I want to this week my sending my condolences to the family in Grant County that last week  lost a mom, daughter, and friend.  I was informed by a Grant County fan that a senior on last years team mom died on the same day they played Ryle.  Obviously, this affected the boys.  I was raised in a small town so I know when something like this happens it affects the community, school and the team.  My prayers are with all who are connected to the family.

Week 7 was nuts when it came to big time games.  I have no idea how to do the rankings this week. I think Spencer is a top 5 team in the region but they were beaten by a struggling Collins team.  Grant had a bad week and who would blame the boys for what they were dealing with outside of basketball.  Really really tough to decide who goes where.

North Oldham and South Oldham both won their first round game in the LIT.  However, both were destroyed in their second round game.  Goes to show you the difference in the top teams in 6^th/7^th region compared to the top teams in the 8^th. 

Henry County hosted 4 games yesterday which showcased 8 teams from the region.

Oldham County beat Owen easily

Anderson County beat Walton Verona in the best game of the day.  Walton was in control most of the 4^th quarter but a timely turnover and a big bucket allowed Anderson to steal the game away.

Spencer County beat Grant County easily

Simon Kenton beat Collins in a game that was much closer than I thought it would be.

 

Rankings:

1.      North Oldham (11-5) The Mustangs are still the team to beat.  They got beat by 25 to a really physically, athletic Jeffersontown team.  No one in the 8^th region plays that style so it will not effective North Oldham at all but it will probably make them better.  They have another huge test on Tuesday when they take on arguably the best team in the state --St Xavier.  I hope North competes with them and makes it a great game.  (Highlight performance- Tommy Gregg’s 27pt vs Oldham County )

 

2.      Woodford County (9-4) The Yellowjackets picked up a 1 point win vs Clay County.  They have two games this week that will be fun to see the results.  They host Bryan Station on Tuesday and travel to the district rival Collins High School on Friday.  They are more talented than Collins but the Titans have played some good ball lately.  Woodford is a good team but when  your best player and most athletic player can’t shoot very well from the outside that worries me for tournament time.  Can the Yellowjackets score against a zone during tournament time is the big question? (Highlight performance: Omari Jointer’s 26pt vs Clay County)

3.      South Oldham (12-5)  Part of me really wants to put the Dragons at the 2 spot but I am going to let it play out a few more weeks.  The boys from Crestwood are a really good ball club.  They got beat by Male but who cares, Male has a chance to win the whole thing this year.  South also has a huge week coming up .  They travel to Spencer County to play in a tough environment on Tuesday and then host #4 Simon Kenton on Friday night.  The student section at South will be rocking , I can guarantee you that.( Highlight Performance: Joaquin Siakam and Koton Wuchterl’s 22pt vs Atheron)

4.      Simon Kenton (10-6)  The Pioneers from North KY are enjoying a 4 game winning streak.  They beat two good teams in back to back days this weekend.  Going on the road to take down Grant by 8pt and beating Collins 20 hours later by 6pt.  This week they have a non-region game vs Mason County on Tuesday and probably the best region game of the year when they travel to Crestwood to take on South Oldham.  I can't wait to see the outcome of that game.  Going to be a battle. (stats not updated)

5.      Henry County (9-9) This will not be a popular decision by the majority of fans in the 8^thregion but I really think the Wildcats are the 5^th best team in the region.  For the first time all season, everyone is healthy and they are playing great basketball.  They represented the 8^th region very well at the Class 2A Championships.  They got eliminated by one of the best teams in the state-Boyd County.  Tuesday night will give us a good idea how good Henry County really is.  Collins is coming to town and they are playing great basketball.  It will be a great regional matchup that I can't wait to see the outcome. (stats not updated)

6.      Collins (6-10) I can't believe I am doing this but I am putting the Titans in the 6^th spot.  They beat a really really good and well coached Spencer County team on the road on Friday night.  Of all the games this year that score surprises me the most.  To go to Taylorsville and pick up a win is not easy.  Also, Collins only lost to Simon by 6pt on Saturday.  In a couple of weeks do I think Collins will stay in the top 6 of the region? NO!  But that is where I have them now based on the last weeks performances.  (Highlight Performance: Jonathon Stover 18pt)

7.      Spencer County (10-7)  I really think Spencer is a top 5 team but a slip up here and there has dropped them.  That is basketball and it happens.  You could tell they were mad about the loss to Collins because they came out vs Grant and absolutely dominated them winning by 15pt but it was never close.  This week is a monster week for the Bearcats as they host South Oldham and travel to Anderson County.  Both will be tough games in different ways.  Anderson is super physical that is patient with the ball as they try to get it down low and South will run up and down the court as fast as they can shooting threes. (Highlight performance: Samual Seawright 18pt vs Grant County)

