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Informal 8th Region Boys' Poll

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Tiger0334

Tiger0334

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I would go with the top 5 being something like this.

1. Shelby County

2. Anderson County

3. South Oldham

4. Gallatin County

5. Simon Kenton

 

Others: Owen County, North Oldham, Spencer County, Henry County

 

 

Shelby is by far the best in the region at this time. After that you can take any of these teams and make a top 10 list in any order.

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ColonelMike

ColonelMike

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Shelby beat Anderson by 2 or 3 points last week. They are on top, but Anderson is close.

 

Shelby beat Anderson by 2 in a game Anderson led nearly all the way. And Anderson had the ball under their own basket, I believe, with an out of bounds play in the final seconds but missed the shot to tie.

 

Still, even though that was on Shelby's court, it's hard to say how much of that is the Anderson-Shelby rivalry coming through. There's simply no comparison between the two teams, athletically. Shelby is simply superior.

 

But this is high school basketball. Mere athleticism doesn't always win games.

 

Still, my take is this:

 

1 - Shelby County - Simply the best athletes in the region, with the top 6 players back from last year's 8th region runner-ups. Shelby already has some quality wins over top 20 teams, and a couple of near-misses. Donovan Johnson can take over games; Norris Beckley is a superb PG, and Darryl Hicks is one of the best, most versatile freshmen in the state. Rockets motivated by last year's region final near-miss and the fact that this is the last year for one public high school in Shelby County. Coach Mike Clark is hardening this team with a brutal schedule, and the Rockets are dealing out more than they're taking...

2 - South Oldham - The difference between the South team the first week in December and the South team now is impressive, indeed. Waves of shooters - and a much-improved defense that is getting in people's faces. Casey Jackson is the best player in the region you haven't heard of... South's passing has been superb, and the team can bring waves of productive subs off the bench. South is off to (I believe) the best start in school history at 13-2, and on a ten-game winning streak.

3 - Anderson County - Glen Drury is worth 10 points as a coach. If I had a vote - and we were voting today - Russell would be my 8th Region player of the year. Strong role players. Anderson County is a smart team that executes Drury's game plans well, and in a one-game situation, don't bet against them. Anderson completely took Shelby County out of their game plan in the recent game in Shelbyville, something more heralded teams haven't even tried to do.

4 - Gallatin County - Jon Jones' system routinely maxxes his talent to 110%. This is a deep, fundamentally sound team and the team is greater than the sum of its parts. The Wildcats are healthy, have a good blend of experience and youth, and rec'd a boost of two solid transfers.

 

Dark Horses:

Simon Kenton - good shooters, solid team. Not sure we've seen evidence SK is ready to ascend to the top tier, particularly after loss to Gallatin.

Owen County - tremendous size inside, but guards remain somewhat suspect, although they have perhaps outperformed initial expectations. Still - loss to Henry County (8-8) and a bashing at the hands of Gallatin keeps this team in the second tier right now.

North Oldham - Devon Rowan is a man-child on the inside, averaging a double-double. His game is 100% improved over last year as he avoids fouls and shoots free throws well. Alex Foley may be the best long-range shooter in the 8th region. But North has struggled to close the deal against their better opponents, despite frequently leading or playing close most of the game.

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NEERFAN

NEERFAN

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Shelby beat Anderson by 2 in a game Anderson led nearly all the way. And Anderson had the ball under their own basket, I believe, with an out of bounds play in the final seconds but missed the shot to tie.

 

Still, even though that was on Shelby's court, it's hard to say how much of that is the Anderson-Shelby rivalry coming through. There's simply no comparison between the two teams, athletically. Shelby is simply superior.

 

But this is high school basketball. Mere athleticism doesn't always win games.

 

Still, my take is this:

 

1 - Shelby County - Simply the best athletes in the region, with the top 6 players back from last year's 8th region runner-ups. Shelby already has some quality wins over top 20 teams, and a couple of near-misses. Donovan Johnson can take over games; Norris Beckley is a superb PG, and Darryl Hicks is one of the best, most versatile freshmen in the state. Rockets motivated by last year's region final near-miss and the fact that this is the last year for one public high school in Shelby County. Coach Mike Clark is hardening this team with a brutal schedule, and the Rockets are dealing out more than they're taking...

