The Regular season is winding down.  I can't believe we are 2 weeks away from tourney time.  Going to be an exciting end of the regular season, hopefully teams are healthy and everyone is peaking at the right time.  Last year not many people would have predicted that South Oldham would make it to the Final 4.  But they peaked and got hot at the right time.  That is what tournament basketball is all about.  As for who is going to win it all?  Well, all season I have went back and forth.  I have always thought North Oldham is going to be the ones to cut the net down but I went back and forth on how easy the journey will be for them.  I have been on the side that they are Number 1 and there was a HUGE gap to Number 2.  Lately, I have been thinking differently  ------ Woodford beat Madison Central, Spencer only lost to Woodford by 1 on the road without their best player, South beat Ballard and Simon is always competitive……….Maybe someone is good enough to upset North. 

I do want to give a shout out to Carroll County.  They are in the part the rankings that doesn’t get talked about a lot.  They went on the road and got the upset victory over Owen County.  I assume that was a fun game to watch. Congrats to the Panthers.

As for rest of the rankings there is no moving around for the top 11 teams.  This week there will be some games that will make teams go up or down.  I hope the snow continues to stay away and we can get through the rest of the season with no interruption.  Buckle up ladies and gentleman, its going to be a great ride.

1.      North Oldham- (16-5)  The Mustangs picked up two impressive wins last week over Walton Verona and Seneca.  What makes those even more impressive was that Tommy Gregg and David Bradley were both out with the flu.  The Seneca game was a physical game that the Mustangs handle well.  I am continuing to be impressed with the role players like Eli Green and Oakland Shearer, they both play their roles beautifully and compliment their stars Tommy Gregg and Pierre Rondo.  This week they have some region matchups vs Collins and Shelby County.

2.      Woodford County (12-6)  The Yellowjackets had a great win over Spencer County at home.  However, Spencer was without their best player and Woodford only won by 1 point.  That is exciting to know that the district tourney will be more competitive than I was thinking it would be.  Woodford is physical and athletic but I have been concerned all year about their ability to hit the outside shot especially in the tourney when teams will scheme to shut down all the driving lanes.  I still want to see Woodford vs North in the championship game of the region so I hope they get hot.  This week they have West Jessamine, Paris and a big game with Anderson County in Lawrenceburg.

3.      Spencer County (15-8)  The Bearcats have played the last three games without their best player, Samuel Seawright .  I still haven’t heard what is going on with him.  I hope he is back on the court soon.  The good news for Spencer is that they are playing great basketball without him.  Other guys are stepping up .Rollie Tackett had 21pts vs Larue a week ago and Brady Smith had 21pt vs Woodford. If those two boys keep playing well when Samuel gets back then you better watch out for this group of boys.  They could be dangerous.  This week they play Bullitt East and Cornerstone Chr.

4.      South Oldham (15-7)  I have said it once and I say it again, Coach Simpson can flat out coach.  After beating Evangel Christian on Thursday , the Dragons took on Ballard.  They were out matched when it comes to size but South put on a clinic of moving the ball and back cutting.  They scored 97 points on one best teams in the state.  One of the most impressive games I have ever seen.  The Dragons laid an egg against North and I think that woke them up. Colton W got hot and looked like he did at last years state tourney.  I heard a teammate say “HE IS BACK BABY”.  They will be a very dangerous team come tournament time. This week they have Frankfort and St Henry but the game to watch is Thursday night when they take on Oldham County.  A rival game that is always fun to watch.  I think they are better than OC but who knows, it could be a tight one in Crestwood.

5.      Simon Kenton (11-9)  The Pioneers had a tough week against two of the better teams in their area.  Campbell County only beat Simon by 3 pts.  I bet that was a fun game to watch.  Earlier in the week they lost to Ryle by 18pt, which is not a bad thing because Ryle is a really good team.  The boys need to shake off those two games and get ready to play vs Walton Verona this week.  That will be a huge district game that both teams will want to win badly.  They finish the week off with Scott.

