What an interesting year in terms of the unpredictability of most of our teams, and the outcomes that are so difficult to understand from one week to the next -- really speaks to the depth in NKY of "good/solid" teams", and frankly, the quality of coaching up and down the area.  Campbell County had ANOTHER outstanding win this week vs Ryle, after also beating Notre Dame, but they also have a 32 point home loss to Holy Cross and a 22 point home loss to Conner on their resume.  Speaking of Conner, this week alone they beat Dixie by 32 points, but then lose to a Whitefield Academy team that Holy Cross put a running clock on.  So hard to figure.  I will say, I think Coach Gambrel and Anna Hamilton deserve a TON of credit for leading that young team through a difficult schedule, and they have more challenges to come, but overall they have battled night-in, and night-out.

Simon Kenton has quite a week upcoming, they play two of the Top 5 teams in Kentucky, both on the road, when they visit Holy Cross on Wednesday and Sacred Heart on Friday.  Coach Stowers and his very young team will be battle-tested for the post-season, and will be a huge favorite to do a lot of damage next year after all of the seasoning and learning they've been able to do this year.

Lastly, we see more movement in the Top 4 this week, with Ryle dropping one to Campbell County....in spite of a low-key GREAT win vs North Laurel that followed it.  Luckily we get the Notre Dame vs Ryle game this week (battle for 3rd in NKY) in Park Hills, so let's call my ranking this week my early prediction for that game (certain to be wrong).  For the bottom-half of the Top 10, it remains a real challenge, but I feel pretty good about where it is settling this week.  We have some great games this week, noted in the Top 10, which should clarify (or muck up) where we finish over the next week and a half before districts.  

Some huge games this week around the area, get out and see them!!!

1.  Cooper 21-4 (2-0 last week):  at NewCath

2.  Holy Cross 21-5 (1-0):  at Bishop Brossart (sneaky good game) and vs Simon Kenton (nothing sneaky about it)

3.  Notre Dame 19-5 (3-0):  vs Ryle (outstanding game!!) and vs GRC (another outstanding game!!)

4.  Ryle 17-8 (3-1):  at Notre Dame (huge game) and at Franklin County (another KY Top 20 team on the road)

5.  Simon Kenton 16-7 (1-0):  at Holy Cross (terrific game) and at Sacred Heart (no big deal, at KY's #1 team on the road)

6.  Highlands 17-7 (2-0):  at St. Henry and vs Owen County

7.  Campbell County 16-8 (2-0):  vs Dixie (low-key good game), at St. Henry, and at Conner (again, should be fun)

8.  Grant County 17-6 (1-1):  at Owen County and at Anderson County (huge challenge on the road vs KY #10 team)

9.  Bishop Brossart 16-7 (2-0):  vs Holy Cross (big chance on their home floor) and vs Bracken County

10. NewCath 17-8 (1-1):  vs Cooper (KY #2), vs Ludlow and at Great Crossing

======================================================

8th:  Walton Verona 15-9

9th:  Conner 11-14, Dixie 13-11, St. Henry 13-11, Bellevue 18-7, Ludlow 16-11

10th:  Scott 16-9

Great job with the weekly rankings DD !

Holy Cross is rolling.  Brossart had no chance.  I think Cooper and Holy Cross are head and shoulders above everyone else.  

7 minutes ago, REALSPORT said:

Holy Cross is rolling.  Brossart had no chance.  I think Cooper and Holy Cross are head and shoulders above everyone else.  

Head and shoulders…

Not sure I would agree with that take. 
We will find out soon enough I guess. 

21 minutes ago, JBake said:

Head and shoulders…

Not sure I would agree with that take. 
We will find out soon enough I guess. 

Ryle has an argument, to be sure, including head-to-head early in the season, but there are enough results since (losing to Campbell County, first among them), contrasted with how Holy Cross has played NDA, those same Camels, Pikeville, etc., to make me confident that HC is playing better now.

I absolutely expect Holy Cross and Ryle to meet in one of the first two rounds of the 9th Region, seems destined to be so.

1 hour ago, JBake said:

Head and shoulders…

Not sure I would agree with that take. 
We will find out soon enough I guess. 

Ryle has the best 1-2 punch in the ninth.   They are a force in the ninth. 

54 minutes ago, feelingit said:

Ryle has the best 1-2 punch in the ninth.

If there was a "Gus Macker" 2 on 2 tournament in the 9th Region I would take Ryle 100% of the time. 

2 hours ago, The Double Deuce said:

If there was a "Gus Macker" 2 on 2 tournament in the 9th Region I would take Ryle 100% of the time. 

@The Double Deucepulls out a “Gus Macker” reference, haven’t heard that term in 30 odd years!!! 

11 hours ago, JBake said:

Head and shoulders…

Not sure I would agree with that take. 
We will find out soon enough I guess. 

Agreed.  Ryle is very much in the top 2 or 3, and ultimately when it matters, moving to the college court favors Ryle more than any other team and they have the best player in the region. 

On 2/13/2024 at 1:09 PM, The Double Deuce said:

I absolutely expect Holy Cross and Ryle to meet in one of the first two rounds of the 9th Region, seems destined to be so.

Doubling down on the above, because I will be shocked if Holy Cross and Ryle don't cross paths in the first or second round of the 9th Region (HC winning the 35th, Ryle runner up in the 33rd), even though I know Cooper and Holy Cross could be on the same side (hope not), but worth noting when looking at the Holy Cross vs Ryle series:  Ryle has won 9 straight games vs the Indians and HC's last win over the Lady Raiders will be more than 10 years from the 2024 9th Region Tournament.  

So it has been a LONG time.  We'll just say that.

I still think HC is playing better today, but Ryle has a GREAT chance to make the 9th Region Tourney Championship a 33rd District match-up....again.

In the latest CJ poll, Cooper is 2; Holy Cross is 4; Notre Dame is 13 and Ryle is 14.  

1 hour ago, REALSPORT said:

In the latest CJ poll, Cooper is 2; Holy Cross is 4; Notre Dame is 13 and Ryle is 14.  

There is a "Statewide Poll" thread as well, just as an FYI, we put it out every Wednesday.

Thanks Real!