Week 8

I can admit when I eat my words.   I made a statement in last weeks right up that North had gotten destroyed by Jtown which shows how much further Region 6 and 7 is ahead of Region 8..,.. Well, I was wrong.  North Oldham goes to Louisville and beats the number 1 team in the state.  I was shocked by the Mustangs beating St X but I sure did love it.  When I saw the stats on KHSAA it made since.  They absolutely shot the lights out in the game.  Then they didn’t have a let down a few nights later vs Oldham County.  In that game they shot 75% from the field.  You read that right…. 75%!!!!!! That is unbelievable.  We all know they can't do that every game but North Oldham has proven on any given night they can beat anyone in the state.  It will be interesting to see how far they can advance in post season play.   The biggest upset for me of the week was Spencer beating South by double figures.  That has made the rankings even harder to do this week.  Woodford seems to be a lock at number 2 still but 3 through 10 is a toss up.  The snow will probably cause a lot of rescheduling so I am not expecting a lot of basketball over the next 3-4 days.

Region of the Year Frontrunners (in no order)

1.      Omari Jointer

2.      Tommy Gregg

3.      Baylor Nolin

Anyone else deserve to be on this list?

This weeks rankings:

1.      North Oldham (13-5) Monster week for Mustangs.  Beating one of the best team in the state and then blowing your county rival out by almost 40 points.  I had my concerns about North Oldham offense at the first of the year but they seem to be clicking on all cylinders.  One of the key factors lately has been the shooting of Eli Green.  He has had a slow start to the season but the last two games he has been shooting lights out. One of the biggest game of the Region 8 will be Friday night when South Oldham comes to town.  I think it will be a great game.

2.      Woodford County (10-5)  The Yellowjackets made a huge statement last week vs Collins.  The Titans were playing some pretty good basketball then Woodford comes to town and beats them by 34.  They were led by Omari Jointer who absolutely dominated the game with 32pts and 11reb.  Should he be one of the front runners for Region Player of the Year?  He probably should but Woodford historically doesn’t play Region games outside their district so coaches don’t see him live much like they should.  Omair is a baller and should get considered for Region Player of the Year in my opinion.

3.      Spencer County (12-7)  The Bearcats have had some tough losses this season but ever since the Collins game where they laid an egg, they have beaten Grant, South Oldham and Anderson.  They won those game by an avg of 15pt.  So as of today I am comfortable putting them at the 3 spot.  Beating South Oldham by 14 points was by far their biggest win of the season.  Samuel Seawright was great with 21 pts and Chris Armstrong and Brady Smith did their part as well pitching in 16 and 15 points respectively.  Spencer is a really good team that is clicking on both ends of the court.

4.      South Oldham (13-8)  The Dragons took a tough loss to Spencer but they turned around a few nights later and beat a good Simon Kenton team by 20pt.  That is an impressive win.  South Oldham is a scary team to get matched up with in the post season.  Steve Simpson has his typical team shooting a lot of threes but this team could be one of his best defensive teams.  They will get after your tail and make you cough up the ball which leads to fast break layups and open threes.  Nico Ballard continues to shoot the ball at a high level. He is currently 85 for 176 (48%)  . That percentage is crazy good.  Joaquin Siakam is continuing to play at a high level giving the Dragons some athleticism in the Forward position.  Can the Dragons give the Mustangs a game on Friday?  I can't wait to see that game.

5.      Simon Kenton (11-7)  The Pioneers 6 game winning streak was snapped by South Oldham.  It was a tough loss on the road but South is good and they are really good in their gym.  The boys need to shake it off and get back to work.  They have Ryle and Walton Verona this week which are two really solid teams.  Coach Steiner will have his group ready for post season.  Want to give Will Scobee a shout out. The young man hit 7 threes vs Holy Cross .  That was a big time game for him and a big time win for Simon. 

