8th Region Semi-Finals Preview

By: Adrian Woj Burner

 

And then there were 4… and to be honest the 4 teams really aren’t too surprising. We said before the year that Collins, Woodford County, and North Oldham are all top-3 teams in the region. Well, I guess we were correct. The only outsider really could be Simon Kenton, but we all knew coming into the year that they would be in contention, as they always are.

 

Some History

Since 2000, only 4 regional titles have come out of these 4 teams. 3 of these titles have come from Collins (who wasn’t established until 2010), and the other one coming from North Oldham which was just last year. These teams might not have many titles, but they have tons of experience in these sorts of games. With these 4 teams since the 2000 season, they have accounted for 22 District Titles, 41 regional appearances, and 36 wins in the regional tournament. Matter of fact, both North Oldham and Woodford County were in the regional championship last season, and almost every player playing this year has returned. 

 

 

Rankings

Here are the rankings of the final-four teams in the region.

 

1 – North Oldham Mustangs (25-5)

Wow, what a season the ‘Stangs have had. After a couple questionable losses, and win-margins to begin the year 8th Region followers had a few questions, but they responded. North Oldham is by far the hottest team in the region, currently on a 14-game win streak. It seems like since the famous King of the Bluegrass right before Christmas, this team has just clicked. Now remind you these 14 games are not against the slightest bit of weak competition. I have lost count of how many teams they have played against top-20 teams in the state, but I do know that they have a very good record against them.

The Mustangs opened their regional tournament against another top-20 team in the state, Grant County. This was a tightly contested battle all the way until the end, but North Oldham wound up squeezing out the win. The final score was 51-43, and Jack Fischer led them in scoring with 15 points. The team had real struggles shooting the ball, going just 2/8 from deep and 7/16 from the line.  

 

2 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (18-12)

If you have ever wondered what an up-and-down season looks like, then you should have followed this team for the season. Their plague of injuries started before practice even began. D1 commit John McCrear tore his ACL over the summer. He had not played all year but has begun getting in the rotation for the last 6 games. The injury bug did not slow down either once games started to be played. Around Christmas time, another D1 Jasper Johnson missed a few games with a concussion. Of course, they were playing in some tough tournaments, so their record shot below .500 during this stint. Then, Johnson was injured again later in the season, causing them to drop a few games. However, this team seems to be getting back towards fully healthy and are finding their groove. In their last 7 games they have lost just 1 and it was to a top-10 team in the state. Also note that Jasper Johnson did not play in this game.

In the first round of the tournament, they faced Owen County. Woodford should have been heavily favored in this game but found themselves down by as much as 16 points about halfway through the 3rd quarter. However, with WKU commit Teagan Moore picking up his 4th foul he was very limited when guarding. Both Johnson and McCrear had 4 fouls in the 3rd quarter, causing them to sit out. While sitting out, their role players fought them back into the game. Once both stars returned to the floor with fresh legs, it seemed as if the game was over. They controlled the game for the rest of time, winning 55-50. Stats are not posted for the game.

 

3 – Collins Titans (25-7)

If you ever want to see one of the most consistent teams in the state, just travel down to Shelbyville and watch the Collins Titans. Head Coach Chris Gaither does not get the respect he deserves. He is probably the best coach in the region, and I would put him high up at the state level. Gaither has this ability to get every player to buy into his system, no matter how skilled or athletic they are. If you really pay attention, year after year every one of his teams play relatively the same, stifling defense and consistent looks on offense.

This style of play is normally a gateway to success within high school basketball, and now as this year is closing in you can mark yet another year that the Titans have had a successful season. Coming into the regional semifinals with a 25-7 record, with one of the best defenses in the region.

They opened regional tournament play against Gallatin County. The game was absolute dominance from the tip, jumping out to a 13-2 lead very quickly. After this run, the Titans never looked back. They wound up winning the game 64-28. I am not sure of the final stats, but I believe Cochran would have led them in scoring. He was lights out for the entirety of the game.

 

4 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (22-10)

Defense, that’s it, just defense. That has been their bread and butter all season, with 7 '2 Gabe Dynes dominating the paint, they run a spread out 2-3 zone allowing them to take away many dribbling gaps and open looks. This has led them to some great wins, but their offensive struggles have also led them to some questionable losses. It has been an odd season for the Pioneers, yet they are just 2 wins in a row from making their first appearance in Rupp Arena as the 8th Region Champions.

