets for our dear friend gold sunrise.

[mcpapa]

21 minutes ago, Randy Parker said:

Excellent preview, Pappy!  Thanks for all the hard work this year keeping us up to date on the 10th.

Now go enjoy Square Dancing Night at Shady Pines and don't break a hip.

You’re welcome, o sluggish one.   

[Mustang]

The format, albeit Covid driven, is a throwback to the ninties, when all 10th Region games were split sessions.

[Randy Parker]

11 minutes ago, Mustang said:

The format, albeit Covid driven, is a throwback to the ninties, when all 10th Region games were split sessions.

Yep.  I remember those days. 

[mcpapa]

49 minutes ago, Randy Parker said:

I like Campbell to beat Bracken, but it will be closer than the regular season. 

Robertson County will play Montgomery tough, but I foresee a single-digit Indians victory. 

GRC will be too much for Harrison County, who does have a promising future with some young talent. 

That Mason County/Scott matchup looks like a dandy on paper.  I'm normally inclined to go with the 37th District in games like this, but I am picking the Royals in an Overtime thriller. 

As for the semis, it might be stupid to pick against Aric Russell in March, but I think Montgomery County is going to move on to the championship. 

A GRC/Mason County showdown is a terrific thing for the Region.  I think it happens, and I think the Cards come out on top.

As for the title game, I concur with Methuselah C. Papa...GRC remains undefeated in the 10th and cuts down the nets for our dear friend gold sunrise.

The RPKOD.