North Oldham 66 Simon Kenton 64 (8th Region Semifinals)

[Randy Parker]

Final per the update thread. 

[Randy Parker]

Some good game updates from @ColonelMike in the thread linked below:

 

[Mojocat]

That turned out to be a very good game.  Dallas Roberts was especially impressive - pretty much from the start of the 4th quarter, he basically said “I’m not going to let us lose.”  I believe Roberts had 25 for the game, including 23 in the second half and 17 in the 4th quarter.  There was a fairly long stretch in the 4th when Roberts scored every time North had possession. He and Miller for SK were really jawing at one another early in the 4th - and while the verbal sparring seemed to energize and motivate Roberts, it had the opposite effect on Miller.  Kelly Niece had his customary very nice game, but his 26 were spread pretty evenly throughout (in contrast to Roberts who scored so much in crunch time)  As a disinterested observer, I really wanted to see Niece command the ball down the stretch and put his team on his back offensively, as Roberts was doing on the other end.  Too often, he gave the ball up early in a possession and simply never got it back.  The defense was keying on him of course, and he typically was making the smart, and unselfish, play.  SK drew up a nice final play, going the full length of the court in the last 7.6 seconds, with Niece finding the young freshman (I’m forgetting his name) for a good look behind the 3 in the corner. Looked good all the way, but rimmed out.  Inches - the difference between moving on to the regional title game (and a lifetime memory for the freshman), vs going home, the season, and some careers, over.

[ColonelMike]

Travis Krohman was the freshman who took the shot that could have won it for SK.   A good look, but - as Mojocat says, above - just barely off.  Even after the miss, though, the Pioneers had time for one last shot, after tipping the ball out to Niece in the left corner.   But Niece's desperation heave was shot off-balance and against pressure, and it, too, missed.    

Heckuva game to watch and broadcast.   Games like this are what makes the Roy and the 8th Region tournament so special.    Too bad the crowd was unusually small for semi-final night, due to COVID.   Normally, the Roy would have been absolutely jam-packed with screaming fans and loud pep bands.   Too bad - this game deserved the fanfare.

Great game for North; the Mustangs advance to the title game for the first time in school history.    Were the Mustangs overlooked coming in?    I doubt it - the team has quite a bit of talent, albeit it mostly young talent.   But the Mustangs' 5-10 record coming into the tourney undoubtedly had a few folks discounting North's chances, and North has now overcome two grueling games to advance to the big game.  

North Oldham 61 Henry County 57 - Ian Higdon's 16 points / 9 boards paced North on a night when the Mustangs got double digit scoring from four players, including "Rico" Carr-Cole (15), Dallas Roberts (12), and reserve sophomore guard Jack Scales (10).

North Oldham 66, Simon Kenton 64 - North bolted to an 11-2 lead to start the game, and led, 15-10, after one.   But SK regrouped and steadily fought back, taking the lead at 16-15 on a three.  The Pioneers took their largest lead of the night at 31-22, but North scored the final five points of the half - the last three on a three pointer by Thomas Ashton at the buzzer - to pull to within 31-27 at the half.

At the half, North's leading scorer, sophomore guard Dallas Roberts, had as many fouls (2) as points (2).   

The two teams seesawed back and forth in a third quarter that saw SK stretch the lead out to five at the end of the frame, 47-42.    

Nothing really prepared the fans for the fourth quarter that followed.

Unless my memory is faulty (possibly, but Todd, my color commentator, agreed), North scored on every possession in the fourth.   Dallas Roberts came alive, hitting 5 of 5 shots and 7 of 8 free throws to score 17 in the quarter, and finishing with 25 for the game.    The rest of the team went 3 for 4 (the only miss was a three) in the quarter and 1 for 1 at the line, as North put tremendous pressure on the SK offense to keep up.   All but one of the Mustangs' shots in the fourth came from point-blank range (Roberts hit a 15-footer from the free throw line for the one "long" shot).   

The two teams went back-and-forth, but the key moment seemed to happen with about two and half minutes to play and SK leading, 59-57, with Andrew Smith at the line for the second of two shots.   Smith missed, and Thomas Ashton rebounded for North.   

Dallas Roberts attacked the basket and was fouled by Hayden Carson, then hit two free throws to tie the game at 59.   On the ensuing inbounds possession, SK coughed up the ball shy of mid-court, and North converted a three-on-one with sophomore Miles Gay scoring on a layup to give North a 61-59 lead with 2:25 to play.

SK would tie the game at 61 on two free throws, but it seemed as if the Mustangs had the advantage the rest of the way.

After two Roberts FTs, Hayden Carson got the chance to answer at the line on the other end, but he made just one, leaving North up, 63-62.

The Mustangs continued to put it into Roberts' hands, and he continued to either score or get fouled.

With 37.2 seconds left, Niece fouled Roberts, who hit one to make it 64-62.

Niece immediately tied it with 19 seconds to play at 64.

It was Roberts' turn, and the sophomore drove and was fouled with 7.6 seconds to play.   Roberts hit both free throws to make it 66-64, North, setting up the final play.

Smith ran into the end zone and took the pass from Niece, who took off down the court.   Smith immediately tossed it into Niece, who took off downcourt on a hard dribble down the sideline.   The North full court press came to trap Niece as he reached half-court, but he threw it ahead to Travis Krohman, who was situated in the right corner.   Krohman got an open look, but the freshman's potential game-winning three hit the side of the iron and bounced over to the far side of the court.   Niece was able to track down the ball and heave up a one-handed, fall-away shot that missed.    Niece's shot would have counted - he got it off in time - but it would have been a two -pointer that would have sent the game to overtime. 

