Tournament is this coming week at Eminence HS.

Free live video coverage of each and every game on www.pegasussportsky.com (broadcasts also available as archives for one year)

WHEN:

boys first round Monday January 3rd     

     Walton-Verona (7-6) - gets a first-round BYE

     5 pm Trimble County (4-10) vs. Owen County (7-6) 

     6:30 pm Williamstown (8-6) vs. Gallatin County (6-4)

     8 pm Carroll County (0-13) vs. Eminence (6-1)

boys' semi-final round   Wednesday January 5th

     6 pm  Walton-Verona vs. Trimble/Owen winner    

     7:30 pm Carroll/Eminence winner vs. Williamstown / Gallatin winner

boys FINAL   Friday January 7th    7 pm

All games will be broadcast - FREE, LIVE HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO on www.pegasussportsky.com, which will be the exclusive video broadcaster of the tournament.    All games can also be viewed as archives on the Pegasus site for one year after the games.j

Most of the head coaches in this bunch are relatively new at their schools; Doug Oak (Carroll) and Vance Sullivan (Gallatin) are both first-year coaches at their schools (though both coaches are hardly new to the coaching ranks).    Gary Tuell (Eminence), Jacob Cheesman (Williamstown), Mike Hester (Walton-Verona), and Marcus Mumphrey (Trimble County) are all in their third seasons.

Devin Duvall of Owen County is the exception.   Duvall is entering his 16th year in Owenton and has "been there-done that" in the 8th Region All-A.

This is a solid group of coaches....

Walton-Verona, the defending champs, probably go into this tournament as the favorites, and Owen County is probably the second choice, but Williamstown, Gallatin, Eminence, and Trimble all have the talent to emerge as legitimate dark horse contenders.    Rebuilding Carroll County may be a year away still, but Doug Oak is a veteran head coach of the 8th Region coaching wars, and knows all about the All-A.   His presence on the Panther sideline means that Carroll will be as prepared as they can possibly be.

Gallatin County is undoubtedly the favorites to come out of the bottom bracket; the Wildcats have already defeated Eminence, one of the other three teams in the lower half of the bracket.

Players to watch:   There are several, and I don't want any to feel left out because I don't mention them here, but some of the key players to keep an eye on include:

Brant Smithers, Walton-Verona   - the senior guard is a legitimate 8th Region Player of the Year candidate, and is averaging 22.8 ppg.  We haven't reached January yet, and Smithers already has made 34 threes at a 42.0% clip.   Deadly at the line, Smithers is hitting 78.3% of his free throws.

Tate Ogburn, Trimble County - another senior, Ogburn has become Trimble's main threat on the boards, and has been the team's best shooter at 47.8%.   Ogburn, averaging 12.7 ppg (2nd on the team) and 11.5 rebounds (tops on the team), has posted four double-doubles this season in the team's first 13 games, including a monster 19 point / 24 rebound effort against Shelby County.

Teagan Moore, Owen County  - A 6'6" junior, Moore is a legitimate guard, with mobility very few players his size can duplicate.   As such, he's a defensive nightmare for opposing teams, who discover he's a three-way threat, capable of penetrating and getting to the rim, posting up (much) smaller guards, or shooting the three.    A fifth year varsity player, Moore is savvy beyond his years, and averages a whopping 28.2 ppg and 9.8 rebounds.    Moore, a contender for Region 8 Player of the Year honors, is hitting 53.5% from the floor and 85.3% at the stripe.

Joel McCain, Williamstown - With four players averaging in double figures, it's hard to pick "one" player to watch on the Demons' roster.   McCain, however, is the team veteran and the undisputed leader of this team.    Averaging 12.5 ppg and a team-high 6.5 rebounds, McCain is the team's best shooter at 48.1% from the floor.       McCain's talents on the glass, however, make him critical to this team's success in the tourney as Williamstown is guard-rich and thin up front.

