8th Region Week 8 Review

[Adrian Woj Burner]

8th Region Week 8 Review

By: Adrian Woj Burner

 

District Standings

I figured I would give a good representation of the standings in each district as of Sunday night.

*= Clinched current position

 

29th District

1: North Oldham (1-0)

2: Oldham County (1-1)

3: South Oldham (0-1)

 

30th District

T1: Anderson County (2-1)

T1: Spencer County (2-1)

T1: Woodford County (2-1)

T1: Collins (2-1)

5: Shelby County (0-4) *

 

31st District

1: Owen County (7-0)

2: Eminence (4-3)

T3: Gallatin County (3-4)

T3: Trimble County (3-4)

5: Carroll County (3-5)

6: Henry County (1-6)

 

32nd District

1: Simon Kenton (3-0) *

T2: Walton Verona (1-1)

T2: Grant County (1-1)

4. Williamstown (0-3)

 

 

Review

This week was a very busy one for 8th region fans, with almost every night packed with inter-region matchups, including some of the best teams in the region against each other. The Henry County Classic was a great day of basketball, with 4 games of some of the best teams in the region, and majority of them were extremely tight from tip-off to the final buzzer. While it helped find some things about some teams, it also might have confused some even more.

One other thing to note is the strength ogf the 8th Region this year. I do not think that anyone expected all of the strong teams this year, and there is a solid 9-10 teams that have the possibility of making a run in tournament play. Every District is still anyone’s game, and could be one of the best post seasons that the 8th Region has had in a long time.

 

Rankings

1 – North Oldham Mustangs (17-5)

The Mustangs had yet another successful week, and for yet another week they come in at the number 1 slot. They went 2-0 this week and are now on a 6-game win streak.

They started off the week Tuesday night against Jeffersonville (IN), and game out on top 72-61. Dallas Roberts led the team with 30 points, and the team shot 9/16 from 3.

Friday night, they hosted their inter-county rival Oldham County in a 29th district seeding game. This game was a good one, with North Oldham coming out on top in overtime 75-65. Roberts and Grant Neal put in 21 points apiece.

One thing to note on the Mustangs is the absence of Jack Scales. The senior guard is one of if not the best shooters in the region. He has hurt his shoulder and has been rumored to be out for the season. This is a huge loss for the mustangs and will make their trail to Rupp Arena for the 2nd year in a row a lot more difficult than it was before.

This Week: 1/27 at South Oldham

 

2 – Collins Titans (17-2)

Coach Gaither has really put together a special squad this year, and their dominance this season continued this week winning both of their games against very good competition.

They took the first part of the week to prepare for Spencer County, where they would defeat them 63-51 on Friday night. Kenyon Goodin led the team with 21 points, and Quintin Simmons added in 18. They went 8/14 from 3 as a team, and 17/20 from the line.

On Saturday they traveled to Henry County to face-off against Simon Kenton. The Titans defeated them 58-54 in a very close matchup. They were led by Goodin again, with 23 points, and Simmons assisted him with 12.

The Titans have a tough schedule to end the season and it will prepare them well for tournament time. They will need it, playing in possibly the toughest district in the region.

This Week: 1/24 vs Boyle County (6:00) 1/27 at Woodford County

 

3 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (14-6)

In the last 10 days Coach Steiner’s squad has played all 3 of their districts seeding games, and came out on top in all 3, clinching their spot as the number 1 seed in the 32nd District, and setting them up well to make an appearance at The Roy in late February.

They started off the week traveling to face Williamstown, where they came out winning 63-48. Gabe Dynes led the Pioneers with 17 points, Travis Krohman and Isaac Gabbard helped with 14 a piece.

Friday night they hosted Grant County, a huge game in the 32nd District. Simon Kenton wound up on top, winning 63-51. Krohman led this time with 19 points, Jay Bilton put in 16, and Dynes scored 11 points while grabbing 15 rebounds.

