9th Region: Week 3

[se7ens]

Merry Christmas to all and to all a highly competitive 9th region. 

We head towards the end of December with three clear contenders at the top. The order of those is arguable though the Lloyd Juggernauts are currently receiving statewide praise. 

The holiday tournaments and classics have provided and will continue to provide a variety of matchups that test 9th region teams against teams across the state (and sometimes even each other).

Rankings

1. Lloyd - There is a legitimate argument for three teams to be in this spot and I think we will be able to say that through out the year. But for now, the Juggernauts sit supreme in the 9th. Lloyd went 3-1 in the King of the Bluegrass, unfortunately losing their opener to mighty St. Xavier. They would go on to beat the formidable trio of Ashland, Male and Newport. The Juggernauts open up with Harlan as the participate in the legendary Ashland Invitational Tournament this week.

2. Covington Catholic - The Colonels are one trip to Florida away from a showdown with top ranked Lloyd. They travel to Sarasota for a tournament to close out the calendar year and resume regional play with that game against Lloyd on January 3rd. CovCath got a road win at Simon Kenton last week before splitting a trip to McNicholas over the the river in Cincinnati, beating Lebron James’ alma mater before falling to Ballard.

3. Cooper - The Jaguars remain hot though their December schedule has been relatively light. They defeated NCC before getting two wins in the Scott Winter Classic over Northridge (Ohio) and Holy Cross. They open up with Frederick Douglass in the WGM Holiday Tournament at Lexington Catholic.

4. Highlands - I think you can make an argument for pretty much any order for the teams I have 4 through 7. However, Highlands came into this week undefeated, though the did lose their first game Monday to Cincinnati Hills Christian. They have put up a ton of points and collected a lot of wins, but their schedule has also been relatively light in quality matchups. Like Lloyd, they travel to the AIT where they open up with Fleming County.

5. Ryle - The Raiders are starting to convert some games into victories after starting the year 0-3. They picked up wins over NCC and Breathitt County. Wild fact - by the time they tip off January 18th at home against Sayre, they will only have played two home games. They are off until January 3rd. 

6. Newport - The Wildcats went 2-2 in the King of the Bluegrass, competing with Lloyd in the finale, ultimately falling by 7. They continue their absolutely brutal schedule as they head to Lexington Catholic for the White Greer Maggard.

7. Holy Cross - The Indians picked up wins last week over Simon Kenton and their Louisville counterpart last week (but started this week off with a loss to Cooper). William McElheny is very close to averaging a double-double with 13.9 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. They face Atherton this weekend. 

8. Conner - The Cougars are red hot, sweeping through the Scott Winter Classic. They also play in the City of Middletown Classic this weekend like Holy Cross does. They face Eastern.

9. Beechwood - The Tigers fell to Conner and Gallatin County last week but defeated Oldham County in a blowout. They face Oletangy Liberty of Ohio this week.

10. Dixie Heights - Dixie had just one game last week, a loss to Conner. They play three games at Estill County this week.

11. Newport Central Catholic - The Breds fell to Ryle and Cooper last week. They square off with two Indiana teams this week.

12. St. Henry - The Cru fell on the road to Western Hills but beat Ludlow and Villa. They travel to Seton Catholic in Richmond, Indiana this week.

13. Ludlow - The Panthers defeated conference foes Bellevue and Dayton before falling to St. Henry. They face Pendleton County at Bellevue this week.

14. Holmes - The Bulldogs are catching people’s attention as they continue to start the Sam Elsbernd era off in style. They fell in a close one to Brossart before going 2-1 at Raceland. 

15. Boone County - A blowout win over Southern marks Boone County’s first win of the year. Their body of work shows they are probably better than the small schools below them but it will be tough for them to compete with schools their own size or larger. They face North Hardin this week. 

16. Heritage - Heritage went 4-1 last week, losing only to Garrard County. It is going to be interesting watching Boone and Heritage this year knowing they are on a collision course for the 4-5 game in the district tournament. They gave Calvary Christian this week.

17. Villa Madonna - The Vikings fell to Heritage and St. Henry last week. They have an unlisted game for this Friday.

18. Bellevue - The Tigers fell to Ludlow and Augusta. They host Dawson Springs this week.

19. Dayton - The Greendevils finally got in the win column with a victory over Calvary Christian. They also defeated Robertson County before falling to Ludlow. They are off until January 2nd.

20. Covington Latin - The Trojans opened their season with a two point loss to St. Patrick. They are off this week.

[theguru]

Bump.