Here is a question for Holmes fans. It seems to me that last year occasionally you would hear about a kid named Slusher that was pretty young in the Holmes system but apparently showed some talent. Haven't heard anything from him this season. Do I have the right name and if so has he made any noise?

 

He is on the team. Plays JV with very little varsity action

He is on the team. Plays JV with very little varsity action

 

Oh... I guess I heard him promoted a little more than he should have been. That or I just always talked to the wrong people:D.

A few stats to think about:

Holmes averages 64.9 points a game

They give up an average of 45.0 points a game

They have allowed more than 60 points a game just twice this year.

First game of the year, 64 to Harrison County

70 points to Highlands last Thursday in the overtime victory.

Originally Posted by B-Ball-fan

Great analysis of the game. Dead on.

 

I kept thinking why on earth did Boone choose THIS offensive strategy??? With this being so obvious to everyone else it looked like their coach was committing suicide. Holmes is NO DOUBT the team to beat, but I still think that Boone has something in them if they went about it another way. Earls is a great player. He was the only option that worked. We know they have shooters, and taking nothing away from the Bulldog's 'D', their setup made it way to easy for Holmes to force them to rush their shots. Would it be a crazy thought that Boone's coach, knowing that the next time they play Holmes is when it counts most, made bad decisions on purpose to give the Bulldogs a false sense that Boone just ain't got it? I know that sounds wack, but who knows? I just have a hard time believing the coach thought that a 'No Plan' game was going to work. Well, if that's what he did, I guess I just blew his cover. Sorry coach.

 

I did like that the Bulldogs picked up where they left off from the other night with Highlands and kept their momentum going. They never really laid down with their lead and they committed themselves to play hard the entire game. They're building themselves some great endurance ethics and strongly positioning themselves to make some real noise com tourney time.

 

 

 

Has the thought that a very good defense can take you out of what you want to do, because they simply may be a better team?

Earls is not a great player...he is a nice player for a sophomore but has a ways to go, but is fairly skilled for his age and size. Their best player is McFarland in my opinion.

 

I didn't think Holmes played four complete quarters, but when they are on a roll they are fun to watch.

 

It is silly to think that Boone's coach would purposely throw the game.

 

1. Yes it has - see above.

 

2. Tonight he played great and was the only option that worked.

 

3. Yes they are!

 

4. Yes it is silly. It was a wacky thought. Most people would have the coach's head for such a move. Wouldn't exactly be the worst of ideas though considering the next time they meet means everything and part of this game is psychology. Sometimes teams can enter a game after a few weeks and all they remember is a cakewalk. Sometimes that perception can come back to bite you. I'm sure Henley will have the Bulldogs thinking tough though. He's got a good squad this year that is obviously attentive to his teaching. They're a nicely focused bunch that looks like they're seeing the bigger picture. I expect to see them take the bus to Rupp and make a real big statement come March. :thumb:

I agree that it is a wacky thought to not want your team to win against region contenders, but suppose a coach thinks that and goes into a regular season game with the intent to play it close to the vest and expect to lose.

 

So as you prepare for that team with just 1 practice day, you approach your team and say what? I think your players see right through any coachspeak you can offer at the time.

 

Any coach worth their whistle will gameplan to win every night.

What would Kansas City Chiefs Coach Herman Edwards say?

"You play to win the game."

Originally Posted by B-Ball-fan

1. Yes it has - see above.

 

2. Tonight he played great and was the only option that worked.

 

3. Yes they are!

 

4. Yes it is silly. It was a wacky thought. Most people would have the coach's head for such a move. Wouldn't exactly be the worst of ideas though considering the next time they meet means everything and part of this game is psychology. Sometimes teams can enter a game after a few weeks and all they remember is a cakewalk. Sometimes that perception can come back to bite you. I'm sure Henley will have the Bulldogs thinking tough though. He's got a good squad this year that is obviously attentive to his teaching. They're a nicely focused bunch that looks like they're seeing the bigger picture. I expect to see them take the bus to Rupp and make a real big statement come March. :thumb:

 

There is no reason for a coach not to gameplan to win. IMO a W goes a lot farther than getting beat by 20 points. Holmes won't take any team lightly the rest of the season. They have seen what it can do to you and have obviously learned their lesson with the way they came out and played last night.

