8th Region Tournament Preview

By: Adrian Woj Burner

 

And then there were 8…. And it’s about the exact 8 teams that we expected coming into the season. After a season full of upsets, close games, and surprising blowouts it seems that things equaled out and the exact 8 teams that I projected in the tournament are about to play for a regional title the next week and a half.

 

Tradition

As I mentioned before, it is a region full of traditions. It all starts off on Sunday after district week, when everyone gets together at Henry County High School for the regional draw. We are only 1 of 2 regions to still draw on Sunday, as everyone else does it now on Saturday. In some years (not this year), this can make Sunday chaos for many coaches and players. The draw is right after lunch, after they figure out their first-round opponent some would have only 30ish hours to prepare for the quarterfinals. However, with the boy’s state tournament coming after the girls this year they will have some more time to prepare, with the first round not starting until Wednesday.

 

The next tradition, Roy L. Winchester Gymnasium. You have probably seen me refer to “The Roy” throughout the year. The gymnasium constructed at Henry County High School in 1962 holds over 5,000 people and has been the regional host for over 60 years in a row. There is nothing in the state like it, stands are packed, popcorn is popping, student sections are rocking, and players are playing with their careers on the line.

 

Bracket

After the draw earlier today, here is the official bracket of the 2023 8th Region Tournament.

 

 

Players to Look For

I am going to name a few players to look for in the tournament coming up. We have all become familiar with the big names on each team playing, but let’s look into some other options on the teams that have been hot as of late.

Jack Fischer (North Oldham): Has picked up a lot bigger of a role on the squad after the injury to sharpshooter Jack Scales. Scales returned to the lineup for districts, but Fischer was still tied for being the leading scorer, putting in 13 points and going a perfect 7/7 from the field.

Isiah Cochran (Collins): The young forward has grown tremendously over the last two season and has been a huge piece to their success all season. In the semifinals of the 30th District Tournament he scored 12 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

Micah Willis (Grant County): The guy controlling the paint for the Braves will need to play to his full potential this week if they want to make a run. In the district semifinals, he scored 20 points and was 10/14 from the field.

Micah Shelton (Owen County): Shelton is the Rebels 3rd scoring option, and if he can score the ball consistently this week, he can help Owen County pull off some upsets and make a run. In the semifinals he scored 15 points and was 5/8 from the field.

Luke Amburgey (Oldham County): The forward is a huge piece to the Colonels both offensively and defensively. If he can make his presence felt, he will be a key role in Oldham County pulling off any upsets.

Matthew Griffin (Gallatin County): Both him and Kellen Dossett have been major scorers all year, but Griffin had a phenomenal week. Averaging 27 ppg in two contests, and hitting the shot heard around the world in the district tournament.

 

Streaming:

Just like many, many years before, PSN-Pegasus Sports Network will be broadcasting this year’s regional tournament on their free website.

 

Rankings 

The road to Rupp Arena ends here, so let’s look at our playing field…

1 – North Oldham Mustangs (24-5)

North Oldham isn’t considered a “blue blood”, but the last 2 years they have dominated the region. They are the reigning region champions and are returning to Henry County this year with their entire core of last year’s team.

The Mustangs are coming off their 3rd District Championship in school history, and it was in dominating fashion. They faced Oldham County in the 29th District Championship and controlled the game from the tip, winning 71-50.

Being on the tougher side of the bracket, the North Oldham will have to win 2 very tough contests to get back into the championship game. I am sure that their goal is nothing short of winning their second consecutive regional title.

 

2 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (17-12)

Last year, the Yellow Jackets being led by star guard Jasper Johnson made a run to the regional championship, losing to North Oldham. This year we expected nothing less, but after dealing with many different injuries we saw many rough games and started forming some doubts.

However, after being a wild card all season, Woodford County is officially back. As mentioned above, they have had many injuries all season, one being John McCrear whom had not touched the floor all season with a torn ACL last summer. McCrear played in the district championship but was limited.

In McCrear’s return, they knocked off #17 in the state Collins to win their second District Title since joining the 30th District in the 2019-20 season.