This defense was out in action last Thursday night against Oldham County. The Colonels came into the game averaging 64.7 ppg, and the Pioneers held them to just 20 points in the first half. That felt very low for the powerhouse OC offense, but we weren’t prepared for the domination we would see in the 2nd half. Oldham County couldn’t find a shot anywhere, just scoring 7 points in the 3rd quarter. It continued to get even worse, only scoring 2 points in the 4th. With this insane defense, the Pioneers came out with a 55-29 win. They were led in scoring by Travis Krohman with 15 and Gabe Dynes with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

 

 

Matchup Previews

The semifinals will be tomorrow (Monday) night, the first game being at 6:30pm and the second game following. The championship game will be Tuesday night at 7:00pm. This should be 3 games worth making the drive over to Henry County. With the crowds in the quarterfinal rounds, I would imagine you will have to get there early if you have any hopes of parking in an actual parking spot.

 

North Oldham vs Woodford County (6:30 PM)

What a semifinal matchup. These two teams were in some close battles during quarterfinal play, but both squeezed out wins to set us up with a rematch of last year’s region championship. The odd thing about this matchup is that both teams returned the majority of their roster, so it is very close to a rematch of last year. In an interview after their win in the 1st round, Woodford County guard Aden Nelson said: “We have been waiting for this one”.

Since 2006 these teams have only met 5 times, North Oldham leading the series 3-2. There might not be a ton of history between the two teams, but they have been 2 of the powerhouses in the region for the last couple years. These are my two favorites to reach the championship, and I expect nothing short of a classic game.

North Oldham is led by Dallas Roberts, coming into the game averaging 17.7 ppg, shooting 40.9% from 3 and 85.3% from the line. They also have the twin towers in the paint, Luke Anderson, and Ian Higdon. Combined these two averages 23.1 ppg and 16.1 rpg. KHSAA does not track blocks, but if they did both would be ranked high in the state.

Woodford County is led by Jasper Johnson. Coming into the game he is averaging 21.1 ppg, shooting 39.6% from behind the arc and 76.9% from the line. Outside of Johnson they have many unreal athletes that could get to the goal against almost anyone. Another name is John McCrear, who has been hurt the majority of the season. He must come up big in this game if they want to defeat the reigning champions.

This matchup should not let you down. The big questions for this game: Will Woodford County look determined to sit down and guard? Will North Oldham’s amazing defense give Johnson and company troubles scoring the ball? Will McCrear be able to neutralize NO’s twin towers?

 

Simon Kenton vs Collins (8:00 PM)

The battle of the defenders. There are no other words to describe this one. The two teams this year that have been known for having possibly the best defenses in the region. Also, a battle of some great coaches. Coach Gaither has had nothing short of great success since joining Collins in 2010 when the school was established. Coach Steiner has been with the Pioneers for what feels like forever but has also had some great success while there. The one thing missing on Steiner’s resume: an 8th Region Title. Winning a title this year would be more than impressive, possibly the most challenging the region has been in many years.

Simon Kenton is led by Travis Krohman in scoring, coming into the game averaging 15.7 ppg, shooting 42.4% from 3, and 78.6% from the line. While Krohman is leading in scoring, you can’t forget about the big man. If you have had the chance to watch the ‘Neers this year, then you know exactly who I am talking about. Gabe Dynes, the 7’2 man, runs everything inside the 3-point line. If you attempt a shot in the paint, you will know that you can’t do it again. He is scoring 12.3 ppg, grabbing 9.8 rpg, and like mentioned before KHSAA doesn’t have blocks but I could only imagine what he is at on the year.

Collins is led by senior guard Kenyon Goodin, scoring 18.7 ppg, grabbing 6.5 rpg, shooting 40.3% from 3, and 81.7% from the line. Goodin is by far one of the most consistent players that I have ever laid eyes on. It feels like he never gets a bad shot, never takes a play off on defense, and will rarely have a mishap on offense. The second player to lookout for is Isiah Cochran. This long point-forward can get to the rim while also playing the post. He is scoring 11.3 ppg while also grabbing 5.2 rpg.

 

 

I am looking forward to a great 2 nights of basketball, I can’t wait! I will try and get something written on Monday night after the games for a championship game preview, but it might be late. Thanks for all of your all’s support this season on BGP, it is will appreciated!

Awesome job. 

Great preview, AWB!   As always, very interesting reading!

Just a trivia tidbit....."since 2000" may be a bit of a misleading date, since none of these four teams were even in the 8th Region in 2000.