2 - South Oldham - The difference between the South team the first week in December and the South team now is impressive, indeed. Waves of shooters - and a much-improved defense that is getting in people's faces. Casey Jackson is the best player in the region you haven't heard of... South's passing has been superb, and the team can bring waves of productive subs off the bench. South is off to (I believe) the best start in school history at 13-2, and on a ten-game winning streak.

3 - Anderson County - Glen Drury is worth 10 points as a coach. If I had a vote - and we were voting today - Russell would be my 8th Region player of the year. Strong role players. Anderson County is a smart team that executes Drury's game plans well, and in a one-game situation, don't bet against them. Anderson completely took Shelby County out of their game plan in the recent game in Shelbyville, something more heralded teams haven't even tried to do.

4 - Gallatin County - Jon Jones' system routinely maxxes his talent to 110%. This is a deep, fundamentally sound team and the team is greater than the sum of its parts. The Wildcats are healthy, have a good blend of experience and youth, and rec'd a boost of two solid transfers.

 

Dark Horses:

Simon Kenton - good shooters, solid team. Not sure we've seen evidence SK is ready to ascend to the top tier, particularly after loss to Gallatin.

Owen County - tremendous size inside, but guards remain somewhat suspect, although they have perhaps outperformed initial expectations. Still - loss to Henry County (8-8) and a bashing at the hands of Gallatin keeps this team in the second tier right now.

North Oldham - Devon Rowan is a man-child on the inside, averaging a double-double. His game is 100% improved over last year as he avoids fouls and shoots free throws well. Alex Foley may be the best long-range shooter in the 8th region. But North has struggled to close the deal against their better opponents, despite frequently leading or playing close most of the game.

 

I believe Basham from SK was absent for this game, correct me if I'm wrong, but if so, he's a key cog for SK's "O".

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PAPA PIGSKIN

PAPA PIGSKIN

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Anderson had ball under their own basket down 1 with 5 seconds. They turned it over and then fouled and shelby hit 1 free throw. Anderson led the entire game on Shelby's floor. So to say Shelby is far above every one else doesn't sound to smart. Might I also add Shelby shot 22 foul shots to Anderson's 6.

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ColonelMike

ColonelMike

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Anderson had ball under their own basket down 1 with 5 seconds. They turned it over and then fouled and shelby hit 1 free throw. Anderson led the entire game on Shelby's floor. So to say Shelby is far above every one else doesn't sound to smart. Might I also add Shelby shot 22 foul shots to Anderson's 6.

 

I agree, in that I think the top tier teams can beat Shelby, including Anderson. Shelby won't be handed the region crown this year - they'll have to earn it - but right now, nobody's proven they can top Mike Clark's Rockets, and they have proven more than anyone vs. top-tier competition outside the region.

 

Anderson's playing awfully well so far this season, but I think the concern for the Bearcats this year is that they are so heavily dependent on Russell, who accounts for 35% of the scoring and 41% of the rebounds. Russell's one of the best athletes to ever grace the 8th region stage, and he's been a blast to watch. Like I said, I like his chances to be 8th Region Player of the Year. But I'll wager Drury's more than a bit concerned that his team's success is so overwhelmingly tied to Russell. As the season wears on, it becomes harder and harder to have success when so much depends on one player...

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ColonelMike

ColonelMike

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Where does Grant Co fit in the mix?

 

I really don't see Grant as a factor this year. They are 2-4 in the region, beating Williamstown twice. But they've been routed by SK, Shelby, Henry, and W-V...

 

I don't expect Grant to make it out of the district this year vs. SK and W-V...

 

Of course, it's still early, and with Kinmon gone, the Braves are adjusting...

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ColonelMike

ColonelMike

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I really don't see Grant as a factor this year. They are 2-4 in the region, beating Williamstown twice. But they've been routed by SK, Shelby, Henry, and W-V...

 

I don't expect Grant to make it out of the district this year vs. SK and W-V...

 

Of course, it's still early, and with Kinmon gone, the Braves are adjusting...

 

Thought perhaps I should clarify this line in my post. My point being that the Braves are stuck with a tough challenge, which is adapting to a coaching change in mid-season. Even if the schemes are the same, the coaching tendencies and personalities are now different.

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repnky23

repnky23

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I would go with the top 5 being something like this.

1. Shelby County

2. Anderson County

3. South Oldham

4. Gallatin County

5. Simon Kenton

 

Others: Owen County, North Oldham, Spencer County, Henry County

 

Just curious.

What has Spencer Co done so far in their season?

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