With this squad being back to fully healthy, they are once again a front-runner for this year’s tournament.

If they are to win their first game, they would have a chance at redemption against North Oldham in the semi-finals. This is as long as North Oldham and Woodford County can both win their quarterfinal matchups. I would picture that the Yellow Jackets have one goal: a regional title. They are looking to mark their names in the history books quick in the 8th Region by winning their first title within their first 5 years of being in the region.

 

3 – Collins Titans (24-7)

One of the top-20 teams in the state for majority of the year, they are 0-3 against the two teams ranked above them this week. Collins is 0-2 against Woodford County, and 0-1 against North Oldham.

Minus their struggles against the 2 teams above them, they have been one of the more dominant teams in the region this year and are still a front-runner for the championship. The Titans returned majority of their core from last season, where their season ended in the regional semifinals by North Oldham, who went on to win the tournament.

Collins has yet to miss the region since their school was established in 2010, but that was in major jeopardy this season. However, they controlled their own destiny, and won both the quarterfinal game against Shelby County, and their semifinal game against Spencer County to advance to the 30th District Championship and grabbed a regional tournament bid.

With their draw, the Titans seem to have the easiest path of the front-runners to the championship game.

 

4 – Grant County Braves (25-7)

What a season by the Braves, and they aren’t done yet. They started off on fire, and then seemed to have slowed down during the middle of the season when they played some tougher competition. However, they learned their lesson and in the final 10 days of the season they knocked off multiple top-10 teams in the state.

Grant County played in a classic of a game against Walton-Verona in the 32nd District Semifinals and squeezed one out 80-76. They went on to lose to Simon Kenton in the championship.

The Braves proved later in the season that they can compete with the best and will have to do that yet again in their first matchup of the regional tournament. If they are to knock off North Oldham in their first matchup, watch out for them to make a run.    

 

5 – Owen County Rebels (24-8)

Two words for this team; Teagan Moore. The 2x 8th Region Player of the Year has had nothing short of a spectacular career at Owen County. Following former Mr. Basketball Carson Williams, no one pictured that anyone to ever come out of their school again would get close to him at all statistically, and Moore did that and even more. Last week he broke the 8th Region All-Time Scoring Record, something that hasn’t been touched since 1973.

It was almost without a doubt that Owen County would be in the regional tournament, not losing a district game in 2 years. This stayed the same in the semifinals, defeating Trimble County, but had their streak come to an end in the championship. They shockingly lost to Gallatin County, thanks to a shot from beyond half-court at the buzzer!

The Rebels have the best player in the region, and one of the best in the state. With this, they are never counted out of a game. They are looking to pull off a couple upsets and make a run.

 

6 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (21-10)

The Pioneers were a slight question mark going into the season, having a good bit of talent last season, and losing in the first round of the district tournament. They have found a dominant 2-3 defense with 7+ footer Gabe Dynes dominating the paint.

Last week, Simon Kenton won their 11th District title since joining the 8th Region in the 2005-06 season. Dominating Williamstown in the semi-finals and defeating Grant County in the championship.

They got a decent draw, and if they can find some scoring, they can make a run.

 

7 – Oldham County Colonels (16-15)

When you think of the 8th Region Tournament, the first team that you think of is the Colonels of Oldham County. They have been the most dominant force in the regional for the last 20+ years. Since 2000, they have accounted for 8 regional titles in 20 appearances and have won over 35 games in the tournament.

This year hasn’t been one of their best in years past, but they have just as much, if not more experience in these atmospheres than any other team in the region. Oldham County has won some good games, lost some bad ones, and competed with some of the best talent in the state.

They are somewhat of a wildcard going into the tournament, but we will see if their experience can-will them to a first round win and look to make some noise in the region once again.

 

8 – Gallatin County Wildcats (13-17)

Being the 3rd smallest school in the region, Gallatin County sure makes an appearance to “The Roy” almost annually. Since they were taken out of the Oldham County district 17 years ago, they have now appeared in 13 regional tournaments. They make it here almost every year and make some noise often when here. Being such a small school, they surprisingly have had 8 wins since 2000, but are yet to make an appearance at Rupp Arena.