6.      Henry County (12-10) The Wildcats got a big District win vs Gallatin by 22pt.  Then they traveled to Lexington and lost to Sayre by 11.  The boys from New Castle have a big week of District games that they should  go 3-0 as they take on Carroll County, Eminence and Trimble.  I hope they can get some big leads and rest their starters because Saturday they have a really fun matchup vs Spencer County.  This could be a really good game.  If Henry wants to be serious contenders in the region they need to prove it in this game.

7.      Grant County (13-10)  Similar to Simon, the Braves lost 2 non-region games vs quality opponents but they are back at it this week.  They also have a big district game vs Walton Verona.  This is a make up game from the snow I believe.  Should be a great contest.  They finish the week off by driving a little south to take on Gallatin and Owen.

8.      Anderson County (18-4)  The Bearcats beat district opponent Shelby County only by 9.   It will be interesting to see if they can compete with Woodford this week.  The game is at Anderson so I think it will be a close game.  If they slow it down and play really physical, who knows they might upset the Yellowjackets.  They also take on Western Hills, Cornerstone Chr and Owen County this week.

9.      Walton Verona (14-9) Walton had a tough loss at home by 20 pt to North Oldham but its not a terrible loss because North has been beating everyone all year. Also it was tied at halftime.  But they bounced back and got a good win over Cooper.  They have a huge week coming up when they take on Grant and Simon.  Can they prove they are ready for tourney time and prepare to take a trip to the regional tourney?  Should be a fun week for this group.  I hope they are ready to compete.

10. Collins (7-14) The Titans will remain in the top 10 for at least one more week.  The Colonels are hot on their tail though and ready to jump over them.  The boys had a crazy couple of games last week vs CAL and Madison Central.  Neither game was close and unfortunately Collins has another tough week.  They have games vs North Oldham, Scott County and Male.  Could be a 0-3 week for this group. 

11. Oldham County (11-11)  The Colonels only had one game this week and it was a win vs Fern Creek. I saw on social media where freshman Ty Bryant went for 36pt and 15reb.  That is a big time performance for a freshman.  Looking at their stats on KHSAA they are continuing to be led by two freshman (Ty Bryant and Matt Withrow) and sophomore, Malakye Bowen.  The future looks bright for this week.  This week they have a tough slate of games with game vs CAL, South Oldham and Walton Verona.  Can they compete with South in Crestwood?  It will be tough.

12. Shelby County (8-14) I am letting Shelby County jump Owen County based on them getting better each game and Owen taking a tough loss to Carroll.  The Rockets have their minds set on getting to the 10 win mark this year which would triple their win total from last year.  This week they take on Bullitt Central, North Oldham, and Lafayette.

13. Owen County (10-9) Very surprised that Owen lost to Carroll County at home.  But that is the beauty of basketball.  Owen had an off night and Carroll was making shots they typically don’t make.  This week the Rebels take on Trimble, Eminence and Anderson. 

14. Eminence (14-9) Two losses last week was not fun for this group but they are pumped up about getting back on the court this week.  They take on Gallatin County, Owen County and Henry County.  Three big district games.

15. Gallatin County (7-16)  The Wildcats would love nothing more to get to the 10 win mark this season.  They have a few winnable games coming up in the coming weeks.  This week they have Eminence and Grant County .

16. Carroll County (11-10)  I would have love to bump up the Panthers after their win but everyone ahead of them as beat them and Owen has been those teams as well.  So its tough to make the move.  This week have Henry County, Villa Madonna, and Columbus Chrisitan.

17. Cornerstown Christian (3-11) One of their games was not updated from last week so not sure who won.  However, this week they have Fern Creek, Trinity Christian, Spencer County and Anderson County.  Tough week for the boys.

18. Williamstown (0-22) Really rooting for these boys to get a win. This week they play Holmes.

Edited February 9Feb 9 by theguru

The *Bears* were a broken final possession away from beating Woodford County. Hoping to see a rematch in the 30th championship game where Seawright will probably play. Then who knows what happens when you get to The Roy......

