And then there were 2…

 

This one should not disappoint. We have a rematch of the 30th District Championship on our hands, and they have played each other both in the 2 matchups they have had this season.

 

When: Tuesday March 7, 7:00 PM

Where: Henry County High School

 

History

These are 2 completely different takes, and somewhat newcomers to the region. Collins was established as a school in 2010 and has been dominant in the region since. In their 13 years they have been in the regional tournament every single year, winning 15 games. They have won 3 regional titles and are looking for their 4th this year.

Woodford County is the newest team in the region, this being just their 4th season since moving over. Since they have joined, both them and Collins have dominated the 30th District. WC has missed the region just once and have won 2 district titles in these 4 years. This will be their second consecutive regional championship game.

These two teams have met up twice this season, both games going to Woodford County. However, they have been nothing short of great games. The Yellow Jackets won the first game 62-56, and the second 52-49.

 

Woodford County

The reigning 30th District Champions are coming into the game on a heater. They are currently on a 6-game win streak. In their last 3 games they have defeated Collins, Owen County who has the player of the year, and North Oldham the #3 team in the state. Jasper Johnson, a top-15 player in the nation for the current sophomore class has been relentless. The performance he put on tonight was like no other, just lights out from all 3 levels on the floor. Johnson also has a great supporting cast, with D1 basketball commit John McCrear coming off the bench due to his ACL tear in the summer, and 2 other athletes going D1 for football.

This team is flying around everywhere on defense and is a scary sight when you see them in transition. I look for them to push the pace in this game, and let Johnson get hot early.

 

Collins

While Woodford County has the better athletes, Collins has the brains. This team is coached by the best coach in the region Chris Gaither. He has the same formula every year, stifling defense and consistent offense. That consistency on offense showed tonight, being very patient against Simon Kenton’s 2-3 zone and getting great looks, converting on a ton of these great looks. The Titans have a great group of players, including a small group I refer to as the big 3. Kenyon Goodin, Isiah Cochran, and Quintin Simmons are by far the 3 standouts on this squad. All 3 are capable of scoring 20+ on any given night.

I would imagine that Collins will try to control the tempo of this game. They love a slower-paced game, completely opposite of Woodford County. If they can control the tempo and play their style of basketball I like their chances.

Collins FTW! Have the best Coach in the 8th by far. The way he handled SK’s tough 2-3 tonight proves he can tackle and figure just about everything out to get the looks for the guys. Now Woodford obviously isn’t SK but I think Dines is a lot tougher to go against than McCrear imo. Now I will say Collins will have a tough time with Jasper Johnson. I was surprised with how well WC held out against North tonight. I thought they were going to lose when NO got it to 10 but they held out. We are in for a good game in the chip but I don’t see Collins losing 3 in a row to WC. 

17 minutes ago, MaxKellerman said:

Collins FTW! Have the best Coach in the 8th by far. The way he handled SK’s tough 2-3 tonight proves he can tackle and figure just about everything out to get the looks for the guys. Now Woodford obviously isn’t SK but I think Dines is a lot tougher to go against than McCrear imo. Now I will say Collins will have a tough time with Jasper Johnson. I was surprised with how well WC held out against North tonight. I thought they were going to lose when NO got it to 10 but they held out. We are in for a good game in the chip but I don’t see Collins losing 3 in a row to WC. 

Welcome to BGP Max!

The Rematch! 

I have got Woodford coming out of the 8th tomorrow night. I believe their athleticism has given Collins fits, as Collins is usually the team out-athleting teams they play. Especially with Jasper Johnson performing well, at the right time. 

However, if the Yellow Jackets do not come out to play, which often happens, Collins could run them out of the gym. Considering Gaither always has a great gameplan, and his players are prepared. 

24 minutes ago, MaxKellerman said:

Collins FTW! Have the best Coach in the 8th by far. The way he handled SK’s tough 2-3 tonight proves he can tackle and figure just about everything out to get the looks for the guys. Now Woodford obviously isn’t SK but I think Dines is a lot tougher to go against than McCrear imo. Now I will say Collins will have a tough time with Jasper Johnson. I was surprised with how well WC held out against North tonight. I thought they were going to lose when NO got it to 10 but they held out. We are in for a good game in the chip but I don’t see Collins losing 3 in a row to WC. 

Dynes*

I do not see Gaither getting his guys good looks with WC smothering defense. Also, the fact they will be able to out-athlete them. 

1 minute ago, LLS10 said:

Dynes*

I do not see Gaither getting his guys good looks with WC smothering defense. Also, the fact they will be able to out-athlete them. 

Athletes don’t always win championships… Like I said earlier Gaither is the best coach in the 8th. You don’t think he’s seen more athletic and more smothering defenses before? They’ve lost twice already so you know he’s got something up his sleeve… 

So, I’ve seen Woodford County twice this year, both times in the 8th Region tournament.  They couldn’t have been less impressive vs Owen County, and couldn’t have been more impressive tonight.  What does that imply?  Do they have a hard time showing up for each game?  Last year, the shoes were on opposing feet and North Oldham embarrassed WC - and Woodford openly said tonight was a game they’d been looking forward to for a year.  Mission accomplished.  Will there be a natural letdown the game after “the game”, especially for a team prone to taking nights off?  Could be.  And Collins is the sort of disciplined and athletic-enough team to take advantage of that.  The Woodford County I saw tonight would’ve beaten any 8th Region team, including Collins.  Can that team show up on consecutive nights?

1 minute ago, MaxKellerman said:

Athletes don’t always win championships… Like I said earlier Gaither is the best coach in the 8th. You don’t think he’s seen more athletic and more smothering defenses before? They’ve lost twice already so you know he’s got something up his sleeve… 

Well, they have won 2 straight against your coach of the year... With those athletes, and the best player in the region. 

1 minute ago, LLS10 said:

Well, they have won 2 straight against your coach of the year... With those athletes, and the best player in the region. 

True. We shall see.

Welcome to BGP @MaxKellerman!

They say it’s hard to beat a team 3 times! 

2 hours ago, Wildcat1993 said:

They say it’s hard to beat a team 3 times! 

Collins would disagree with that statement last night. Defeated Simon Kenton 2 times in a row this season before their matchup, where they won yet again. All 3 games were close throughout. 

7 hours ago, MaxKellerman said:

True. We shall see.

Actually it’s 3 in a row. 

Defense travels

Collins in a CLOSE one

2 hours ago, Adrian Woj Burner said:

Collins would disagree with that statement last night. Defeated Simon Kenton 2 times in a row this season before their matchup, where they won yet again. All 3 games were close throughout. 

Still tough to beat a team 3x in a row.