6.      Henry County (11-9)  The Wildcats have won 6 of their last 7 games.  This group is having a lot of fun because they know they have a chance at a district championship and if they get the right draw they could go further in the regions than any Henry County team has gone this century.  They should win the rest of their game on their schedule minus the Spencer County game.  That game will be a toss up but I will give it to Spencer as of today.  Nolin Baylor is continuing to have a big season avg 24ppg.  I heard he recently scored his 2,000pt as well.  That is pretty impressive especially since he is a Junior.

7.      Grant County (13-8) Two big wins last week vs Boone and Shelby County.  Grant is an up and down team that is capable of beating most teams on any given night.  Coach Jones has done a great job with this group. Nathanael Hamm is having a great all around season.  He is avg 16ppg but he does more than just score.  He is a strong guard that can do it all on both ends of the court.  They have a big District game coming up next week vs Walton Verona.  That will be a battle.

8.      Anderson County (17-4)  Even though they lost to Collins two weeks ago I am putting them at the 8 spot because I think they are play really good basketball right now.  They did suffer a lost to Spencer but Spencer is beating everyone.  This is a huge week for the Bearcats.  Can they prove they are for real when they take on the Yellowjackets?  Woodford is coming town.  I am expecting this game to be in the 40s if Anderson has any chance of winning..  It will fun to watch the different styles of basketball and which style wins.

9.      Walton Verona (13-7) This group could easily be in the top 6 by the end of the season.  I think they are a solid group and when they are shooting the ball well they can sneak up and beat anyone.  They have won 2 games so far in the Class A and is representing the 8^th region great.  We are rooting for them to go all the way.  However they play a really good Caverna team on Feb 1.  Before their next game in the ALL A they have a huge district game vs Simon Kenton.  I will be interested to see this game and if they can hang with the District favorite.

10. Collins (6-12)  The Titans have only 6 wins this season and is on a 3 game losing streak but I am keeping them in the top 10 because they have proven they can beat some good team.  It will be really interesting to see how they play vs Shelby County on Friday.  This is a great rivalry game but Shelby has been down as of late.  However, the Rockets have been playing some great basketball and they are excited for this game. It will definitely be a battle.

11. Oldham County (8-11)  The young colonels are also on a 3 game losing streak.  I know those boys didn’t like getting embarrassed by North Oldham on Friday night.  The freshman , Ty Bryant, had 24pt but was the only bright spot of the night.  It looks like the Colonels will have a few non-region games that they might be favored to win vs Southern and Fern Creek coming up.  This group just needs to focus on getting better each game.

12. Owen County (8-8) Coach Duvall’s group is holding steady at the 12 spot.  They beat Augusta last week and had good , competitive game vs Grant County that they ended up losing by 11pt.  They are back at this week vs Gallatin on Thursday.  This will be a great district battle.

13. Shelby County (8-12)  Coach Leslies group is continuing to improve.  They lost by 10pts to a good Grant team and scored 78 points vs them.  That is a game they should be proud of as a team.  They are licking their chops to play Friday night vs the Titans.  This will be a great game and played with a lot of passion.  Soph Xadrian Johnson is playing some high level ball and shooting it well.  He is avg 18ppg .

14. Eminence (13-7) The Warriors are enjoying a great season.  They are like Shelby in that they have a big rivalry game coming up.  Can they compete with Henry County?  If they keep it somewhat close it will be a confidence booster.  I just don’t think they have the talent to beat them but who knows.

15. Gallatin County (5-13)  Even though the Wildcats have had some highlights this season they have struggled over the past couple of weeks with losses to Anderson, Bishop Brossart, Shelby County, Eminence and Henry County.  They are back in the gym and working to improve.  The team has a big game vs Owen this week and they would love to get a win in that one.

16. Carroll County (10-9) The Panthers enjoyed getting back into the winning circle last week vs Williamstown in a 9pt win.  This week they have another chance at a win when they take on Trimble County.

