9th Region Week 12 Review

By: Adrian Woj Burner

Congrats, we have made it, and finally it is District Tournament Week!

Sorry for the late post, I had it written up but somehow it slipped my mind to post it. 

 

Tournament Schedules:

 

District 33 Tournament  (At Cooper)

Quarterfinal: Ryle vs Heritage Academy 2/20, 6:30

Semifinal: Cooper vs Boone County 2/22, 7:45

Semifinal: Conner vs TBD 2/22, 6:00

Championship: TBD vs TBD 2/24, 7:00

 

District 34 Tournament  (At St. Henry)

Quarterfinal: Ludlow vs Villa Madonna 2/20, 7:30

Semifinal: St. Henry vs Dixie Heights 2/22, 7:30

Semifinal: Lloyd vs TBD 2/22, 5:30

Championship: TBD vs TBD 2/24, 6:00

 

District 35 Tournament  (At CovCath)

Semifinal: CovCath vs Holmes 2/22, 5:30

Semifinal: Holy Cross vs Beechwood 2/22, 7:30

Championship: TBD vs TBD 2/24, 7:00

 

District 36 Tournament  (At Highlands)

Quarterfinal: Dayton vs Bellevue 2/20, 7:45

Semifinal: Highlands vs NCC 2/22, 8:00

Semifinal: Newport vs TBD 2/22, 6:00

Championship: TBD vs TBD 2/24, 7:00

 

Who will make it to NKU?

As many may know, the 9th region tournament is being held at Truist Arena, which is where NKU mens and womens basketball play their home games. I would like to give my opinion on who will make it to NKU, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

 

Out of the 33rd District, I have the dominant Conner Cougars coming out as the district champion, with Cooper being District runner-up. 

 

Out of the 34th District, I have an upset with St. Henry coming out as the District Champion, and Lloyd as the District runner-up.

 

Out of the 35th District, I have CovCath steamrolling their way to become the District Champion once again, with Holy Cross coming in as Runner-up. 

 

Out of the 36th District, I have Newport beating the Birds in the finals, becoming the Champion, and Highlands coming in as Runner-up.

 

Let me know your opinions in the comments! 

 

Player of The Week

After leading his team to 2 blowout wins against a tough Madison Central squad, and Ryle, Evan Ipsaro is your 9th Region Player of The Week! In these games, Evan averaged 28 ppg, and also shot a blazing 80% from the field. 

 

9th Region POY

Congratulations to Jacob Meyer and Evan Ipsaro on being named your 9th Region KABC Co-Players of The Year! Very well deserved to both of them in my opinion. 

 

Region Rankings

 

1 -  CovCath Colonels

And just like that, the Colonels are back on top. After dominant performances from Evan Ipsaro this week, the Colonels topped a very tough opponent in Madison Central, and blew out Ryle also. Went 2-0 this week. 

 

2 - Conner Cougars

Just days after moving in the new #1 spot, the Cougars went on and lost to Lloyd in an OT heartbreaker (48-45). This game was also very low scoring for what I expected. However, they have a great resume, and beat NCC earlier in the week, so I keep them at #2. 

 

3 - Holy Cross Indians

After letting go of a 26 point halftime lead to St. Henry, I really contemplated where to rank them. A lead blow like that is inexcusable. However, before this game the Indians had won 14 of their last 15! So, I decided to keep them at #3, and hope that the game against St. Henry was just a fluke….

 

4 - Newport Wildcats

This young squad has so much talent, and really seems to be figuring it out late. They have been steadily climbing and climbing. They also have taken some losses to good teams, but competed and kept them very close. Although, it really seems as if they are starting to turn that corner, and this week they are looking to take the District title from the BlueBirds! On a 7 game win-streak. 

 

5 - Lloyd Juggernauts

Although the Juggs lost H2H against the Birds just last week, they have now surpassed them. This is due to their OT win against Conner this week, and I really believe that this squad is really starting to turn some heads! Out of anyone in the 9th, I believe they are the biggest sleeper, or team to watch for in the Region Tournament. They have the athletes to beat ANYBODY. 

 

6 - Highlands Bluebirds

The BlueBirds have struggled as of recently, but this week they picked up a 28 pt win against the Beechwood Tigers. However, I do not believe they are moving in the right direction come tournament time as of now. Also, it is rumored that the Birds have lost one of their starters for the rest of the season due to a broken hand. That hurts. 

 

7 - St. Henry Crusaders 

Talk about a team that is trending at the right time! The Cru is starting to look healthier than ever, and also just upset the Holy Cross Indians after being down by a whopping 26 points at halftime! They also recently only lost to Great Crossing by 2, and Newport by 6. I cannot wait to see what this team does come tournament time. Be on the lookout for some upsets. 

 

8 - Cooper Jaguars

With Pouncey just now being ruled eligible, Cooper could be looking to turn some heads come tournament time. A little ironic that his first game back, is a District tournament game vs his former school LOL. But, I see Pouncey making an immediate impact, and giving Cooper a large post presence. 

 

9 - Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds

This past week the Breds have looked to be competing solid against good teams. They even went on to beat Bishop Brossart by 4 in a close game. However, their season could be decided soon. They face the BlueBirds in the Semifinals of their District tournament. This appears to be a bad matchup for NCC, as the Birds hammered them at home a few weeks back, and had a running clock by halftime. However, the Birds are not looking healthy, and appear to be struggling, so maybe NCC can flip the tide?

 

10 - Ryle Raiders

The Raiders were beaten down this week twice, by CovCath, and Bishop Brossart. These may be two solid teams, but the Raiders do not look to be heading in the right direction before their district tournament. 