Their final game of the week was against the #2 team in the region Collins. They fought until the end, but the game ended in Collins defeating them 54-58. Krohman again led them with 17 points and Dynes got another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Simon Kenton’s defense is borderline unstoppable. Having someone guarding the rim that is over 7 foot tall, it gives almost every high school team troubles inside. It will take a hot night from deep to defeat the Pioneers, and this could assist them with a deep run in the postseason.

This Week: 1/24 vs Conner 1/27 at Gallatin County

 

4 – Owen County Rebels (14-5)

A very big note on this week is that D1 commit Teagan Moore did not play after he tweaked his knee in the first game of the week. I was told that he will not play until the All ‘A’ State Tournament. This tournament will start at the end of this week, so he will only be missing 1 more game.

The Rebels started off the week hosting a struggling Henry County squad and wound up winning 64-43. They were led in scoring by Brax Ward with 24 points while grabbing 13 rebounds, and Micah Shelton assisted with 17 points. This was the game that Moore was injured

3 days after their star player Moore was injured, they traveled to their rival Gallatin County, their first game of the season without Moore. Owen County (surprisingly in my eyes) came out beating the Wildcats, winning 61-53. Ward again led with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

On Saturday, they traveled to Henry County to face Oldham County. I was surprised once again by this squad with Teagan Moore sitting on the sideline. The Rebels kept it close, but Oldham County pulled away at the end winning 70-54. Once again, Ward led the squad with 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Moore being out might be a blessing in disguise for this team, as it gives some other players an opportunity to get more reps and boosting their confidence going into the All ‘A’ State Tournament this week and edging closer and closer to tournament time.

This Week: 1/23 at Grant County 1/26 vs Louisville Collegiate (All ‘A’ State Tournament @EKU, 1:00 PM)

 

5 – Spencer County Bears (13-6)

The Bears are still a slightly confusing team, but with as many shots that they take from 3, it is kind of expected. This team is shooting almost 30 threes a night on average, and that can be a recipe to success or absolute disaster.

They started off the week at home against Bullitt Central, where they won in blowout fashion, 73-34. The Bears were 12/28 from 3 and were led by Luke Erhardt (20).

On Friday night, they traveled to Shelbyville to face Collins. They wound up losing 51-63. Camden Cox scored 15 points, and Erhardt put in 12.

The next day they also traveled to Henry County to face a tough Grant County team. It was a close fight all game, and the Bears ended up on top with an 80-74 win over the Braves. Cox again led with 27 points, going 4/5 from 3. Erhardt assisted with 18 points, and Keaton Baird put in 16. As a team they only shot 17 three pointers, low for this team. However, they shot 23 free throws, hitting 21 of them.

Like I mentioned before, this team still has some question. For them to outlast their tough District, they will have to shoot well.

This Week: 1/24 vs Doss 1/27 at Anderson County

 

6 – Oldham County Colonels (10-8)

Although there are many teams below them in the rankings with a lot better record, I have had the opportunity to watch this team multiple times this season, and they are not out of it. Their overtime game against the best team in the region, and BGP #4 team in the state should represent that.

They started off the week hosting a sneaky Walton-Verona team and came out with a 10-point win. Star guard Max Green led the team with 32 points, going a perfect 10/10 from the line.

On Friday night they traveled to North Oldham, the best team in the region and BGP #4 team in the state. Their late run forced the game to overtime but wound up losing 65-75. Green again led with 28 points, and Luke Amburgey helped with 18.

The next day they would host an Owen County squad without Tegan Moore. It was a lot closer than expected, however they won 70-54. Green again led with 21 points.

This team has in my mind a top-3 player in the region Max Green, who has elevated his game to a whole different level in recent weeks, and that is always a recipe to success. Another name to look for is Luke Amburgey, who was shown up big time in both of their district games. He has proven to not shine down from big games, and he will help them more as the season comes to an end.