17. Trimble County (4-15) Even though the Raiders only have 4 wins this season they are fired up for this week.  They have two chances at a win vs Carroll and Shawe Memorial.

18. Cornerstown Chr (3-11) The boys from Cornerstone gave Eminence a good game only losing by 12.  This a big step for this program to start to compete vs Region opponents.  They have a game Saturday vs Jackson City at the Jet 2 Sports Classic.

19. Williamstown (0-18)  The entire region is rooting for this group.  I really hope they can enjoy a win by the end of the season. 

Early in the year, someone called out Henry Co. by saying that they were going to be really good this year.  I sincerely doubted that, but they sure have turned things around and are playing good ball right now.

I guess “really good” could mean a lot of things. But I was really high on Henry County and I am still high on them. They have all their guys back and are clicking.  I am not sure they could beat North Oldham , South Oldham or Woodford but this team will go down as one of the best Henry County teams in the history of the school.  If they make it to the semis of the region it will be a great year for this group! 

7 hours ago, Joe LeDuc said:

Early in the year, someone called out Henry Co. by saying that they were going to be really good this year.  I sincerely doubted that, but they sure have turned things around and are playing good ball right now.

I walked in with them at the round robin at Henry county as they were getting off the bus ( I assume from the 2a game they had played) They have quite a bit of size. I was shocked at how long and big they were.

Does anyone know how the 30th district seeds for the tournament?  I ask this because I noticed that the Woodford and Anderson game has been cancelled for tonight (not for sure why as both schools are located off of major roadways) with no make-up date scheduled. This was the only time that they were scheduled to meet this season, so I am guessing that it is a blind draw but do not know for sure.  

I feel pretty confident in saying that Anderson was eager to cancel this game judging by their schedule this season.

Currently Woodford would be the one seed in the 30th.  They play Spencer on the 6th.  Not sure how it will all play out but the 30th is definitely not a blind draw.

On 1/26/2026 at 12:35 PM, Bballjunkie said:

 

Week 8

I can admit when I eat my words.   I made a statement in last weeks right up that North had gotten destroyed by Jtown which shows how much further Region 6 and 7 is ahead of Region 8..,.. Well, I was wrong.  North Oldham goes to Louisville and beats the number 1 team in the state.  I was shocked by the Mustangs beating St X but I sure did love it.  When I saw the stats on KHSAA it made since.  They absolutely shot the lights out in the game.  Then they didn’t have a let down a few nights later vs Oldham County.  In that game they shot 75% from the field.  You read that right…. 75%!!!!!! That is unbelievable.  We all know they can't do that every game but North Oldham has proven on any given night they can beat anyone in the state.  It will be interesting to see how far they can advance in post season play.   The biggest upset for me of the week was Spencer beating South by double figures.  That has made the rankings even harder to do this week.  Woodford seems to be a lock at number 2 still but 3 through 10 is a toss up.  The snow will probably cause a lot of rescheduling so I am not expecting a lot of basketball over the next 3-4 days.

Region of the Year Frontrunners (in no order)

1.      Omari Jointer

2.      Tommy Gregg

3.      Baylor Nolin

Anyone else deserve to be on this list?

This weeks rankings:

1.      North Oldham (13-5) Monster week for Mustangs.  Beating one of the best team in the state and then blowing your county rival out by almost 40 points.  I had my concerns about North Oldham offense at the first of the year but they seem to be clicking on all cylinders.  One of the key factors lately has been the shooting of Eli Green.  He has had a slow start to the season but the last two games he has been shooting lights out. One of the biggest game of the Region 8 will be Friday night when South Oldham comes to town.  I think it will be a great game.

2.      Woodford County (10-5)  The Yellowjackets made a huge statement last week vs Collins.  The Titans were playing some pretty good basketball then Woodford comes to town and beats them by 34.  They were led by Omari Jointer who absolutely dominated the game with 32pts and 11reb.  Should he be one of the front runners for Region Player of the Year?  He probably should but Woodford historically doesn’t play Region games outside their district so coaches don’t see him live much like they should.  Omair is a baller and should get considered for Region Player of the Year in my opinion.