They are coming off possibly the biggest upset in 31st District history. Gallatin County faced Owen County in the district championship and were practically counted out of the game before tip-off even occurred. However, they kept it close the entire game, tying it up with just 10 seconds left in the game. After a Teagan Moore turnover with 5 seconds remaining, sophomore Matthew Griffin hit one of the greatest shots in 8th Region history. Throwing up a prayer with 1 second on the clock from beyond half-court and banking it off the backboard and going through the net as the buzzer sounded.

The Wildcats are coming into the tournament on a high note, but them even advancing to the semifinals isn’t necessarily expected. If they were to make a run this year in the tournament, it would be the definition of a Cinderella run.

 

 

Preview

Now it is time to truly dive into the 4 quarterfinal matchups.

 

North Oldham vs Grant County (3/1, 6:30 pm)

What a great game to kick off the regional tournament. 2 of the best teams in the region all year, and both currently being ranked top-20 in the state.

The 2 schools have only met 4 times ever, with North Oldham winning 3 out of 4. The 2 teams met late this season at Grant County, with North Oldham winning the tight contest 53-47.

North Oldham in my opinion has 3 of the best 4 players in the game. Dallas Roberts, Ian Higdon, and Luke Anderson all were selected to the all-region team, and it is well deserved. All 3 players make a huge impact on every game and show up almost every night.

Grant County is led by one of the best players in the region, senior forward Dylan Hammonds. The never-ending motor in Hammonds has him averaging 26 ppg while grabbing 13.3 rpg.

One issue with Hammonds game and Grant County is that they struggle against teams with good height. North Oldham has plenty of height and use it very well. Unless Grant County shoots better than they have for much of the season, I see North Oldham winning this one by 10-15.

 

Woodford County vs Owen County (3/1, 8:00 pm)

There is no doubt that the first night of the region is the better of the 2 quarterfinal nights. Along with the game before, this is another good one. This game is by far going to have the most talent on the floor in the tournament. With John McCrear back, there will be 3 D1 basketball players on the court with McCrear, Jasper Johnson, and Teagan Moore.

This will be the 3rd time ever that the 2 schools have met each other, and the 1st time since 2017. They have split the 2 games.

Woodford County has found their groove as of late, and thanks with the return of McCrear they defeated Collins to win the 30th District Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are led by Jasper Johnson, averaging 21.7 ppg and shooting over 40% from 3.

Owen County is led by region POTY Teagan Moore. He has had one of the best high school careers in regional history. This year he is averaging 31.7 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and is shooting 63.1% from the field, 41.1% from 3, and 83.5% from the line.

I see Owen County struggling against all of Woodford’s athleticism in this game. Give me the Yellow Jackets by 10 or so.

 

Simon Kenton vs Oldham County (3/2, 6:30 pm)

This is a tale of old teams. 2 teams that seem to always be in contention for the region and 2 of the biggest schools in the region as well. However, their actual success in the regional tournament is extremely different. We have talked about it many times, so I won’t go in depth, but Oldham County is the most successful basketball program in the region, and Simon Kenton while being the biggest school in the region, seems to come up short year after year, and are yet to ever win the 8th Region Tournament.

These teams have met 20 times, with Oldham County winning 13 of them. Oldham County had also won 8-straight contests against Simon Kenton. That streak came to an end this year with Simon Kenton defeating them 62-50 in Buckner.

Simon Kenton is led by senior guard Travis Krohman. On the year he is averaging 15.7 ppg and shooting 42.2% from 3 and 78.6% from the line.

The Colonels are led by one of the best players in the region, Max Green. The junior guard has taken his game to another level this season, averaging 23.6 ppg, shooting 38.5% from 3 and #1 in the state in free throw %, coming in at 91.1%.

The big question mark of this game will be the health of Colonel forward Luke Amburgey. He injured his ankle in the district semifinals. If he is 100%, I like the Colonels to pull off the upset, but if he is not then I will take Simon Kenton. Either way, I am expecting a tight contest.