This Week: 1/23 at Lexington Christian 1/25 vs Seneca 1/27 at Shelby County

 

7 – Anderson County Bearcats (16-4)

This is one of the 2 teams that I have not yet watched this year, and I plan on doing it very soon. This season from Anderson County was not expected whatsoever, and they are on a roll. They won all 3 of their games this week and are now on an 11-game winning streak.

They started off the week against Holy Cross (Louisville). They won 50-44, and Joey Frasure was on top with 26 points, going 10/14 from the field.  

Next, they hosted Bluegrass United (Lexington, KY home school) and won 59-32. Frasure again led the pack with 18 points and was assisted by Calvin Ruble with 12 points.

On Saturday they traveled to square up against Casey County, winning 64-61. The Bearcats had 4 players in double figures: Matt King (14), Carson Sutherland (14), Frasure (13), and Ruble (12).

I look forward to seeing what this squad is about and getting a true feel on how they match up against some of the best in the region after I get to see them play.

This Week: 1/24 at Trimble County 1/27 vs Spencer County 1/28 vs Gallatin County (6:30)

 

8 – Grant County Braves (17-4)

This one is hard, the Braves have been one of the highest trending teams in the region all year, however as of late it has been the opposite of that. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, and 2 of the 3 losses have been by double digits. Aside of that, they are struggling against every team in the top of the region. Other than Oldham County earlier in the season, the Braves have lost to every game to teams ranked above them this year.

They started off the week hosting a good Cooper team and won 53-40. Dylan Hammonds led the team with 27 points and 17 rebounds.

Next, they traveled to district rival Simon Kenton, and lost 51-63. Hammonds again led with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Saturday, they played Spencer County in the Henry County Classic. They wound up losing 74-80, but Hammonds had another monster game scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

This team still has the potential to get hot during the postseason, however they are struggling to score outside of Dylan Hammonds. Grant County is a mediocre team from deep, and against teams with height they will struggle.

This Week: 1/23 vs Owen County     1/27 at Williamstown 

 

9 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (8-9)

Coach Brown has only had 4 games since the new year began over 20 days ago, so this team should be extremely fresh for their final push in the season. They have now won 3 straight games, 2 of them coming this week.

They defeated Shelby County on Friday 83-53, and Beech (Hendersonville, TN) 72-70 on Saturday. Stats are not posted for either game.

I will say the same exact thing I say every week, this team still has a high chance of getting back into the region and making a run at Rupp Arena. However, as mentioned before the 30th District is extremely tough and getting out of it will not be an easy task.

This Week: 1/25 at Scott County 1/27 vs Collins 1/28 at Indian Hill (Cincinnati, OH, 5:30)

 

10 – Walton-Verona Bearcats (13-6)

The Bearcats have had a very up-and-down season, and that has continued in recent weeks. Since the semi-finals of the All ‘A’ Regional Tournament, Walton-Verona has won a game, and lost the next every single 2-game slate. Part of this is from their tough schedule but could also be from the style of play they have.

On Tuesday they traveled down to Bucker to face the Colonels of Oldham County. They competed in the game but wound up losing 63-73. Aaron Gutman led the squad with 28 points, and the team shot 7/19 from 3.

Their next game shook up the thoughts on this team a little bit, making people think that the high-scoring bearcats might be back. They put up 99 points, 1 point away from scoring 100 for the 3rd time this season and won by 5 points in overtime. Stats are not posted for this game.

Along with many other teams in the region, Walton-Verona still has the potential to make a deep run. With their high paced scoring, some teams might struggle to keep up with them if the Bearcats are hitting.

This Week: 1/25 vs Campbell County 1/27 at Dixie Heights 1/28 vs Cooper

 

11 – South Oldham Dragons (10-9)

This team is a lot like Walton-Verona, and I would pay a lot of money to watch these teams play each other when they are firing offensively on all cylinders. Since their 2-point loss to Oldham County, this team has won 3 straight games.