8.      Grant County (10-8)  Like I said in my opening statements, my heart goes out to these boys.  Dealing with a friends mom passing is a lot to process.  To keep that out of your mind and go play basketball is not easy.  They were playing better than anyone in the region before the tragedy hit this community.  The Braves are now on a 3 game losing streak, however the three loses have came against really good teams- Ryle, Simon and Spencer.  The boys will put those games behind them and go get 3 wins this week vs Owen, Boone and Shelby.  ( Highlight performance: Cade Wagner 19pts vs Simon Kenton)

9.      Anderson County (16-3) I know there has been a lot of talk about Anderson’s weak schedule.  However, I watched them on Saturday and they are a solid team.  When you have a post that is really good then teams have to help a lot which leaves others wide open.  They are a typical Anderson team.  They play slow and will pass it 15 times until they get the shot they want.  They played really good against Walton and beat them in a comeback fashion in the last few seconds.  This week they have Gallatin, and Spencer.  Another team with a big week. (Highlight performance: (Andrew Sparrow 16pt vs Bullitt Central)

10. Walton Verona (11-7)  I was impressed watching Walton play live for the first time on Saturday.  They didn’t back down to a really physical Anderson game.  They had the game won but a late turnover did them in.  Grant , Simon and Walton will make for a good district tourney.  We all wish them luck has they advance in the Class A tourney this week vs Somerset.  (Highlight performance: Noah Wells 3 for 4 in threes vs Dixie Heights)

11. Oldham County (8-8)  Being .500 is not a bad record when your best 3 players are 2 freshman and 1 sophomore.  The Colonels picked up 2 wins last week vs Central and Owen.  This week their schedule looks brutal as they play Ryle, Ballard and North Oldham ..WOW… That could be 3 double digit loses.  (Highlighted performance: Malakye Brown 20pt vs Central)

12. Owen County (7-7) Based on Saturdays score there is a HUGE cap between the top 11 and the bottom 8.  Typically teams ranked right next to each other have competitive close games but Owen lost to Oldham by 35pt .  But the boys from Owenton need to shake that game off and get ready for Grant County today.  (Highlight performance: Michael Smith 29pt vs Carroll County)

13. Shelby County (8-10)  Talk about a much improved them , the Rockets didn’t even sniff the top 13 spots last year.  They had a huge region win last week vs Gallatin in convincing manner beating the Wildcats by 24pt.  Coach Leslie has this team play solid basketball.  They have a tough week ahead of them playing DeSales and Grant. (Highlight performance: Xadrian Johnson 25pt vs Meade County)

14. Eminence (12-6)  The boys from Eminence played some great ball last week beating Trimble, Gallatin and Villa Madonna. The Gallatin win was in overtime and a great win. They are at 12 wins with a month left in the season.  That is impressive for this group.  (Highlight performance: Tavion Chambers 22pt vs Trimble)

15.  Gallatin County (5-11) Rough week for the Wildcats as they lost to Henry, Eminence and Shelby.  Time for the boys to regroup and get back to work. They will face a non region opponent in Bishop Brossat today before playing region foe Anderson to finish their games this week. (Highlight performance: Nick Skidmore 25pt vs Henry County)

16. Carroll County (9-8) Rough week last week going 0-2 but this week is a new week.  They will travel to Williamstown for a big region game on Wednesday before having a tough game vs Henry County. (Highlight performance: Jordan Raisor 17pt vs Owen County)

17. Trimble County (4-13) Went 0-2 last week but have a chance to get some wins this week vs Brown and Frankfort Chr. (Highlight performance: Liam Taylor 12pt vs Trimble)

18. Cornerstown Chr (3-10) The KHSAA announced this week that they will be in District 29 next year aka the Oldham District.  That will not be easy for this group but it will be some fun atmosphere for them to play in. (stats not updated)

19. Williamstown (0-15)  Still looking for their first win this week as they take on Calvary Chr, Carroll County and Holmes. (stats not updated)

I know it's hard to place them, but I just can't see Grant County over Walton Verona.

1 hour ago, 4 Quarters said:

I know it's hard to place them, but I just can't see Grant County over Walton Verona.

 Rankings are hard ... It will all shake out and especially Feb 3 when they play each other.  This is why I have Walton ranked where they are as of today.

Grant County beat Anderson by 10 and Anderson beat Walton... Grant also beat Oldham who beat Spencer and Henry. Grant beat Collins by 20pts who just beat Spencer and Anderson and gave Simon a great game.