Mason Arnold, Gallatin County - The Wildcat to watch this week may well be 6'3" senior forward Mason Arnold, who came into the season as a bit of a question mark.   Unlike the rest of the Cats' starting lineup, Arnold came into the year with little varsity experience, but the senior has made the most of his opportunities, averaging 11.1 ppg / 10.1 rebounds.  Arnold is #1 on the team in shooting percentage at 62%, and - most impressively - has posted four consecutive double-doubles coming into the tournament (not counting the finals of the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic, for which stats haven't been posted yet)

Elijah League, Eminence - Another player averaging a double-double, League comes into the tournament on his home court, averaging a double-double at 13.4 ppg / 10.6 rebounds.   League is also the team's premier outside threat, hitting 43% of his threes on the season.

Jaxon Hewitt, Carroll County - The Panthers are waiting for someone to break out, offensively, and Hewitt may well be the likely choice.   Though he's only averaging 6.2 ppg, the senior guard has tremendous range and has hit a team-high 15 threes on the season.   If he can string together some games like his 16 point / 5 rebound night (4 of 7 threes made) against Williamstown, Carroll's chances will take a significant leap.

 

Against Each Other:

Walton-Verona  - The Bearcats are undefeated at 2-0 against tournament teams, with an 84-73 win over Gallatin to their credit (a possible preview of the All-A Region finals???) and a 92-49 win over Trimble County.

Owen County - The Rebels are 2-0 against All-A competition, with wins over Caroll by 38 and over Gallatin by 3.

Trimble County - is 1-3 against All-A competition, with a 72-61 win over Carroll, and losses to Eminence (by 30), Gallatin (by 31) and W-V (by 43).

Gallatin County - 2-2 against tourney teams.   Wins over Eminence by 11 and Trimble by 31.   Lost to W-V by 11 and Owen by 3.   

Williamstown - 1-1.    Lost to Eminence by 6; beat Carroll by 11.

Carroll County - 0-3 vs. tourney teams (Losses to Trimble by 11, Williamstown by 11, and Owen by 38)

Eminence -  2-1 against tournament competition, with wins over Williamstown, 69-63, Trimble County, 72-42, and a loss to Gallatin County, 70-59.

This is really a good group of coaches...all embracing the attitude of former Gallatin County coach Jon Jones, who simply didn't accept that a small enrollment meant you couldn't succeed on the basketball court.

Devin Duvall, Owen County - in his 16th season in Owenton.  Only South Oldham's Steve Simpson and Simon Kenton's Trent Steiner have been at their respective 8th Region schools longer...   A proven winner, Duvall has already piloted the Rebels to four 8th Region All-A titles, and they'll be one of the two favorites this year.    His team is favored to win the 31st district this year...  

Mike Hester, Walton-Verona - A former star guard for SK back in the mid-2000s, Hester is in his third year and already has an All-A region title to his credit, having coached the Bearcats to the championship last year.   Now, he has the defending champs back in the tournament as the favorites.   Hester's Bearcat squads have defeated two ranked teams in the past season and a half, including opening this year by beating the 15th-ranked - and defending state champ - Highlands Bluebirds.

Gary Tuell, Eminence - Few high school coaches can bring to their team the depth and breadth of coaching experience Tuell has brought to Eminence, a once-powerful program that had fallen on hard times.    Don't look now - but Tuell has already made Eminence relevant again in just his third year.    At 6-1, the Warriors have the best record in the tournament and are the only team that enters the tournament on a winning streak.   Playing at home in the shiny new Eminence arena....well....don't be shocked if you find Eminence in the finals on Friday....

Jacob Cheesman, Williamstown - Coaching one of the tiniest schools in the state demands resilience and creativity - and sheer, dogged deterimination.    Cheesman uses former Gallatin coach Jon Jones - who was one of the winningest 8th Region coaches despite coaching the 4th-smallest school in the region -  as an example in many of his discussions on how he is trying to lead the Demons, pushing the intangibles that he wants his team to embrace:  Play HARDER than the other team!  Give more EFFORT on the glass than the other team!   Take more CHARGES than the other team!   Get more TURNOVERS than the other team!   It seems to be working; the 8-6 Demons have their best early season going since the 2003-4 Williamstown team opened 9-5, and the Demons have won 11 of their last 18 games dating back to the final week of last year.