They started off Tuesday travelling to Louisville Collegiate, winning 61-58. William Burnside led the Dragons just as he did against Oldham County, scoring 20 points while grabbing 7 rebounds.

The next night they hosted Bullitt East and won 69-55. Burnside again led with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Saturday night they traveled to face Henry County and won 86-51. Stats are not posted for this game.

William Burnside has come alive the last few games. On the season he is averaging 8.4 ppg and 4.3 rebounds per game. Since the Oldham County game a week ago he is averaging 21.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, shooting 50% from 3 and 58% from the field. He has performed better in all aspects of his game and will be a huge help for this squad in this late season.

This Week: 1/27 vs North Oldham

 

12 – Shelby County Rockets (9-10)

After a very hot start for the rockets Coach Traylor is going to need his players to dig deep and play at their best to get this squad a winning record for the first time in a few years. They have now lost 5 of their last 7 games, and they will need to start performing better with a tough schedule to close out the regular season.

They had 2 games this week, their first one coming against Waggener. They won the game 57-52 and were led by Dillon Ritchey with 22 points, going 5/9 from behind the arc.

On Friday night, they hosted Woodford County. They lost the game in blowout fashion, final score being 53-83. Stats are not posted for the game.

This Week: 1/24 vs Franklin County 1/27 vs Oldham County 1/28 vs Bourbon County (2:30)

 

13 – Williamstown Demons (9-9)

Shelby County and Williamstown are in a similar spot. Both teams started very hot and have cooled off in the last few weeks. The Demons have now lost 4 of their last 6 games.

On Tuesday they hosted Simon Kenton. While there were big hopes for an upset at Williamstown, they wound up losing 48-63. Colton Feagan led with 23 points, going 6/13 from deep.

On Saturday they faced Powell County and won 67-61. Stats are not posted for this game.

Contrary to Shelby County, their schedule to close out the season is not as grueling, and they should finish the season with a winning record.

This Week: 1/24 vs Holmes 1/27 vs Grant County 1/28 vs Dixie Heights (5:30)

 

14 – Gallatin County Wildcats (8-10)

While Coach Sullivan’s young group looked to have been finally figuring it out, they seemed to have taken a step back this week.

They started off the week being upset by Eminence, final score being 62-68. Kellen Dossett led with 19 points, and Matthew Griffin helped with 16. Despite their loss, the Wildcats shot 10/24 from 3.

They went on to face Owen County. Missing Teagan Moore, this game looked like Gallatin County should sneak away with a big district win. This was not the case, and they lost 53-61. Griffin led with 14, and the team shot a grueling 6/23 from behind the arc.

However, on Saturday they bounced back against a struggling Pendleton County squad. The Wildcats came out winning in blowout fashion, 82-39. Dossett led with 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. He was assisted by Andrew Brinker with 19 points.

This team in my opinion should still be the front-runner to be the 2nd team out of the 31st district to appear in the regional tournament, but the door is open for several other teams.

This Week: 1/24 at Ryle 1/27 vs Simon Kenton 1/28 at Anderson County (6:30)

 

15 – Eminence Warriors (9-9)

The Warriors had a very successful week, with 2 district wins getting them currently seeded #2 in the 31st District.

They started off against Gallatin County, beating them 68-62. They were led by Bladin Malone with 22 points, and Josh Ruzanka put in 20.

They then went on and traveled to Trimble County, picking up another district win, winning 64-51. This game Eminence was led in scoring by Elijiah League with 23, and Ruzanka put in 17.

They went on the next day to lose to KCD 51-74. Ruzanka had 20 points, and League had 17.

The Warriors are a sneaky team with decent talent, and I could easily see them making their first regional appearance in a very long time.

This Week: 1/24 vs Brown 1/27 vs Valley 1/28 at Eminence (IN, 4:30)

 

16 – Trimble County Raiders (10-10)

The Raiders did not have the best week and have now lost 4 of their last 6 games.