 

Gallatin County vs Collins (3/2, 8:00 pm)

This is probably the least anticipated game of the first round but has a slight possibility of being interesting. If Gallatin Count had lost their district championship and Collins had won theirs, I wouldn’t be saying this, but this win for the young Gallatin County squad might give them the confidence to make this one interesting. These teams have met 14 times, with Collins winning 12 of them. They have been nothing short of dominant in the series, and have currently won 4 straight, including a 36-point win at the beginning of this season.

Collins is led by senior guard Kenyon Goodin, averaging 18.9 ppg, shooting 55.2% from the field, 41.1% from 3, and 82.5% from the line.

Gallatin County is led by junior guard Kellen Dossett. He is scoring 18.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Dossett is shooting 35.9% from 3 and 73.6% from the line.

I do not see this one very close, I would imagine Collins wins this one by 15+. But like I said before I wouldn’t be super surprised to see the Wildcats play them a little closer than expected.

 

 

This will be a great week of basketball, and I look forward to making the trip to Henry County each night! If anyone would like to meet up and chat for a few minutes during halftime or in between games, shoot me a message and we can set it up! I am excited to see how this year’s tournament pans out, and the top-notch talent that will be on the floor each and every night!

Great job as always. Is this chance to win the tourney or season rankings?  Regarding Mcrear- you say torn acl. He played in august. Are you sure it was a torn acl- that’s a very quick recovery and a lot of risk for a D1 athlete to take if he really tore his acl 6 months ago….

Thanks so much @Adrian Woj Burner!

Great analysis as always!

NO vs GC, even though I would like to see the Braves pull the upset, North just has too many horses and seems to be hitting on all cylinders right now. North by 8.

WC vs Owen  Woodford has been a mystery all year, but seemed to have figured it out at the right time.  Had this game been 2 weeks ago, I would have picked the Rebels,  it breaks my heart, but OC relies on Moore too much and I say WC by 10-15.

SK vs Oldham, I thought OC played pretty bad against SK earlier in the year and were  still in it until the end. With Amburgey injured and SK playing well the last few games, I’m going SK by 5 even though I don’t want too.

Collins vs Gallatin, I didn’t think GC would beat Owen County, so what do I know?  Gallatin should win the 31st again next year, but this season ends against Collins because they are loaded.  Titans by 20.

I’ll go with the obvious chalk picks:  North, Woodford, SK and Collins, with North beating Collins in the final.  By the way, I thought Amburgey’s injury is the knee, rather than ankle?  

1 hour ago, Mojocat said:

I’ll go with the obvious chalk picks:  North, Woodford, SK and Collins, with North beating Collins in the final.  By the way, I thought Amburgey’s injury is the knee, rather than ankle?  

It might be, I am not 100% sure. Not sure why I said ankle to be honest lol, just knew that it was his leg. 

19 hours ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

8th Region Tournament Preview

By: Adrian Woj Burner

 

And then there were 8…. And it’s about the exact 8 teams that we expected coming into the season. After a season full of upsets, close games, and surprising blowouts it seems that things equaled out and the exact 8 teams that I projected in the tournament are about to play for a regional title the next week and a half.

 

Tradition

As I mentioned before, it is a region full of traditions. It all starts off on Sunday after district week, when everyone gets together at Henry County High School for the regional draw. We are only 1 of 2 regions to still draw on Sunday, as everyone else does it now on Saturday. In some years (not this year), this can make Sunday chaos for many coaches and players. The draw is right after lunch, after they figure out their first-round opponent some would have only 30ish hours to prepare for the quarterfinals. However, with the boy’s state tournament coming after the girls this year they will have some more time to prepare, with the first round not starting until Wednesday.

 

The next tradition, Roy L. Winchester Gymnasium. You have probably seen me refer to “The Roy” throughout the year. The gymnasium constructed at Henry County High School in 1962 holds over 5,000 people and has been the regional host for over 60 years in a row. There is nothing in the state like it, stands are packed, popcorn is popping, student sections are rocking, and players are playing with their careers on the line.

 

Bracket

After the draw earlier today, here is the official bracket of the 2023 8th Region Tournament.