Marcus Mumphrey, Trimble County - Mumphrey is part of a basketball family that has produced some of the greatest athletes in the 8th Region's rich history, and he's trying to change a culture in Bedford, where the home team hasn't made the 8th Region tournament in New Castle since 2000, the longest drought in the region.   In just his third year, though, Mumphrey has people starting to expect more of the Raiders, after a strong finish to the 2021 campaign.    Trimble is off to a rocky start this year, but talented players such as J.T. Wilcoxson and Tate Ogburn give Trimble the talent to succeed as the year progresses.

Doug Oak (Carroll County) and Vance Sullivan (Gallatin County) - Both are in their first years at their current school, but both are experienced coaches.    Oak is the former head coach at Trimble County and accepted a call to get back into coaching to rebuild the Panthers' program.   Sullivan has been working within the Gallatin County program for the last 6 years, and should neatly step right into path blazed by Jon Jones, in a town where the basketball fans expect to see a competitive team every year.

Good group of guys.   Best of luck to each of them this coming week!

CM

Joining me on the air this week will be some familiar names to 8th Region fans, both boys' and girls' fans:

- Enoch Welch - former Henry County boys' coach

- Tom Hawkins - former 8th Region official, and HS football and baseball coach

- Frank Wright - former boys' coach at Mercer County and girls' coach at South Oldham and Ballard

- Todd Gilley - former girls' coach at Bethlehem, Henry County, and Oldham County.   Retired A.D. at Henry County.

CM

Walton-Verona, the defending champs, swept both the boys' and girls' 8th Region All-A titles last year.

It was the third time in four years (2021, 2019, 2018) that W-V swept.   The Bearcats also swept the titles in 2010.

Only two other schools have ever swept both titles in the same year:

Carroll County 2005

Owen County 2003

Three games kick off the 8th Region All-A Monday night 1/3/22:

5 pm - Owen County vs. Trimble County boys - Owen is the clear favorite here, with Player of the Year candidate 6'6" junior guard Teagan Moore (28.2 ppg) leading the way.    But Trimble has enough talent, led by J.T. Wilcoxson and Tate Ogburn, and a nice combination of experience/youth, to challenge.    Fans of both teams probably expected a few more wins at this point of the year, but it's early - and this game could be a very tightly contested one to the wire.   Pegasus Sports goes on air at 4:45 pm at www.pegasussportsky.com.

6:30 pm (approximate) - Williamstown versus Gallatin County boys - First year coach Vance Sullivan has it "business as usual" in Warsaw, and the Gallatin County Wildcats are an experienced, well-balanced team.    Mason Arnold has been a positive addition, adding a double-double impact to the rotation and giving Logan Riddle relief on the inside.    Drake Skidmore is a dangerous threat on the outside, and Ashton Guillion is a savvy point guard.    Williamstown, under third-year head man Jacob Cheesman, comes in with four players averaging in double digits, and the Demons are off to their most successful start to a season in decades.    The Demons are relatively young - lots of sophomores getting key minutes - but Joel McCain is a 5 year varsity starter and gets the blue-collar work done, while the Feagan brothers and Honore Yangoua are a talented guard trio.    Pegasus plans on going "on air" at about 6:25 pm for this game at www.pegasussportsky.com, however, the start time could change depending on game one.

8 pm (approximate) - Eminence vs. Carroll County boys - Carroll is the only team in the region still looking for a victory this season, but new coach Doug Oak is a fundamentals-first coach and eventually the Panthers will get some traction.    Jaxon Hewitt is an explosive scorer who hasn't taken off yet this year - the Warriors hope it doesn't happen tomorrow night.   In Eminece, the Warriors haven't had a start like this in over two decades, but Gary Tuell is helping his troops find the old Warrior swagger.    Eminence is still very young overall, but the Warriors have four starters back from last year - and three (different) players back who started two years ago and sat out last year, giving Tuell the odd scenario in which he has "seven" returning starters(!)    Josh Ruzanka leads this crew offensively, and Elijah League is a double-double machine.    The Warriors look to be the favorite in this game, setting up a possible rematch with the Gallatin Co Wildcats, who handed Eminence their only defeat a couple of weeks ago, by 11.    Pegasus looks to go "on air" about 7:55 pm at www.pegasussportsky.com

 @ColonelMike thank you for the broadcast.