They started the week traveling to rival Carroll County, shockingly losing 63-64. JT Wilcoxson led with 20 points, and Ethan Horn had 17.

They went on a couple days later to beat Dayton 84-63. Wilcoxson had 32 points and 16 rebounds; Horn had 25 points.

Their final game of the week was a huge seeding game for the 31st District against Eminence, but they could not pull it off losing 51-64. Wilcoxson yet again led with 19 points and Horn was right behind him with 18.

Along with Eminence and Gallatin County, this team is right in the race for a regional appearance. This is probably the least likely out of the 3 teams, however the 31st District Tournament is being hosted by them, so it may help them out a bit.

This Week: 1/24 vs Anderson County 

 

17 – Carroll County Panthers (4-14)

After a horrendous first 2 months of the season, the Panthers have come alive. Winning only 1 of their first 15 games, the Panthers have won their last 3 and are looking to stay hot.

They started off the week with a huge win over Eminence, final score being 59-56. Braden Stephenson led with 14, Austin Hicks and Seth Franklin both had 12 points.

Next, they pulled off the upset against rival Trimble County winning 64-63. Stephenson again led with 23, and Landon Groves helped with 16.

Next, they defeated a struggling Henry County team 51-40. Franklin led the way with 18, and Stephenson had 15.

The Panthers might be finding it at the right time, and there is a possibility they could knock off someone above them when District time rolls around.

This Week: 1/23 vs Cornerstone Christian 

 

18 – Henry County Wildcats (2-18)

The Wildcats season has been atrocious to say the least, and it continues this week losing all 3 of their games to move their losing streak to 14 games.

They lost to Owen County 43-64, Carroll County 40-51, and South Oldham 51-86. Stats are not posted for any game.

This Week: 1/24 at Bullitt Central 1/27 vs Model

[Hoopstars]

Great work as always and rankings make sense to me. I’m personally not a big believer in SK.  They can only win one way- lower scoring. Score gets above 55 and they are in serious trouble.  

[Adrian Woj Burner]

PSN- Pegasus Sports Network streams this week!

Fri 1/27 South v North girl/boy DH. ON AIR 530. 

[Adrian Woj Burner]

5 minutes ago, Hoopstars said:

Great work as always and rankings make sense to me. I’m personally not a big believer in SK.  They can only win one way- lower scoring. Score gets above 55 and they are in serious trouble.  

This team doesn’t give up 55 often, and like I mentioned before a team must be hitting from deep to beat them. Scoring in the paint against a 7 footer isn’t an easy task.

[Hoopstars]

6 minutes ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

This team doesn’t give up 55 often, and like I mentioned before a team must be hitting from deep to beat them. Scoring in the paint against a 7 footer isn’t an easy task.

I just don’t think they can keep teams under 60 three straight games in regions. So I guess pad agree with your rankings as far as performance this season but I’d drop them if the ranking was chances to win the tourney. 

[4 Quarters]

When this is all said and done, North will walk away with the big prize.

[Adrian Woj Burner]

14 minutes ago, 4 Quarters said:

When this is all said and done, North will walk away with the big prize.

I strongly can agree with this if they are fully healthy and play to their potential, however I think the absence of Scales is a lot bigger than people think. If majority of the teams in the regional tournament perform well and catch North on a mediocre night, they are bound to be knocked off.

[Mojocat]

The thing I noticed about Simon Kenton that made them a little unique is the big kid in the middle takes up so much ground in the back of that zone that it allows the guards out front to extend the defense to an unusual degree.  Meaning, the other team is starting its offense closer to half court than is typical.  That does leave some room in the gap around the free throw line, but not as much as you'd think.  

I, too, think the Region is North's to lose.  But the game Friday against OC makes me less certain about that than I was previously.  Scales extends the defense - with him out, the opponent can simply crowd the paint.  North's 2 bigs - Higdon and Anderson - had 2 points between them in regulation.  Levitch has time to figure things out.  But not too much......