 

 

Players to Look For

I am going to name a few players to look for in the tournament coming up. We have all become familiar with the big names on each team playing, but let’s look into some other options on the teams that have been hot as of late.

Jack Fischer (North Oldham): Has picked up a lot bigger of a role on the squad after the injury to sharpshooter Jack Scales. Scales returned to the lineup for districts, but Fischer was still tied for being the leading scorer, putting in 13 points and going a perfect 7/7 from the field.

Isiah Cochran (Collins): The young forward has grown tremendously over the last two season and has been a huge piece to their success all season. In the semifinals of the 30th District Tournament he scored 12 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

Micah Willis (Grant County): The guy controlling the paint for the Braves will need to play to his full potential this week if they want to make a run. In the district semifinals, he scored 20 points and was 10/14 from the field.

Micah Shelton (Owen County): Shelton is the Rebels 3rd scoring option, and if he can score the ball consistently this week, he can help Owen County pull off some upsets and make a run. In the semifinals he scored 15 points and was 5/8 from the field.

Luke Amburgey (Oldham County): The forward is a huge piece to the Colonels both offensively and defensively. If he can make his presence felt, he will be a key role in Oldham County pulling off any upsets.

Matthew Griffin (Gallatin County): Both him and Kellen Dossett have been major scorers all year, but Griffin had a phenomenal week. Averaging 27 ppg in two contests, and hitting the shot heard around the world in the district tournament.

 

Streaming:

Just like many, many years before, PSN-Pegasus Sports Network will be broadcasting this year’s regional tournament on their free website.

 

Rankings 

The road to Rupp Arena ends here, so let’s look at our playing field…

1 – North Oldham Mustangs (24-5)

North Oldham isn’t considered a “blue blood”, but the last 2 years they have dominated the region. They are the reigning region champions and are returning to Henry County this year with their entire core of last year’s team.

The Mustangs are coming off their 3rd District Championship in school history, and it was in dominating fashion. They faced Oldham County in the 29th District Championship and controlled the game from the tip, winning 71-50.

Being on the tougher side of the bracket, the North Oldham will have to win 2 very tough contests to get back into the championship game. I am sure that their goal is nothing short of winning their second consecutive regional title.

 

2 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (17-12)

Last year, the Yellow Jackets being led by star guard Jasper Johnson made a run to the regional championship, losing to North Oldham. This year we expected nothing less, but after dealing with many different injuries we saw many rough games and started forming some doubts.

However, after being a wild card all season, Woodford County is officially back. As mentioned above, they have had many injuries all season, one being John McCrear whom had not touched the floor all season with a torn ACL last summer. McCrear played in the district championship but was limited.

In McCrear’s return, they knocked off #17 in the state Collins to win their second District Title since joining the 30th District in the 2019-20 season.

With this squad being back to fully healthy, they are once again a front-runner for this year’s tournament.

If they are to win their first game, they would have a chance at redemption against North Oldham in the semi-finals. This is as long as North Oldham and Woodford County can both win their quarterfinal matchups. I would picture that the Yellow Jackets have one goal: a regional title. They are looking to mark their names in the history books quick in the 8th Region by winning their first title within their first 5 years of being in the region.

 

3 – Collins Titans (24-7)

One of the top-20 teams in the state for majority of the year, they are 0-3 against the two teams ranked above them this week. Collins is 0-2 against Woodford County, and 0-1 against North Oldham.

Minus their struggles against the 2 teams above them, they have been one of the more dominant teams in the region this year and are still a front-runner for the championship. The Titans returned majority of their core from last season, where their season ended in the regional semifinals by North Oldham, who went on to win the tournament.

Collins has yet to miss the region since their school was established in 2010, but that was in major jeopardy this season. However, they controlled their own destiny, and won both the quarterfinal game against Shelby County, and their semifinal game against Spencer County to advance to the 30th District Championship and grabbed a regional tournament bid.

With their draw, the Titans seem to have the easiest path of the front-runners to the championship game.