What would Kansas City Chiefs Coach Herman Edwards say?

"You play to win the game."

 

:lol::lol::thumb:

What will it take to make everyone realize that HOLMES is the real deal? After each victory it seems that everyone/most continue to explain why Boone, Cov Cath, Highlands, Holy Cross, etc. lost the game. The coach didn't do this, this player is hurt, the gym was too big, we had to go to Covington. Sooner or later you will have to applaud the coaching and playing of the HOLMES BULLDOGS! No more excuses...Give credit where credit is due!

What will it take to make everyone realize that HOLMES is the real deal? After each victory it seems that everyone/most continue to explain why Boone, Cov Cath, Highlands, Holy Cross, etc. lost the game. The coach didn't do this, this player is hurt, the gym was too big, we had to go to Covington. Sooner or later you will have to applaud the coaching and playing of the HOLMES BULLDOGS! No more excuses...Give credit where credit is due!

 

:thumb:

Box Score from the game...

 

Holmes 14 17 9 17- 57

Boone .5 . 9 11 12- 37

 

Holmes- R.Johnson 15; Henderson 14; Pittman 12; Clark 10; Riley 3; Avery 2; J. Johnson 2

Boone- Earls 14; Mcfarland 7; Spalding 5; Krohman 3; Gabbard 3; Flannery 3; Cotton 2

 

Holmes shot 43% from the field.

Boone shot 32% from the field.

And your point? That's the SOPHOMORES. They're not playing against a team that has Arrez, Avery, Clark, Humphrey, Nelson, etc on it. What the SOPHOMORES do against Holmes SOPHOMORES has nothing to do with anything.

 

Bottom line is that Boone got taken to the wood shed tonight. Everyone can sit here and "cry" about Boone not doing this or that defensively but isn't that what everyone says after they lose to Holmes? "Should have played a zone." If teams aren't playing a zone against Holmes, it's for a reason. It's only going to work for so long before a drive, and collapse in the defense allow Holmes to do the same thing in a back door cut. Do you not think coaches know this? They're the head coaches for a reason, like it or not.

 

Also, if Boone is so good offensively, why couldn't they overcome good defense? You can say Boone didn't run "set plays", but don't good teams have set plays? Also, it seemed this way because Holmes was so good at fighting through the screens, which is attributed to good defense, which you would have saw if you were at the game. Boone has scored in the 70's practically every game...But yet they lose and all of a sudden it's the coaches fault, rather than saying they got beat by a far superior team.

 

I'm not a fan of any particular team in nky as I'm a graduate of Oak Hills in Ohio, but seriously it's getting old of how many excuses people use after they lose to Holmes. Maybe this team is that good and you should give them the credit that is due. It's not like Holmes played the entire game with their starting 5 either. Pittman, Nelson, Riley and Humphrey were on the court a lot together tonight with either R. Johnson or Henderson out there with them.

 

This is a good point as I noticed this when they played Highlands. I remember one play where Watson set a nice pick on Arrez and McGraw got to the rack for a 3pt play. I watched as Arrez looked over at an Assistant Coach on Holmes' bench, maybe Wimzie. The coach put his hands out in a defense position as if to remind him of a technique to use. The next time down the floor someone tried to free up McGraw again and Arrez slid right through the pick. You gotta admit, the Holmes coaching staff is pretty darn good.

 

The mark of a very good team is when during a timeout you see coaches gather round and discuss what they are seeing in the game and then the head coach takes it all in and makes the call in the huddle. If you ever watch a Highlands game you never see that.