 

[ConverseAllStar]

15 minutes ago, Mojocat said:

The thing I noticed about Simon Kenton that made them a little unique is the big kid in the middle takes up so much ground in the back of that zone that it allows the guards out front to extend the defense to an unusual degree.  Meaning, the other team is starting its offense closer to half court than is typical.  That does leave some room in the gap around the free throw line, but not as much as you'd think.  

I, too, think the Region is North's to lose.  But the game Friday against OC makes me less certain about that than I was previously.  Scales extends the defense - with him out, the opponent can simply crowd the paint.  North's 2 bigs - Higdon and Anderson - had 2 points between them in regulation.  Levitch has time to figure things out.  But not too much......

 

Were Higdon and Anderson in foul trouble Friday night, or did they just struggle offensively?

[Adrian Woj Burner]

1 hour ago, ConverseAllStar said:

Were Higdon and Anderson in foul trouble Friday night, or did they just struggle offensively?

I know Higdon was in foul trouble, I am not sure about Anderson. While in the game, they did struggle a bit. I was really surprised they didn't make more of an impact than they did, and that they allowed Amburgey to do as much as he did. 

[Mojocat]

I'm pretty sure they were both in foul trouble.  I remember thinking at the end of regulation they had between them 2 points and 8 fouls.  A key point to the game - and maybe the key in my mind - was how things would go on the interior.  Amburgey is an athletic kid who fights and scraps for everything, really like him.  But, he's maybe 6'4, and there's only one of him.  Higdon and Anderson are 6'5 and 6'6, both long and athletic, and I really thought they'd make life hard for Amburgey, who is pretty much strictly an inside player.  And the exact opposite happened - he got both of them in foul trouble, he produced and they largely did not, and now you're trying to settle things on the perimeter - and that's a game where the odds are much more balanced.  I say "he" got them in foul trouble - that's not really it, it's not like he just took them both on and they kept fouling.  Rather, as I said above the defense collapsed to a good deal into the paint, and neither of Higdon or Anderson could find room to operate.  So they ran through and jumped over - and both got in foul trouble....

[Falcon Pride]

3 hours ago, 4 Quarters said:

When this is all said and done, North will walk away with the big prize.

I’ve seen North twice. As good as they are, I think Collins has the advantage come tourney time (especially if Scales does not play).

Small sample size but the two bigs didn’t play well either game and SHOULD have had their way on Friday night vs Oldham. 

[Adrian Woj Burner]

1 hour ago, Falcon Pride said:

I’ve seen North twice. As good as they are, I think Collins has the advantage come tourney time (especially if Scales does not play).

Small sample size but the two bigs didn’t play well either game and SHOULD have had their way on Friday night vs Oldham. 

The 2 biggest factor for Collins this year is their defense and consistency. Those 2 things are normal was a Coach Gaither team is known for, but this group is a whole different level of it. They are incredibly efficient from the field every game on offense, extremely patient and get good looks every time down the court. On defense, everyone does their job. All are in the right spots, and every player on the floor for them guards the ball extremely well. 
North Oldham vs Collins on February 14 will probably be the most anticipated game of the season, and I can not wait for it.

[ProPatria]

SK gave the game to Collins on PF and turnovers. Collins did not shoot better. SK has had an on going problem with turnovers.

 

[4 Quarters]

20 minutes ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

The 2 biggest factor for Collins this year is their defense and consistency. Those 2 things are normal was a Coach Gaither team is known for, but this group is a whole different level of it. They are incredibly efficient from the field every game on offense, extremely patient and get good looks every time down the court. On defense, everyone does their job. All are in the right spots, and every player on the floor for them guards the ball extremely well. 
North Oldham vs Collins on February 14 will probably be the most anticipated game of the season, and I can not wait for it.

In the grand scheme of things, this game really means nothing.  Feb. 15, 22 Collins beat North by 8 in Shelbyville, I was at the game.  The table gets turned later at the Roy, North by 7.