18 minutes ago, wingt51 said:

The *Bears* were a broken final possession away from beating Woodford County. Hoping to see a rematch in the 30th championship game where Seawright will probably play. Then who knows what happens when you get to The Roy......

Bears not Bearcats. that's my fault. I love Spencer County’s program and their culture. I know for a fact a few schools have reached out to Coach Burns and tried to steal him away but he says he is happy in Taylorsville. 

2 hours ago, Bballjunkie said:

Bears not Bearcats. that's my fault. I love Spencer County’s program and their culture. I know for a fact a few schools have reached out to Coach Burns and tried to steal him away but he says he is happy in Taylorsville. 

You must have been thinking of the WV Bearcats who have the GC Braves.  The Bearcats will moving up next week in your ranking.  LOL

2 hours ago, Bballjunkie said:

Bears not Bearcats. that's my fault. I love Spencer County’s program and their culture. I know for a fact a few schools have reached out to Coach Burns and tried to steal him away but he says he is happy in Taylorsville. 

I could see South going after Burns when Simpson retires. Simpson has been saying for years he was retiring, but I think he will soon. I have zero inside intel, only the fact that I have seen South Oldham freshman play a couple times. Freshman can grow and get better, but there does not seem to be alot of varsity level talent on that freshman team. I can't see him sticking around much longer. 

42 minutes ago, KY_Wildcats said:

I could see South going after Burns when Simpson retires. Simpson has been saying for years he was retiring, but I think he will soon. I have zero inside intel, only the fact that I have seen South Oldham freshman play a couple times. Freshman can grow and get better, but there does not seem to be alot of varsity level talent on that freshman team. I can't see him sticking around much longer. 

Simpson has not been handed gifted players for 25 years, he is a coach that has the ability to develop kids.  He really wants to move up on the all time wins list.

41 minutes ago, 4 Quarters said:

Simpson has not been handed gifted players for 25 years, he is a coach that has the ability to develop kids.  He really wants to move up on the all time wins list.

I agree with this statement ?! 

Is the all time wins list for coaches posted somewhere ? 

3 minutes ago, Bballjunkie said:

Is the all time wins list for coaches posted somewhere ? 

Their listed on the KHSAA/Riherds section, but haven't been updated for about 3 years.  Just searching around it looks like Simpson has surpassed 500 wins.

If my math is right, Steve has 568 wins at this point.

Regarding North's status as region favorite and South Oldham's chances of beating them.....something surprising I heard to bear in mind.  Last year's South Oldham senior class, while it may not have been the best class in school history, it was certainly the most accomplished.  And a Dad of one of those Seniors told me after South beat North in the 8th region title game that class of kids had never beaten North Oldham before.  Not in the 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade or the first two attempts as Seniors.  At the varsity level, North has won 9 of the last 10 games against South Oldham - the only win coming, again, in that regional title game.  The South Oldham players, no doubt, are aware of that record and you have to wonder if they believe they can beat North, especially after losing 61-28 earlier this year.

In the 8th Region tournament, South Oldham could have two challenging games before they’d get a chance to play North Oldham (or Woodford, Spencer, etc) in the championship game. 
 

Last year they escaped Simon Kenton by 2 points in the opening round. 

14 hours ago, ConverseAllStar said:

In the 8th Region tournament, South Oldham could have two challenging games before they’d get a chance to play North Oldham (or Woodford, Spencer, etc) in the championship game. 
 

Last year they escaped Simon Kenton by 2 points in the opening round. 

On the flip side, South could win the 29th District and have maybe an easier path to the finals of the 8th Region.

16 hours ago, Mojocat said:

If my math is right, Steve has 568 wins at this point.

I would think that's about correct.

Walton has got to move even further down this list as they lose to Grant and are about to lose to SK. 

Gallatin County with a huge win last night over Eminence!