 

11 - Beechwood Tigers

The Tigers were also beaten down this week two times. Once by Campbell County, and once by Highlands. The loss of their PG Cash Harney weeks ago has seemed to have really dropped off this once competitive team. 

 

12 - Boone County Rebels

After a horrendous beginning of a season (partially due to the departure of their star player who transferred to Cooper), Boone is starting to figure it out a little after defeating Dixie Heights 55-49 earlier this week. However they have a tough matchup in Cooper waiting for them in the District Tournament this week. 

 

13 - Dixie Heights Colonels

This team makes very little sense to me. After beating a solid Cooper team in Double OT, they go on to lose to a Boone County team that is 5-19. 

 

14 - Ludlow Panthers

The Panthers were blown out this week by Augusta and Newport. Looking at their record (19-11), you would think Ludlow is solid. But, they happen to play a very, very weak schedule. Personally, I see no run in their postseason being made. 

 

15 - Holmes Bulldogs

16 - Bellevue Tigers

17 - Heritage Academy Eagles

18 - Dayton Green Devils

19 - Villa Madonna Vikings

20 - Covington Latin

Nice summary and good predictions.  Can certainly see those playing out.

-CardinalFan

Is there a 9th region tourney schedule posted anywhere? 

? Updated 33rd, 34th, 35th, and 36th District brackets. Finalists advance to the 9th Region Tournament at NKU's Truist Arena, March 3-7.

12 hours ago, bigblue96 said:

Is there a 9th region tourney schedule posted anywhere? 

? ? The drawing should take place Saturday morning. NKU/Truist Arena recently posted the schedules for the girls an boys tourneys. Tickets will go on sale for both, Saturday 2/25 at 10:00. The link to their site can be found below, with updates pending ~ 

thetruistarena.com/events/2023/02/region-9-basketball-tournament

Since the girls' Sweet 16 is playing the week before the boys', I'm assuming the Feb 26 to Mar 1 dates are for the girls' tournament. 

✓ The 9th Region Boys Tournament, March 3-7 ~ 

• Friday, 3/3: Round 1 - Upper Bracket session, beginning at 6:30. 

• Saturday, 3/4: Round 1 - Lower Bracket session, beginning at 7:00.

• Sunday, 3/5: Semifinals, beginning at 2:30. 

• Tuesday, 3/7: Championship game at 7:00. 

29 minutes ago, Runcible Owl said:

? ? The drawing should take place Saturday morning. NKU/Truist Arena recently posted the schedules for the girls an boys tourneys. Tickets will go on sale for both, Saturday 2/25 at 10:00. The link to their site can be found below, with updates pending ~ 

thetruistarena.com/events/2023/02/region-9-basketball-tournament

Since the girls' Sweet 16 is playing the week before the boys', I'm assuming the Feb 26 to Mar 1 dates are for the girls' tournament. 

✓ The 9th Region Boys Tournament, March 3-7 ~ 

• Friday, 3/3: Round 1 - Upper Bracket session, beginning at 6:30. 

• Saturday, 3/4: Round 1 - Lower Bracket session, beginning at 7:00.

• Sunday, 3/5: Semifinals, beginning at 2:30. 

• Tuesday, 3/7: Championship game at 7:00. 

The information the teams have been given are that the Boys 1st round games will be on Monday 2/27 and Wednesday 3/1. Semifinals will be on Sunday 3/5 and the Championship game will be on Tuesday 3/7.

44 minutes ago, FirstTimeLongTime said:

The information the teams have been given are that the Boys 1st round games will be on Monday 2/27 and Wednesday 3/1. Semifinals will be on Sunday 3/5 and the Championship game will be on Tuesday 3/7.

Thank you for the correction. I was doing my best to piece it together from the "Truist" site.

Final ~ Facts 1 Scoop 0 ?

Can anyone clarify the Region draw parings.   Specifically, is it an open draw where the same District #1 & #2 seed could be drawn and paired to face off against each other in the Region Tournament, or are they intentionally separated by District ?  

4 minutes ago, 5-oh said:

Can anyone clarify the Region draw parings.   Specifically, is it an open draw where the same District #1 & #2 seed could be drawn and paired to face off against each other in the Region Tournament, or are they intentionally separated by District ?  

Separated, district winners can only play runner ups from a different district. 

5 minutes ago, 5-oh said:

Can anyone clarify the Region draw parings.   Specifically, is it an open draw where the same District #1 & #2 seed could be drawn and paired to face off against each other in the Region Tournament, or are they intentionally separated by District ?  

The winner of a district and loser of the same will be on opposite sides. 

So like the winner of the 33rd District will be on a side, and the loser will be on the opposite. 

The only way that district opponents can meet up is the regional championship. 

The district champions draw district runner-ups, and obviously runner-ups with be against champions. 

Any reason why the drawing is so late?  I know this is the boys thread but the girls will find out their opponent basically 24 hours before their game and the boys aren't much better.

1 minute ago, rjal said:

Any reason why the drawing is so late?  I know this is the boys thread but the girls will find out their opponent basically 24 hours before their game and the boys aren't much better.

District championships normally round-up on Friday night, so teams will be able to attend the drawing and know who they are playing and can begin to prepare. 

It has always been this way from my knowledge, I know that the 8th doesn't draw until Sunday, but their tournaments don't start until Monday or Tuesday.

? 9th Region Drawing tomorrow morning. The winners vs. runners-up pool for the drawing tomorrow morning ~

• 33rd District 

Cooper 59 Conner 55 

• 34th District 

Lloyd Memorial 60 St. Henry 58 

• 35th District 

Covington Catholic 61 Beechwood 53 

• 36th District 

Newport 72 Highlands 61