North Oldham is the oldest 8th Region team of the group, opening in the 2003-4 season. 

Simon Kenton joined the 8th in the 2005-6 season, when the state re-districted.

Collins' first year was 2010-11, after the school opened.

Woodford didn't join the region until the 2019-20 season, when the state re-districted them from the 11th Region.

So....it's not like these four teams have each had 23 opportunities to win the region title (2000-2022); North has had 19 tries; SK has had 17, Collins has had 12 opportunities, and Woodford only 3 chances so far.

Only North and Collins have region 8 titles.

Miscellaneous Notes.... North is an impressive 7-2 against ranked competition, having defeated Trinity, Mason County, Lyon County (by 30+), North Laurel, Grant County (twice), and Collins, winning by double digits in each game except the Trinity game, which they won by 2.   The Mustangs' lone losses to ranked teams came by 14 to #1 Warren Central and by 8 to #2 ranked LexCath.    North Oldham has not lost in 2023, going 14-0.   North's defense isn't getting the credit it deserves; the Mustangs held #17 Collins to their lowest point total of the season (39 points) and #18 Grant County to its lowest point total of the season 43 points).   They also held high-scoring South Oldham (71 ppg) to its lowest point total of the season (38 points)    North is 1-1 against the remaining teams, with a win over Collins and a loss to SK.

Simon Kenton's defense, led by 7'3" shot blocker Gabe Dynes, was borderline sensational against an Oldham County offense built to score.    With the Colonels up, 25-22, midway through the third, SK went on a 33-4 run to close out the final quarter and a half.   It was one of the most dominant defensive performances we've seen this year.     Simon has battled to a 4-4 record against ranked teams, with wins over Grant County (twice), North Oldham, and Mason County.    SK fell to Collins (twice), Conner, and CovCath.     SK is 1-2 against the remaining teams, with two narrow losses to Collins and a win over North.

Collins will try to achieve a difficult feat Monday when they attempt to take down SK for the third consecutive time this year.    Collins knocked off SK by 7 in the championship of the Ashland Invitational tournament and by 4 points in the Henry County Classic.     Collins is 2-3 against the other semi-finalists, with two narrow wins over SK, and losses to North Oldham and Woodford (twice).

Woodford is perhaps the most intriguing of the final four teams; the Yellowjackets struggled through injuries all season, but they are healthy now.    Probably the most athletic team of the bunch, Woodford is stocked with Division 1 college talent.     Only their fourth opportunity in the region tournament; Woodford will undoubtedly have a chip on their shoulder when they face North in the rematch of last year's finals.    The Jackets have already beaten Collins twice, so they should have a load of confidence heading into the semis and - perhaps - finals.

Both semi-final games and the finals will be broadcast live (and archived on) www.pegasussportsky.com

Pegasus Sports is the Voice of the 8th Region....having been covering 8th Region games since 1979 (on radio/cable TV/ and now the internet).    For the last 26 years, PSN has broadcast each and every game of both the boys and girls 8th Region tournaments.     Our announcers can talk knowledgeably about tournaments past - they were there!   Hope you can make it to the games - but if you can't, please join us!

1 minute ago, ColonelMike said:

Just a trivia tidbit....."since 2000" may be a bit of a misleading date, since none of these four teams were even in the 8th Region in 2000.

Wow... absolute brain fart. Funniest part is that I had it written right in front of my eyes in my notebook. Been a long day I guess LOL. 

3 minutes ago, ColonelMike said:

Woodford is perhaps the most intriguing of the final four teams; the Yellowjackets struggled through injuries all season, but they are healthy now.    Probably the most athletic team of the bunch, Woodford is stocked with Division 1 college talent. 

By far the most athletic team remaining. Their warm ups are something else... I feel like we are watching an NBA team go through the warm-up lines! Blessed with 360's, windmills, between the legs. You name it, someone on their team can do it. 

As always, PSN-Pegasus Sports Network will be broadcasting both of the semifinal games, as well as the championship game. 

If you can't make it over to New Castle either of the next two nights, I highly recommend tuning into their free HD coverage of the games! They have all of the misc. stats you can think of, along with great play-by-play commentating! 

32 minutes ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

Wow... absolute brain fart. Funniest part is that I had it written right in front of my eyes in my notebook. Been a long day I guess LOL. 

You know, I hadn't even thought of the fact, in terms of length of time actually in the region, until I read your (very comprehensive!) preview.     It suddenly dawned on me that these are the four "youngest" teams in the region.....