GREAT GAME.   Kudos to both teams.   Very entertaining contest that kept the fans on the edge of their seats.   

SK finishes at 16-9 on the season; North improves to 7-10.

The Mustangs hit 51% from the floor and 83.3% (15 of 18) at the stripe in the win.

Kelly Niece led all scorers with 26; Dallas Roberts had 25 for North.    This was an interesting game; it almost seemed like a "passing of the torch" moment, as one of the greatest players to play in the 8th Region (Niece) finished his illustrious career and "passed the baton" to the sophomore Roberts. 

 

[Mojocat]

Good recap, ColonelMike.  That turnover and layup by Miles did feel like the turning point in the game.  But....I just had the feeling that was coming, that North - despite being behind the whole second half - was the aggressor and would take the lead at some point.  So if that play hadn't happened, some other one would have to finally give North the lead.  The thing that separates Oldham County from most teams in the region - not just this year, but in the few years I've been watching - is defense.  They are simply committed on the defensive end.  It's not just lip service.  They are rugged and physical.  I know that frustrates opposing players and coaches.  It reminds me of the old Arkansas and Kentucky defenses in the 1990s - if you are physical every minute, on every play, the referees pretty much have to let it go.  "They can't call everything" seems to be the philosophy.  So, for tonight, Roberts is crafty, and has a nice and tight handle, but unlike when he's playing most 8th region teams, it's not simply a matter of beating the guy in front of him and then proceeding worry free to the rim - tonight, if he beats the guy in front of him, there will be another one waiting, and another one waiting after that.  North shoots well enough that, left alone, they have several guys that can make threes.  But I don't think they're going to have enough open shots to keep up.  One thing to note is, North is coming in on a real high, they've never been to a region final before, and I have to believe their confidence level is really up there.  Ordinarily, playing a team you've lost to twice already, you worry if a team even thinks they can win.  But maybe right now North does.  High school kids are funny - OC is the better team, and I don't think North will win.  But if they believe........

[ConverseAllStar]

1 hour ago, Mojocat said:

Good recap, ColonelMike.  That turnover and layup by Miles did feel like the turning point in the game.  But....I just had the feeling that was coming, that North - despite being behind the whole second half - was the aggressor and would take the lead at some point.  So if that play hadn't happened, some other one would have to finally give North the lead.  The thing that separates Oldham County from most teams in the region - not just this year, but in the few years I've been watching - is defense.  They are simply committed on the defensive end.  It's not just lip service.  They are rugged and physical.  I know that frustrates opposing players and coaches.  It reminds me of the old Arkansas and Kentucky defenses in the 1990s - if you are physical every minute, on every play, the referees pretty much have to let it go.  "They can't call everything" seems to be the philosophy.  So, for tonight, Roberts is crafty, and has a nice and tight handle, but unlike when he's playing most 8th region teams, it's not simply a matter of beating the guy in front of him and then proceeding worry free to the rim - tonight, if he beats the guy in front of him, there will be another one waiting, and another one waiting after that.  North shoots well enough that, left alone, they have several guys that can make threes.  But I don't think they're going to have enough open shots to keep up.  One thing to note is, North is coming in on a real high, they've never been to a region final before, and I have to believe their confidence level is really up there.  Ordinarily, playing a team you've lost to twice already, you worry if a team even thinks they can win.  But maybe right now North does.  High school kids are funny - OC is the better team, and I don't think North will win.  But if they believe........

One of of the senior officials in the 8th is a big Oldham County fan. His influence can be seen at times the way refs call OC games.  When he’s not reffing, he’s often in the stands rooting for the Colonels. That may influence his 8th Region co-workers at times, but don’t think it matters as much in tournament play. In fact, I remember reading on BGP a few years ago that he was pretty vocal in his criticism of Region tournament officials doing an OC game. 
 

I think a tightly-called game and foul trouble for the Colonels is about the only chance for a North Oldham win tonight. 

[Mojocat]

Funny you say that.  I’m not really aware too much of local refs, and certainly don’t know the ref/story you allude to.  But last night I was standing outside between games waiting for them to clean and then reopen for the second game, and next to me in a group was a guy I recognized.  He’s fairly active in the sports community in Oldham, and officiates high school games.  He was talking about the just ended OC game, and was using the pronoun “we”.  As in, “we would have won by a lot more if not for X.”  I thought that showed some questionable judgment. Then I remembered his kid played for OC in recent years, and I wondered how he’s able to call OC games (and maybe he doesn’t, I don’t know).

[ConverseAllStar]

10 minutes ago, Mojocat said:

Funny you say that.  I’m not really aware too much of local refs, and certainly don’t know the ref/story you allude to.  But last night I was standing outside between games waiting for them to clean and then reopen for the second game, and next to me in a group was a guy I recognized.  He’s fairly active in the sports community in Oldham, and officiates high school games.  He was talking about the just ended OC game, and was using the pronoun “we”.  As in, “we would have won by a lot more if not for X.”  I thought that showed some questionable judgment. Then I remembered his kid played for OC in recent years, and I wondered how he’s able to call OC games (and maybe he doesn’t, I don’t know).

I doubt they let him ref Oldham County games (as much as he’d like to 😂). 

[ColonelMike]

Bringing the thread back to North Oldham......