How'd you like the bait Y'all? I told you it was a wack idea from the get-go. Just something to think about. Even I would think that the chances of the coach throwing the game would be pretty slim. Just tried to figure why the game was so out of balance. I give all the props in the world to the Bulldogs and have so from the get-go as well. I don't think I've taken anything away from them by trying to ponder Boone's lame approach. The Rebels played hard but seemingly with no real plan. It takes two to Tango and certainly The Bulldogs were the major factor in Boone's lameness, but I gotta believe that if they meet again they'll bring a whole different strategy to the table or else they'll end up with the same tragic results or maybe Boone will always suffer the same tragic results because Holmes just has their number no matter what. I'll be interesting to see what happens if they go round 2. Somewhere in my wishes though I'm more pumped on the idea of Holmes meeting Highlands again. If I had to choose. That's the game that would rock the most. :ylsuper:

Photos and video available at this link:

http://nokysportsreport.blogspot.com/2008/02/game-spotlight-boys-boone-county-vs.html

 

It’s two 20 game winners tonight as Boone County travels to Holmes on Monday. Holmes leads all Northern Kentucky schools with a record of 22-1 and ranked 5th in the state in the last Cantrell rankings. Boone County comes in with a 20-4 record. Hopefully the game can get in before the white death falls on Northern Kentucky and the Tri State. Nice crowd for a Monday night game.

 

Holmes held Boone County to just a three pointer and a field goal in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs had a couple of spectacular blocks on the Rebels end of the floor. Arrez Henderson paced the Bulldogs in the first 8 minutes with 5 points as Holmes opened up the game with a 14-5 lead after the first.

 

Ricardo Johnson took charge in the second quarter for Holmes as he dropped in a pair of three pointers plus another bucket extending the Bulldog lead to 13 with 2 minutes to go in the half. Boone County really couldn’t find the offensive answer in the half as Holmes extended the lead to 17 at the half, 31-14 going into the locker room.

 

Ladonte Hocker from Holmes and Greg Nieman from Boone County were the Class X Free Throw Challenge contestants for tonight. Ladonte went first and went 0’fer. Greg hit his first with a granny shot and took the victory. Both contestants took home pizza.

 

Holmes extended their lead to 21 at one point in the quarter, but 6 points from Andy Earls and 4 from Steven McFarland cut the lead to 16 with a minute to go in the quarter. A free throw added by McFarland cut it to 15 as the third quarter ended. Holmes led 40-25.

 

A Cory Spaulding three pointer cut the lead to 12 with a little more than 6 minutes to go. A five point run by the Bulldogs extended it back to 17 and an Andy Earls sky hook back to 15 with 4:44 to go. That would be as close as it would get for the Rebels as with 2 minutes to go, the lead was pushed back to 20. That is how the game ended as the Bulldogs take a 57-37 victory from the Boone County Rebels.

 

Scoring by Quarter:

 

Boone County - 5 9 11 12 - 37

Holmes - 14 17 9 17 - 57

 

Team Stats - Boone County

 

FG % - 15-47 - 31.9%

FT% - 4-10 - 40.0%

3 Pt % - 3-14 - 21.4%

Rebounds - Off. 8 - Def. 19 - Total - 27

Turnovers - 17

Steals - 4

 

Team Stats - Holmes

 

FG % - 23-53 - 43.4%

FT% - 7-9 - 77.8%

3 Pt % - 4-13 - 30.8%

Rebounds - Off. 10 - Def. 27 - Total - 37

Turnovers - 16

Steals - 11

 

Individual Scoring - Boone County

 

Andy Earls - 14

Steven McFarland - 7

Cory Spaulding - 5

Todd Korhman - 3

Mike Gabbard - 3

Austin Flannery - 3

Ronald Cotton - 2

 

Individual Scoring - Holmes

 

Ricardo Johnson - 15

Arrez Henderson - 13

Elijah Pittman - 12

Terrance Clark - 8

Braeon Avery - 4

Jamel Riley - 3

Jerimiah Johnson - 2

 

Boone County goes to 20-5 on the season with the loss. They will face Rose Hill Academy on Saturday.

 

Holmes goes to 23-1 on the season with the win. They have Newport Central Catholic this coming Thursday.

Take nothing away from Holmes. They played well. They are a good team, and they have proven it by beating everyone in NKY this year. Are they beatable? Yes.

 

Boone's offense was lacking enough motion and screens, period. This has been a common theme the last few years that both fans and parents have seen and complained about, even after victories this year. Boone's scoring has come mostly from blistering shooting and talent this year, not on set plays and game planning. You certainly can't blame coaching for everything, HOWEVER, the coach also has to take some responsibility. Boone's boys stopped playing and weren't trying later in the game. It's on the coach to motivate them to play to the end or get someone in there who will.