Only two more weeks until district tournaments start and wow, did we have a ton of movement in the rankings this past week in the 9th. By now you know I am a huge fan of tiers rather than hyper-specific rankings. This region demonstrates why. I believe teams 1 through 3 are basically equal and one of these three will most likely be regional champs. Number 4 is a tier to themselves, not yet proven enough to be in the top 3 but certainly above the fray. They'll have a chance as well at the regional title but I don't know even they can be consistent enough over three games in the regional.

Teams 5 through 11 are the dark horses. They have beaten up on each other and have moved up and down throughout the year. Obviously, not all of them will make it out of the district tournament and several of them will be playing each other in a district semifinal to continue their postseason. 

Teams 12 through 16 have no realistic chance at a postseason run, but they have each had their bright spots to celebratae this season. Teams 17 through 20, though at the bottom, all have games they as well should be proud about and they are a testament to how awesome this region is. 

Rankings

1. Lloyd Memorial - The Juggernauts have been accused of not showing up in the big moments. Well, it is February and they are playing their best basketball and look like they might be poised for a title run. As we have spoken to, they have not yet beaten the other two primary contenders, but they did play them super close while not playing their best. Last week saw the Juggs blow out St. Henry and Woodward (OH). This week they have Highlands, the Cincinnati Trailblazers, and Collins, the first two games being at home. The game against the Bluebirds is certainly one of the must-watch games of the week.

2. Cooper - I struggled knocking the Jaguars from the top spot, but the fact of the matter is the home loss to Walton Verona is a bad one. They got quality wins over Conner and Campbell earlier in the week, and they still are unbeaten against 9th region competition. They play Fairdale and Lexington Christian this week and I fully expect them to bounce back from yesterday's loss.

3. Covington Catholic - The Colonels had an awesome week, beating Holy Cross, Ryle and Newport. It was much needed as they entered the week on back-to-back losses. Now they appear to be back to playing at their standard. The host Moeller (OH) this week before traveling to Montgomery County and Dixie.

4. Newport - The aforementioned team on the island, Newport lost to CovCath last week but defeated rival and district foe NCC. They are clearly below the top 3 teams but above the fray. They will also be able to walk in to regional tournament as they will face either Dayton or Bellevue in the semifinals, both bottom 3 teams in the region that they have beaten by 30 plus. Newport faces Dixie and Conner this week. 

5. Dixie Heights - The Colonels were rocked by a double digit loss at the hands of NCC but were able to bounce back with a blowout win over Kentucky Country Day. They have quite the week in front of them as they host Bracken County, travel to Newport and Holy Cross, and finish the week with a home contest with the blue Colonels of Covington Catholic. They obviously will have the chance this week to show they aren't just the best of the rest but are in fact a contender for the regional title.

6. Highlands - After trouncing Campbell County at NKU to end the week before, the Birds had just one game this past week. They were able to outscore the Conner Cougars by a tune of 79 to 74 at home. They continue to face great competition as they face Lloyd, Holy Cross, and Montgomery County. The Birds' schedule this season was definitely lopsided as they started the season with a slew of easier games but face really tough opponents here in the last third of the season. 

7. Conner - The Cougars had a rough week, but it was against really tough competitors. They lost to Cooper, Highlands and South Dearborn (IN). They face Newport, NCC, and Lawrenceburg (IN) in an almost identical pattern from the week before (contender, dark horse, Indiana). This week's iteration should be a little more palatable though and I expect Conner to get back to their winning ways. That game against Newport could be very entertaining. 

8. Ryle - The Raiders beat Scott and St. Henry but lost to Covington Catholic. They host two 37th district teams this week in Campbell and Brossart before traveling to Louisville to face St. Xavier on Saturday in a game that definitely stirs gridiron echoes. 

9. Beechwood - The next three teams could literally be in any order and I'd accept it. The Tigers defeated Mason County but lost to Holy Cross and Campbell County. They really have yet to replicate their play from the All A regional. They face St. Henry, Trimble County and Heritage this week.

10. Newport Central Catholic - The Breds weren't competitive against city rival Newport but were able to get two great wins over Dixie and Holy Cross. The home win over the Indians came off a buzzer beating three pointer. They face Walton and Conner this week.

11. Holy Cross - The Indians had a very mixed week, losing by 23 to CovCath, beating Beechwood by 2 and losing to NCC by 3. They face Dixie, Scott, and Highlands this week.

12. Holmes - The Bulldogs are 3 wins away from a guaranteed winning season, no small feat based on where they have been in recent years. They face Villa, Scott, Augusta and Nicholas County this week.

13. St. Henry - The Cru have not won since January 21st and haven't beaten a 9th region team since December. They can change that this week in their lone game but it will be a tough ask as they face Beechwood on the road.

14. Boone County - The Rebels' last was Ludlow back on January 4th and they will get the chance to play them again this week.

15. Ludlow - The Panthers were victorious in their conference tournament as the knocked off Heritage in the championship game. They face Boone County and Owen County this week.

