Covington Catholic at Bracken County Predictions (9/10 Region Challenge)

[brooksville]

Read the preview for the all the games here at 10thRegion.com. 

Bracken County will host the St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine 9/10 Region Challenge on Saturday, December 10th. It will feature four girls games and two boys games.

Admission is $5.00 for all-day entry. Coaches passes will be accepted, and all St. Elizabeth Healthcare employees will get in free with a valid work I'd. All games will be streamed live at go.prepspin.com for $5.00 which gets you all six games.

7:30pm – Covington Catholic vs. Bracken County (Boys)

This game will feature two of the state’s top leading scorers with Blake Reed of Bracken County and Evan Ipsaro of Covington Catholic. 

Evan Ipsaro is averaging 26.0 points per game with 4.8 rebounds per game. He is also shooing 52.2% from the field and 90% from the free throw line.

The Miami University commit is Covington Catholic’s key scorer and facilitator. Ipsaro led CovCath to the 9th Region championship and the semifinals of the Sweet Sixteen last season. 

Even though they lost big men Mitchell Riley and Chandler Starks, CovCath is still ranked as the best team in the 9th and a top ten team in the state. Their style of play is more guard-heavy and higher scoring than last year. They are averaging 74.8 ppg so far.

The Colonels are 4-0 heading into Saturday’s game with a win over St. Henry, where Ipsaro scored 30, and Scott Ruthatz became the school’s all-time winningest coach with 314 wins in 12 season. 

The Polar Bears are 3-0 and will face Montgomery County at home on Thursday before hosting the 2014 and 2018 state champions and defending 9th Region champions. 

Blake Reed is averaging 30 points a game and put up 46 in the Polar Bears’ 78-71 win over Scott. Reed currently has 2,714 career points as a junior. He also led the state in 3-point field goals last year with 123.

The two teams have met four times before in the late 70s and early 80s, with Covington Catholic winning all four. This will be one of Bracken County’s biggest tests of the season in a loaded schedule with other 9th Region favorite Cooper, Lyon County, Ashland, and state champion George Rogers Clark. 

Bracken County is scheduled to play at Covington Catholic in the 2023-24 season.

[brooksville]

 

[The Double Deuce]

This could be one of the most entertaining games of the regular season. 

[brooksville]

1 hour ago, The Double Deuce said:

This could be one of the most entertaining games of the regular season. 

Both teams play fast!  I will take CovCath by 15, though. 

[4 Quarters]

This game could be over early, CCH big time.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Great write-up, @brooksville...thanks for that.

Any chance you have the actual years that Cov Cath and Bracken County played each other? (I saw that you mentioned late-70s and early-80s.)

[5-oh]

CCH by 20+ easily.

[The Double Deuce]

With all of the result predictions floating in, let me add mine.  I think CovCath wins, but I think it is closer and more competitive (or at least COULD be) than my fellow posters.  I will say CovCath ends up winning by 10-14, and I think it is a game into the 4th quarter.

Let me add this qualifier:  If there are UNDER 40 fouls whistled for the entire game, CovCath wins by 7 or less or Bracken County wins.  If there are OVER 40 fouls whistled for the entire game, CovCath wins by 10+ (10-14, as I said).  I think how this game is officiated, and it will be HARD to officiate, will go a long way to determining the outcome.  

Again, I think this one, for a myriad of reasons, will be REALLY entertaining.  

[brooksville]

8 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Great write-up, @brooksville...thanks for that.

Any chance you have the actual years that Cov Cath and Bracken County played each other? (I saw that you mentioned late-70s and early-80s.)

 

[FirstTimeLongTime]

CCH by a lot!

[mcpapa]

Dang. I’ll be in the ‘ville for Murray State - Bellarmine. 

[Hoopoop]

I think teams that don't have a size advantage or strong interior player(s) are going to struggle with CCH, they are likely one of the best of the small ball teams.  

[Instride]

22 minutes ago, Hoopoop said:

I think teams that don't have a size advantage or strong interior player(s) are going to struggle with CCH, they are likely one of the best of the small ball teams.  

How many games have they played?  

[4 Quarters]

3 hours ago, The Double Deuce said:

With all of the result predictions floating in, let me add mine.  I think CovCath wins, but I think it is closer and more competitive (or at least COULD be) than my fellow posters.  I will say CovCath ends up winning by 10-14, and I think it is a game into the 4th quarter.

Let me add this qualifier:  If there are UNDER 40 fouls whistled for the entire game, CovCath wins by 7 or less or Bracken County wins.  If there are OVER 40 fouls whistled for the entire game, CovCath wins by 10+ (10-14, as I said).  I think how this game is officiated, and it will be HARD to officiate, will go a long way to determining the outcome.  

Again, I think this one, for a myriad of reasons, will be REALLY entertaining.  

BC will have to keep the fouls at a minimum, just don't have a long bench.

[brooksville]

https://10thregion.com/2022/12/08/2122/

“We know how good Ipsaro is, and we know the culture (Scott) Ruthatz has established there. We just want to compete. We know if we ever will have the chance to beat GRC and play at Rupp, we have to play and compete with the teams that are playing on those stages.”