3.      Spencer County (12-7)  The Bearcats have had some tough losses this season but ever since the Collins game where they laid an egg, they have beaten Grant, South Oldham and Anderson.  They won those game by an avg of 15pt.  So as of today I am comfortable putting them at the 3 spot.  Beating South Oldham by 14 points was by far their biggest win of the season.  Samuel Seawright was great with 21 pts and Chris Armstrong and Brady Smith did their part as well pitching in 16 and 15 points respectively.  Spencer is a really good team that is clicking on both ends of the court.

4.      South Oldham (13-8)  The Dragons took a tough loss to Spencer but they turned around a few nights later and beat a good Simon Kenton team by 20pt.  That is an impressive win.  South Oldham is a scary team to get matched up with in the post season.  Steve Simpson has his typical team shooting a lot of threes but this team could be one of his best defensive teams.  They will get after your tail and make you cough up the ball which leads to fast break layups and open threes.  Nico Ballard continues to shoot the ball at a high level. He is currently 85 for 176 (48%)  . That percentage is crazy good.  Joaquin Siakam is continuing to play at a high level giving the Dragons some athleticism in the Forward position.  Can the Dragons give the Mustangs a game on Friday?  I can't wait to see that game.

5.      Simon Kenton (11-7)  The Pioneers 6 game winning streak was snapped by South Oldham.  It was a tough loss on the road but South is good and they are really good in their gym.  The boys need to shake it off and get back to work.  They have Ryle and Walton Verona this week which are two really solid teams.  Coach Steiner will have his group ready for post season.  Want to give Will Scobee a shout out. The young man hit 7 threes vs Holy Cross .  That was a big time game for him and a big time win for Simon. 

6.      Henry County (11-9)  The Wildcats have won 6 of their last 7 games.  This group is having a lot of fun because they know they have a chance at a district championship and if they get the right draw they could go further in the regions than any Henry County team has gone this century.  They should win the rest of their game on their schedule minus the Spencer County game.  That game will be a toss up but I will give it to Spencer as of today.  Nolin Baylor is continuing to have a big season avg 24ppg.  I heard he recently scored his 2,000pt as well.  That is pretty impressive especially since he is a Junior.

7.      Grant County (13-8) Two big wins last week vs Boone and Shelby County.  Grant is an up and down team that is capable of beating most teams on any given night.  Coach Jones has done a great job with this group. Nathanael Hamm is having a great all around season.  He is avg 16ppg but he does more than just score.  He is a strong guard that can do it all on both ends of the court.  They have a big District game coming up next week vs Walton Verona.  That will be a battle.

8.      Anderson County (17-4)  Even though they lost to Collins two weeks ago I am putting them at the 8 spot because I think they are play really good basketball right now.  They did suffer a lost to Spencer but Spencer is beating everyone.  This is a huge week for the Bearcats.  Can they prove they are for real when they take on the Yellowjackets?  Woodford is coming town.  I am expecting this game to be in the 40s if Anderson has any chance of winning..  It will fun to watch the different styles of basketball and which style wins.

9.      Walton Verona (13-7) This group could easily be in the top 6 by the end of the season.  I think they are a solid group and when they are shooting the ball well they can sneak up and beat anyone.  They have won 2 games so far in the Class A and is representing the 8^th region great.  We are rooting for them to go all the way.  However they play a really good Caverna team on Feb 1.  Before their next game in the ALL A they have a huge district game vs Simon Kenton.  I will be interested to see this game and if they can hang with the District favorite.

10. Collins (6-12)  The Titans have only 6 wins this season and is on a 3 game losing streak but I am keeping them in the top 10 because they have proven they can beat some good team.  It will be really interesting to see how they play vs Shelby County on Friday.  This is a great rivalry game but Shelby has been down as of late.  However, the Rockets have been playing some great basketball and they are excited for this game. It will definitely be a battle.