16. Heritage Academy - Bracken County, Pendleton County, and Beechwood await the Eagles this week. They are locked in to play the Boone County Rebels in the 4 vs 5 game in the district tournament. This will be their best chance to get a district win since they lost to Cooper in overtime in the 4 vs 5 game the first year Cooper competed in the tournament. 

17. Bellevue - The Tigers got their best win of the year last week as they beat Villa at Villa in the conference tournament by 2 points. Arion Stuckey had 18.

18. Villa Madonna - The Vikings face Holmes, St. Patrick, Bellevue,  and Bracken County this week as they look to break their 3 game losing skid.

19. Dayton - The Green Devils got win four as they beat St. Patrick.

20. Covington Latin - The Trojans are scheduled to play Portland Christian on Saturday.

I think Lloyds better off looking at themselves as the 3-4 with something to prove rather than sitting at the top looking down. I think they should feel confident they can beat anyone in the 9th but I hope they don't lose the grit they have had the last few weeks. I believe they have the most all around impactful player in the 9th and if they use him right he will carry them very far. I like the rankings @se7ens. I think Cooper and Cov Cath are about to be very hungry over the next few weeks. Really curious if Cov Cath can keep overcoming their size discrepancies and roster limitations or can a team wear on them when it matters, wouldn't want to be in a shootout with Mcgillis though. Wish Newport would figure out how to use them bigs more efficiently  before the 9th tourny so they could be really dangerous. The largest (by size) players from the top 4 schools are really what it's going to come down too. Can EJ Walker dominate like he is suppose to? Can Andy Johnson keep doing it all? Can Bradshaw hold down the fort by himself? Can Turner and Starks be used effienciently? 

Also note that Elijah Collins has entered play for Lloyd. He put up 9 in his first game back and followed that up with 15 against Woodward. A good defender, excellent 3 point shooter, and another ball handler which Lloyd needs. I don't quite think they are the number one team in the 9th yet but they can definitely beat any of the top teams. 

7 hours ago, Hollywood23 said:

Also note that Elijah Collins has entered play for Lloyd. He put up 9 in his first game back and followed that up with 15 against Woodward. A good defender, excellent 3 point shooter, and another ball handler which Lloyd needs. I don't quite think they are the number one team in the 9th yet but they can definitely beat any of the top teams. 

Hope his conditioning gets up to par fast in the next couple weeks. They are definitely going to be a better team with him on the court and could use some big minutes from him.

@Hollywood23 Do you know if he slid right back into the starting lineup or is he coming off the bench as of now?

Just now, Honey Badger said:

@Hollywood23 Do you know if he slid right back into the starting lineup or is he coming off the bench as of now?

From what I have seen he is coming off the bench but still playing a lot of minutes. Lloyd has another kid in the starting lineup that shoots it well #10 and number 5 Humphrey while not taking a ton of 3s knocks them down at a good rate. With Collins back Lloyd will have a very solid group of shooters to go along with their slashers and Walker in the inside.

14 minutes ago, Nkybballfan23 said:

From what I have seen he is coming off the bench but still playing a lot of minutes. Lloyd has another kid in the starting lineup that shoots it well #10 and number 5 Humphrey while not taking a ton of 3s knocks them down at a good rate. With Collins back Lloyd will have a very solid group of shooters to go along with their slashers and Walker in the inside.

Nice. They definitely can use the depth. He is probably more dangerous off the bench for them at this point in the year. Like you said he can still get a lot of minutes

9 minutes ago, Honey Badger said:

Nice. They definitely can use the depth. He is probably more dangerous off the bench for them at this point in the year. Like you said he can still get a lot of minutes

He will definitely be dangerous off the bench if he can come in and knock down a couple 3s for Lloyd in tight postseason games it would be huge for them. And prior to him coming back Lloyd only had 1 guard that came off the bench for him and now they have a 2nd with him. The first two games he’s played around 12-16 minutes in each.

3 hours ago, Nkybballfan23 said:

He will definitely be dangerous off the bench if he can come in and knock down a couple 3s for Lloyd in tight postseason games it would be huge for them. And prior to him coming back Lloyd only had 1 guard that came off the bench for him and now they have a 2nd with him. The first two games he’s played around 12-16 minutes in each.

The 1 guard coming off the bench, is that #0 Golsby? If so, he is a decent player but Collins is definitely a huge upgrade with everything he brings as in being able to handle the ball some, shoot, and play lock down defense. Also an efficient  passer. Golsby is going to be okay but I don't think he is quite ready for them big moments like Collins. Collins has gained alot of experience over the last few years and with that experience comes confidence, which helps alot when the lights get bright.

13 minutes ago, Honey Badger said:

The 1 guard coming off the bench, is that #0 Golsby? If so, he is a decent player but Collins is definitely a huge upgrade with everything he brings as in being able to handle the ball some, shoot, and play lock down defense. Also an efficient  passer. Golsby is going to be okay but I don't think he is quite ready for them big moments like Collins. Collins has gained alot of experience over the last few years and with that experience comes confidence, which helps alot when the lights get bright.

Yes it is Golsby. I agree with everything that you said. Collins was a starter for the last 2 years and is a very good player. Golsby is a decent role guy but definitely not the caliber of player Collins is. 

Great breakdown. Thanks for doing this!

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