 

4 – Grant County Braves (25-7)

What a season by the Braves, and they aren’t done yet. They started off on fire, and then seemed to have slowed down during the middle of the season when they played some tougher competition. However, they learned their lesson and in the final 10 days of the season they knocked off multiple top-10 teams in the state.

Grant County played in a classic of a game against Walton-Verona in the 32nd District Semifinals and squeezed one out 80-76. They went on to lose to Simon Kenton in the championship.

The Braves proved later in the season that they can compete with the best and will have to do that yet again in their first matchup of the regional tournament. If they are to knock off North Oldham in their first matchup, watch out for them to make a run.    

 

5 – Owen County Rebels (24-8)

Two words for this team; Teagan Moore. The 2x 8th Region Player of the Year has had nothing short of a spectacular career at Owen County. Following former Mr. Basketball Carson Williams, no one pictured that anyone to ever come out of their school again would get close to him at all statistically, and Moore did that and even more. Last week he broke the 8th Region All-Time Scoring Record, something that hasn’t been touched since 1973.

It was almost without a doubt that Owen County would be in the regional tournament, not losing a district game in 2 years. This stayed the same in the semifinals, defeating Trimble County, but had their streak come to an end in the championship. They shockingly lost to Gallatin County, thanks to a shot from beyond half-court at the buzzer!

The Rebels have the best player in the region, and one of the best in the state. With this, they are never counted out of a game. They are looking to pull off a couple upsets and make a run.

 

6 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (21-10)

The Pioneers were a slight question mark going into the season, having a good bit of talent last season, and losing in the first round of the district tournament. They have found a dominant 2-3 defense with 7+ footer Gabe Dynes dominating the paint.

Last week, Simon Kenton won their 11th District title since joining the 8th Region in the 2005-06 season. Dominating Williamstown in the semi-finals and defeating Grant County in the championship.

They got a decent draw, and if they can find some scoring, they can make a run.

 

7 – Oldham County Colonels (16-15)

When you think of the 8th Region Tournament, the first team that you think of is the Colonels of Oldham County. They have been the most dominant force in the regional for the last 20+ years. Since 2000, they have accounted for 8 regional titles in 20 appearances and have won over 35 games in the tournament.

This year hasn’t been one of their best in years past, but they have just as much, if not more experience in these atmospheres than any other team in the region. Oldham County has won some good games, lost some bad ones, and competed with some of the best talent in the state.

They are somewhat of a wildcard going into the tournament, but we will see if their experience can-will them to a first round win and look to make some noise in the region once again.

 

8 – Gallatin County Wildcats (13-17)

Being the 3rd smallest school in the region, Gallatin County sure makes an appearance to “The Roy” almost annually. Since they were taken out of the Oldham County district 17 years ago, they have now appeared in 13 regional tournaments. They make it here almost every year and make some noise often when here. Being such a small school, they surprisingly have had 8 wins since 2000, but are yet to make an appearance at Rupp Arena.

They are coming off possibly the biggest upset in 31st District history. Gallatin County faced Owen County in the district championship and were practically counted out of the game before tip-off even occurred. However, they kept it close the entire game, tying it up with just 10 seconds left in the game. After a Teagan Moore turnover with 5 seconds remaining, sophomore Matthew Griffin hit one of the greatest shots in 8th Region history. Throwing up a prayer with 1 second on the clock from beyond half-court and banking it off the backboard and going through the net as the buzzer sounded.

The Wildcats are coming into the tournament on a high note, but them even advancing to the semifinals isn’t necessarily expected. If they were to make a run this year in the tournament, it would be the definition of a Cinderella run.

 

 

Preview

Now it is time to truly dive into the 4 quarterfinal matchups.

 

North Oldham vs Grant County (3/1, 6:30 pm)

What a great game to kick off the regional tournament. 2 of the best teams in the region all year, and both currently being ranked top-20 in the state.

The 2 schools have only met 4 times ever, with North Oldham winning 3 out of 4. The 2 teams met late this season at Grant County, with North Oldham winning the tight contest 53-47.

North Oldham in my opinion has 3 of the best 4 players in the game. Dallas Roberts, Ian Higdon, and Luke Anderson all were selected to the all-region team, and it is well deserved. All 3 players make a huge impact on every game and show up almost every night.