11. Oldham County (8-11)  The young colonels are also on a 3 game losing streak.  I know those boys didn’t like getting embarrassed by North Oldham on Friday night.  The freshman , Ty Bryant, had 24pt but was the only bright spot of the night.  It looks like the Colonels will have a few non-region games that they might be favored to win vs Southern and Fern Creek coming up.  This group just needs to focus on getting better each game.

12. Owen County (8-8) Coach Duvall’s group is holding steady at the 12 spot.  They beat Augusta last week and had good , competitive game vs Grant County that they ended up losing by 11pt.  They are back at this week vs Gallatin on Thursday.  This will be a great district battle.

13. Shelby County (8-12)  Coach Leslies group is continuing to improve.  They lost by 10pts to a good Grant team and scored 78 points vs them.  That is a game they should be proud of as a team.  They are licking their chops to play Friday night vs the Titans.  This will be a great game and played with a lot of passion.  Soph Xadrian Johnson is playing some high level ball and shooting it well.  He is avg 18ppg .

14. Eminence (13-7) The Warriors are enjoying a great season.  They are like Shelby in that they have a big rivalry game coming up.  Can they compete with Henry County?  If they keep it somewhat close it will be a confidence booster.  I just don’t think they have the talent to beat them but who knows.

15. Gallatin County (5-13)  Even though the Wildcats have had some highlights this season they have struggled over the past couple of weeks with losses to Anderson, Bishop Brossart, Shelby County, Eminence and Henry County.  They are back in the gym and working to improve.  The team has a big game vs Owen this week and they would love to get a win in that one.

16. Carroll County (10-9) The Panthers enjoyed getting back into the winning circle last week vs Williamstown in a 9pt win.  This week they have another chance at a win when they take on Trimble County.

17. Trimble County (4-15) Even though the Raiders only have 4 wins this season they are fired up for this week.  They have two chances at a win vs Carroll and Shawe Memorial.

18. Cornerstown Chr (3-11) The boys from Cornerstone gave Eminence a good game only losing by 12.  This a big step for this program to start to compete vs Region opponents.  They have a game Saturday vs Jackson City at the Jet 2 Sports Classic.

19. Williamstown (0-18)  The entire region is rooting for this group.  I really hope they can enjoy a win by the end of the season. 

You do a terrific job of predicting and rating. Its just so difficult to predict with differing teams how they match up with each other. So many factors, what kids are mad at their girlfriends, or sick , or battling nagging injuries night to night etc. I always look at who is the team that has the most things to take away. If you take the perimeter away from North, they will back door cut you the death. If you take their inside away, they will hit you with 20 3`s. If you throw doubles at Rondo he either splits it, or their other guards eat you alive. Levich has answers and a lot of them. Woodford beating Mad central was big, but I saw Mad central early in the year, and I am not impressed with their guard play. They are solid, but not the kind of guards that can win a state championship imo. Woodford has athletes, but I still like North out of the 8th. we will see?

Edited February 2Feb 2 by KY_Wildcats
spelling

On 1/27/2026 at 8:11 AM, Bballjunkie said:

I guess “really good” could mean a lot of things. But I was really high on Henry County and I am still high on them. They have all their guys back and are clicking.  I am not sure they could beat North Oldham , South Oldham or Woodford but this team will go down as one of the best Henry County teams in the history of the school.  If they make it to the semis of the region it will be a great year for this group! 

I don't think Henry has the speed to take anything away from North , South or Woodford. I actually like Anderson, if they get you in their game they can cause issues. I saw Henry once live in person when they had injuries, and once via stream. I just don't see them being able to defend the top teams in the Region. 

Can a Junior be POY?

Yes I am pretty sure there are no rules for POY as far as grade. I could be wrong. 
Who has your vote ?