Walton Verona lost to Collins and Spencer and Anderson.

So not sure how you can't see Grant in front of Walton... With that said, I watched them both play on Saturday and I could easily see Walton beating Grant in a couple weeks but based on their resume from the start of the season til now, I feel I have them in the right spot.

According to KHSSA the Pioneers are on a 5 game win streak!

1 minute ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

According to KHSSA the Pioneers are on a 5 game win streak!

you are 100% correct... Not sure how I missed that.  Thanks for info... I will correct.

Might be for another thread but did anybody see the realignment that the KHSAA BOC approved??? Moving Cornerstone to the 29th makes absolutely zero sense, especially after the 8th region AD's approved a realignment months ago.

Really fair to Cornerstone.

Yea I am not sure how that happened with Cornerstone Chr entering the 29th. Not sure who decides and/or who voted on it.  You would think there could be a way they could have been with Eminence and another small school so they might could compete someday with a district opponent. Unless they turn into St X or CAL they will never win a district game being in the 29th. 

1 hour ago, Bballjunkie said:

Yea I am not sure how that happened with Cornerstone Chr entering the 29th. Not sure who decides and/or who voted on it.  You would think there could be a way they could have been with Eminence and another small school so they might could compete someday with a district opponent. Unless they turn into St X or CAL they will never win a district game being in the 29th. 

I was an AD at a very competitive homeschool team that won a national title. To be fair we had four players that had played extensively for public schools the year before they came to us. At that time Cornerstone played mostly small private schools and homeschool teams. They had a few teams that were very nice teams. None that would beat North Oldham this year, but had some very nice players and teams. I am not sure how they are now competition wise. They didn't have to join KHSAA if they didn't want to get placed in a hard district. I am sure like a lot of small private schools they did it for increased revenue. I don't mean this in anyway to be mean spirited, but they were not forced to join the KHSAA. They could have stayed in the KCAA where they were prior to joining. The other flip side is the 29th most years is one of the tougher Districts in the Region. so maybe that was the thought to give the Oldham schools a break. I don't know?

Give the Oldhams a break? The 3 team district needs a break? Give ME a break.

 

The point is they skipped over at least two other schools in the same county to make Cornerstone go to a different district. Are we saying we make districts based on level of competition? Not geography?

On 1/20/2026 at 7:43 PM, wingt51 said:

Give the Oldhams a break? The 3 team district needs a break? Give ME a break.

 

The point is they skipped over at least two other schools in the same county to make Cornerstone go to a different district. Are we saying we make districts based on level of competition? Not geography?

What I meant by the Oldham's a break is : Traditionally North , South and Oldham have all been in the top tier of the region strength wise ( this year South and North are two of the top teams).  So a very good team is not going to have a chance to make it out of the district. Some of the other 8th region districts are not as good of teams competition wise. But you are correct it should be geographical. I played at North Bullitt when we were in the 8th region ( now in the 6th). We had Bullitt Central, Bullitt East and Spencer County in our district which was geographical. I guess I just meant if say you put Collins in with North, South and Oldham county you would have 4 of the stronger teams in the Region all in one district. I know that Collins is down this year due to the coaching turmoil , and Oldham is down but traditionally that is not the case. If those were your four teams, you seriously some years could be looking at all four teams being in the top 7 or 8 teams in the Region. That means a couple very good teams would not be able to have a chance to compete in the Region. I am all over the place with this post, but I wouldn't mind seeing every team invited to the Region and you seed the teams. I know that has been discussed, and I for one wouldn't mind seeing that happen.  

Super Regionals are a thing and would be great for the 8th region

15 minutes ago, Falcon Pride said:

Super Regionals are a thing and would be great for the 8th region

I know the 15th does the super regional, but it just seems to me that it should be one way or the other across all 16 regions.

On 1/19/2026 at 10:15 AM, Bballjunkie said:

 Rankings are hard ... It will all shake out and especially Feb 3 when they play each other.  This is why I have Walton ranked where they are as of today.

Grant County beat Anderson by 10 and Anderson beat Walton... Grant also beat Oldham who beat Spencer and Henry. Grant beat Collins by 20pts who just beat Spencer and Anderson and gave Simon a great game.

Walton Verona lost to Collins and Spencer and Anderson.

So not sure how you can't see Grant in front of Walton... With that said, I watched them both play on Saturday and I could easily see Walton beating Grant in a couple weeks but based on their resume from the start of the season til now, I feel I have them in the right spot.

styles make fights. Oldham beat Spencer and Henry co early in the season and Henry had some guys out. Oldham also had a very athletic player quit the team that really hurt the way they were wanting to play style wise.