Grant County is led by one of the best players in the region, senior forward Dylan Hammonds. The never-ending motor in Hammonds has him averaging 26 ppg while grabbing 13.3 rpg.

One issue with Hammonds game and Grant County is that they struggle against teams with good height. North Oldham has plenty of height and use it very well. Unless Grant County shoots better than they have for much of the season, I see North Oldham winning this one by 10-15.

 

Woodford County vs Owen County (3/1, 8:00 pm)

There is no doubt that the first night of the region is the better of the 2 quarterfinal nights. Along with the game before, this is another good one. This game is by far going to have the most talent on the floor in the tournament. With John McCrear back, there will be 3 D1 basketball players on the court with McCrear, Jasper Johnson, and Teagan Moore.

This will be the 3rd time ever that the 2 schools have met each other, and the 1st time since 2017. They have split the 2 games.

Woodford County has found their groove as of late, and thanks with the return of McCrear they defeated Collins to win the 30th District Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are led by Jasper Johnson, averaging 21.7 ppg and shooting over 40% from 3.

Owen County is led by region POTY Teagan Moore. He has had one of the best high school careers in regional history. This year he is averaging 31.7 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and is shooting 63.1% from the field, 41.1% from 3, and 83.5% from the line.

I see Owen County struggling against all of Woodford’s athleticism in this game. Give me the Yellow Jackets by 10 or so.

 

Simon Kenton vs Oldham County (3/2, 6:30 pm)

This is a tale of old teams. 2 teams that seem to always be in contention for the region and 2 of the biggest schools in the region as well. However, their actual success in the regional tournament is extremely different. We have talked about it many times, so I won’t go in depth, but Oldham County is the most successful basketball program in the region, and Simon Kenton while being the biggest school in the region, seems to come up short year after year, and are yet to ever win the 8th Region Tournament.

These teams have met 20 times, with Oldham County winning 13 of them. Oldham County had also won 8-straight contests against Simon Kenton. That streak came to an end this year with Simon Kenton defeating them 62-50 in Buckner.

Simon Kenton is led by senior guard Travis Krohman. On the year he is averaging 15.7 ppg and shooting 42.2% from 3 and 78.6% from the line.

The Colonels are led by one of the best players in the region, Max Green. The junior guard has taken his game to another level this season, averaging 23.6 ppg, shooting 38.5% from 3 and #1 in the state in free throw %, coming in at 91.1%.

The big question mark of this game will be the health of Colonel forward Luke Amburgey. He injured his ankle in the district semifinals. If he is 100%, I like the Colonels to pull off the upset, but if he is not then I will take Simon Kenton. Either way, I am expecting a tight contest.

 

Gallatin County vs Collins (3/2, 8:00 pm)

This is probably the least anticipated game of the first round but has a slight possibility of being interesting. If Gallatin Count had lost their district championship and Collins had won theirs, I wouldn’t be saying this, but this win for the young Gallatin County squad might give them the confidence to make this one interesting. These teams have met 14 times, with Collins winning 12 of them. They have been nothing short of dominant in the series, and have currently won 4 straight, including a 36-point win at the beginning of this season.

Collins is led by senior guard Kenyon Goodin, averaging 18.9 ppg, shooting 55.2% from the field, 41.1% from 3, and 82.5% from the line.

Gallatin County is led by junior guard Kellen Dossett. He is scoring 18.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Dossett is shooting 35.9% from 3 and 73.6% from the line.

I do not see this one very close, I would imagine Collins wins this one by 15+. But like I said before I wouldn’t be super surprised to see the Wildcats play them a little closer than expected.

 

 

This will be a great week of basketball, and I look forward to making the trip to Henry County each night! If anyone would like to meet up and chat for a few minutes during halftime or in between games, shoot me a message and we can set it up! I am excited to see how this year’s tournament pans out, and the top-notch talent that will be on the floor each and every night!

Voluminous! You're on top of the Crazy Eighth, my man.

Anyone know if you can buy tickets for this in advance online, or is it cash at the gate?

