1 hour ago, Hillbilly He-Man said:

5ft 7inch 120 lb 8th grade point guard knocks down 6ft 6 inch 200lb senior center in the lane? It’s questionable to say the least. Lot of folks from Wayne think the Cards got a bad whistle most of the night.

I never understood what the call was, but I know that would have sent Phillips to the line already  up 2. Huge call 

1 hour ago, 12th Region Fan said:

I never understood what the call was, but I know that would have sent Phillips to the line already  up 2. Huge call 

The call was on Cooper Gehring for a push off in the lane against Trevor Ellis. Ellis was down on the floor, but it’s hard to really believe a push from Gehring is what put him there. It changed the outcome of the game imo. If the call out front was made in Wayne’s favor they win. Phillips is almost automatic from the ft line.

Is Mercer Co. always that reluctant of a 3 PT shooting team?  Wayne's switched into a zone defense, and they would not pull the trigger on open 3s?  I haven't watched them enough, is why I asked?  If they're going to win this thing they will have to stretch defenses out with the 3 ball.

2 minutes ago, LethalPG said:

Is Mercer Co. always that reluctant of a 3 PT shooting team?  Wayne's switched into a zone defense, and they would not pull the trigger on open 3s?  I haven't watched them enough, is why I asked?  If they're going to win this thing they will have to stretch defenses out with the 3 ball.

Idk about their outside shooting. Seems to me they have a bigger issue. At times they looked almost disinterested. They didn’t bring nearly the energy that Wayne did. Mercer has played a bunch of games this year and maybe fatigue has set in. Not just physical fatigue, also mental and emotional weariness. Burn out is a real thing. 

Sounds like two very exciting games with both going to overtime.  How hard was the other 32 minutes to watch with such low scoring?  All four teams have good coaches and this time of the year is all about just advancing.  Usually if a team feels like they have inferior talent you will see them play stall ball on offense.  It seems like a lot of the teams in the 12th region lack the ability to score for whatever reason.  Is it by design or just not having enough players to go out and get buckets?

2 minutes ago, RVaughn said:

Sounds like two very exciting games with both going to overtime.  How hard was the other 32 minutes to watch with such low scoring?  All four teams have good coaches and this time of the year is all about just advancing.  Usually if a team feels like they have inferior talent you will see them play stall ball on offense.  It seems like a lot of the teams in the 12th region lack the ability to score for whatever reason.  Is it by design or just not having enough players to go out and get buckets?

As soon as I seen someone say Wayne went to a zone and Mercer wouldn't shoot the 3  it answered a lot of my questions about the low scoring.

45 minutes ago, RVaughn said:

Sounds like two very exciting games with both going to overtime.  How hard was the other 32 minutes to watch with such low scoring?  All four teams have good coaches and this time of the year is all about just advancing.  Usually if a team feels like they have inferior talent you will see them play stall ball on offense.  It seems like a lot of the teams in the 12th region lack the ability to score for whatever reason.  Is it by design or just not having enough players to go out and get buckets?

IMO it’s more about struggling to score, though Jackson has always tended to be more methodical. And yes I think all 4 teams are well coached.

1 hour ago, Hillbilly He-Man said:

Idk about their outside shooting. Seems to me they have a bigger issue. At times they looked almost disinterested. They didn’t bring nearly the energy that Wayne did. Mercer has played a bunch of games this year and maybe fatigue has set in. Not just physical fatigue, also mental and emotional weariness. Burn out is a real thing. 

I’ll agree with you on this. Wayne seemed to be the more motivated team last night. Hungrier.

1 hour ago, LethalPG said:

Is Mercer Co. always that reluctant of a 3 PT shooting team?  Wayne's switched into a zone defense, and they would not pull the trigger on open 3s?  I haven't watched them enough, is why I asked?  If they're going to win this thing they will have to stretch defenses out with the 3 ball.

That was the big issue in this game for Mercer. And no, I’ve not seen them be that resistant to shoot the three. Perplexing.

55 minutes ago, RVaughn said:

Sounds like two very exciting games with both going to overtime.  How hard was the other 32 minutes to watch with such low scoring?  All four teams have good coaches and this time of the year is all about just advancing.  Usually if a team feels like they have inferior talent you will see them play stall ball on offense.  It seems like a lot of the teams in the 12th region lack the ability to score for whatever reason.  Is it by design or just not having enough players to go out and get buckets?

To me, it was more of lack of shot making last night.  There were def. stall periods, but all 4 teams guarded super hard and did a nice job getting back in transition defense to take away easy ones. 

Interesting that both games lasted night went into double overtime.

12 minutes ago, QueenoftheSouth said:

That was the big issue in this game for Mercer. And no, I’ve not seen them be that resistant to shoot the three. Perplexing.

Livestream said they were 1-15 from three so that is probably why they passed up some late in the game. Probably wise because they got in the paint and scored when needed. 

1 hour ago, RVaughn said:

How hard was the other 32 minutes to watch with such low scoring?

Not at all. The 12th Region is unique in that most of the schools are similar in enrollment; there is no dominant 6A-type program. Even the smaller schools like Danville and Somerset have the ability to compete. Because of that balance, when you get to the region, even if there is a favorite, the games are ultra competitive. Because each basket could be the difference in advancing and going home, you don't really notice the low scoring when you are in the gym.

I also think the first round game in the regional tourny is the hardest to win because players seam to be nervous or tight! 

31 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

Not at all. The 12th Region is unique in that most of the schools are similar in enrollment; there is no dominant 6A-type program. Even the smaller schools like Danville and Somerset have the ability to compete. Because of that balance, when you get to the region, even if there is a favorite, the games are ultra competitive. Because each basket could be the difference in advancing and going home, you don't really notice the low scoring when you are in the gym.

I personally disagree with not noticing. I heard a few folks commenting on the pace/style of last night’s games. And the favorite this year (DCA) plays a slower style as well. I get it because it fits their personnel and that’s what good coaches do. A coach’s top priority should be how to best position their team to win. Not judging any of these coaches, just saying that it’s not pretty. 
 

For comparison, I just looked and Pulaski averaged 65 points in their 3 regional wins last year. None of which went to OT. I would hope a regulation high school game would at least be in the mid to upper 50’s by both teams