40 minutes ago, Mojocat said:

Anyone know if you can buy tickets for this in advance online, or is it cash at the gate?

Good question, I will get back with you tomorrow on that. 

REMINDER: 

Tomorrow night is the night!! The road to Rupp will be over here within a week, and the tournament kicks off tomorrow with 4 of the best teams in the region fighting to get into the semifinals! We will see 2 of the top-20 ranked teams in the state (North Oldham and Grant County) matching up against each other to kick things off. 

Directly after that an interesting matchup with 3 D1 basketball players, and multiple D1 football commits. This might be the best night of the tournament in terms of talent on the floor, you don't want to miss it! 

The first game begins at 6:30, with the second one following it directly after. I would expect tomorrow to be pretty crowded, as all 4 teams normally bring a very good crowd. So, if you are wanting a good seat I would get there early. 

As always, PSN-Pegasus Sports Network will be live streaming every game of this year's tournament in free, HD video. I am not sure who will be joining @ColonelMike on the headsets, but they always put on a great broadcast! So if you can't make it out to Henry County tomorrow night, I would highly recommend you tuning into their broadcast!

49 minutes ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

REMINDER: 

Tomorrow night is the night!! The road to Rupp will be over here within a week, and the tournament kicks off tomorrow with 4 of the best teams in the region fighting to get into the semifinals! We will see 2 of the top-20 ranked teams in the state (North Oldham and Grant County) matching up against each other to kick things off. 

Directly after that an interesting matchup with 3 D1 basketball players, and multiple D1 football commits. This might be the best night of the tournament in terms of talent on the floor, you don't want to miss it! 

The first game begins at 6:30, with the second one following it directly after. I would expect tomorrow to be pretty crowded, as all 4 teams normally bring a very good crowd. So, if you are wanting a good seat I would get there early. 

As always, PSN-Pegasus Sports Network will be live streaming every game of this year's tournament in free, HD video. I am not sure who will be joining @ColonelMike on the headsets, but they always put on a great broadcast! So if you can't make it out to Henry County tomorrow night, I would highly recommend you tuning into their broadcast!

Todd Gilley will be joining me on the headsets Wednesday and Thursday at New Castle.    PSN goes "on air" at 6 pm with our pregame show.   www.pegasussportsky.com

Pegasus has been airing 8th Region tournament games since 1979, but we have covered EACH and EVERY game in the tournament for 26 years years now.

And then there were 4... 

See you all in the gym Monday night! Expect a BOOMING crowd and some great basketball! 

A little recap of tonight. 

Wow, that first game was unexpected. Actually, the first half was just as we predicted, tight from the tip. Then the buzzer went off at halftime and it was never the same. Simon Kenton's defense proves dominance yet again, holding a solid Oldham County offense to just 9 points in the entire second half. It seemed that Dynes controlled the paint, and got to the point where Oldham County refused to even take a shot inside the 3 point line. Green was the only person for the Colonels with any will to score. It appeared that the game was still in reach up until Amburgey went out with an injury, and it really turned to tide towards Simon Kenton fully. 

Oldham County loses just one big piece to graduation this summer in Luke Amburgey. I would expect them right back in the tournament next year, and have the potential to be serious contenders just as they normally are. Simon Kenton will face Collins in the semifinals, which I would expect to be a defensive chess match. The two best defensive teams in the region square off. Collins should be favored in this game, but SK has a good chance at an upset and another shot at winning their first 8th Region Championship. 

There isn't much to say about the second game. Isiah Cochran for Collins was great all night, looked to be the best player on the court for all 32 minutes. Just when he slowed down a little is when both Kenyon Goodin and Quintin Simmons came into play, really closing the game out for good. Kellen Dossett and Matthew Griffin from Gallatin struggled to find anything all night, if I were to guess they combined for less than 10 points. The 2 average over 30 a game combined.

Tough night for the Cats, but I would expect them back next year better than they have been this year. They only lose 1 starter, and he is the only one that plays significant minutes for this group. Collins looked great, and it looking to do the same against Simon Kenton in the semifinals to advance on to yet another regional title game.