Final from the 35th District.

Beechwood 8 9 7 19 43

 

Covington Holmes 24 10 15 12 61

 

35th District at Covington Catholic

 

Beechwood (17-11) -- Pohlgeers 12, Fangman 10, Cruse 8, Daniels 5, Maus 3, Nussbaum 3, Berry 2.

 

Covington Holmes (22-5) -- J.Johnson 13, R.Johnson 13, Rice 9, Herndon 8, Hayes 7, Pittman 4, Gray 2,Slusher 2, Avery 2, Reese 1.

Cov Holmes 61 Beechwood 43

Stats

 

Cov Holmes

22/49 44.9% FG

04/14 28.6% 3P FG

13/23 56.5% FT

 

Beechwood

16/44 36.4% FG

04/15 26.7% 3P FG

07/18 38.9% FT

 

Leading Scorers

 

Cov Holmes

J. Johnson 13

R. Johnson 13

 

Beechwood

Pohlgeers 12

Fangman 10

 

Beechwood..08..09..07..19..43

Holmes.......24..10..15..12..61

 

 

 

 

The 35th is not going to win any FT shooting awards.

Holmes jumped up early and ran away from beechwood, Holmes had 24 in the first quarter, beechwood scored its 24th point on a buzzer beater at the end of the 3rd.

 

Pittman (4) and Ricardo Johnson (13) scored all there points in the first quarter. Elijah picked up his second foul early in the second, sat until halftime, picked up his 3rd early in the 3rd and sat the rest of the game, Johnson also picked up his 3rd midway thru the 3rd and sat the rest of the contest. Holmes could have won by 40, but after stretching the lead to 28, Henley let Herndon, Hayes, and Rice carry the load the rest of the way.

Elijah needs to stay out of foul trouble for this team to have a chance of winning the region. CovCath will be a tough in the finals on their home court. The colonel crazies will be out in full force.

Elijah needs to stay out of foul trouble for this team to have a chance of winning the region. CovCath will be a tough in the finals on their home court. The colonel crazies will be out in full force.

 

Elijah has rarely been in foul trouble this season, Ricardo is more likely to wind up in foul trouble out of the big 3 than anyone. Eli has done a great job of that this season I must say

Elijah has rarely been in foul trouble this season, Ricardo is more likely to wind up in foul trouble out of the big 3 than anyone. Eli has done a great job of that this season I must say

 

I agree. Two of Pittman's three fouls were silly "on the floor" fouls from him simply being over-aggressive. Mistakes he hasn't made in bigger games or against better competition.

 

I also thought the 3rd foul on Ricardo was bogus. I, along with many of the Beechwood fans that I was sitting with, thought it was a good clean block.

 

BTW, check out Walter's prediction of the score:

 

Holmes 62

Beechwood 41

 

Final: Holmes 61 Beechwood 43

 

What killed Beechwood tonight was Holmes' press. They flat out got after it on the defensive side of the ball.

 

If people were wondering whether or not Holmes was going to bring it come tourney time, I think that answer came tonight. Should be interesting to see if Holmes can keep this up Friday night.

If Holmes presses I think they will be tough to knock out of the region.

Holmes 61, Beechwood 43: The Bulldogs scored two baskets in the first 23 seconds and jumped out to a 17-2 lead against Beechwood with a 13-0 run in Wednesday's second semifinal of the 35th District tournament.

 

Brothers Ricardo and Jeremiah Johnson each scored 13 points for Holmes (22-5).

 

John Pohlgeers led Beechwood (17-11) with 12 points.

 

Beechwood (17-11) - Pohlgeers 4 3 12, Fangman 4 1 10, Cruse 3 1 8, Daniels 2 1 5, Nussbaum 1 0 3, Maus 1 1 3, Barry 1 0 2. Totals 16 7 43.

 

Holmes (22-5) - J.Johnson 6 0 13, R.Johnson 3 4 13, Rice 3 3 9, Herndon 3 2 8, Hayes 3 1 7, Pittman 2 0 4, Gray 1 0 2, Slusher 1 0 2, Avery 0 2 2, Reese 0 1 1. Totals 22 13 61.

 

Beechwood 8 9 7 19 - 43

Holmes 24 10 15 12 - 61

 

3-pointers: B 4 (Cruse, Fangman, Nussbaum, Pohlgeers). H 4 (R.Johnson 3, J.Johnson).

 

nky.com

 

J. Johnson also had 7 rbs and 3 stls to lead Holmes.

I noticed Rice had 9 pts in this game after coach Henley gave him a little time on the pine the previous couple of games. How did he play in this game? I have said all along that I think he is a critical piece in Holmes attempt to repeat as regional champs and make a run at repeating down state. He gives them another big body down low and allows coach Henley to give Ricardo more rest within their 8 man rotation. Ricardo always draws the other team's best offensive player and I believe with more chances to rest in the game he can stay out of foul trouble which will be critical for them winning big games. Avery gives them another good defensive presence and I think he can take some of the load off Ricardo in that aspect as well. If Rice can maintain composure and play the way coach Henley wants him to play this is a very good "Team". If they have to rely on just the "Big 3" each and every night then they will have some tight games and could get upset. I also think that coach Henley might just have a few tricks up his sleeve on defense. You have seen what they can do with full court pressure with their length and athleticism and don't be surprised to see some type of zone deployed when the situation calls for it. I know he favors the man-to-man but imo they could throw a mean 3-2 at some hot shooting team with their length. Coach Henley has a quiet way of getting this team focused at the right time and just may have a good plan for them. Bulldog fans everywhere are hoping so, it's almost March.

I think the problem with Rice is discipline on the court. As a coach, you need to count on your players to do their job. Rice seems to be a total free lancer on the court. It is a shame he can't play with more discipline because there is no doubt he is very talented.

 

If Holmes brings the press and shoots the 3's like they did against Beechwood, a repeat is definitely within their grasp, especially when they get on a bigger court.

Rice problem isn't a lack of discipline. Anyone who has seen him last year and this year knows he has grown tremendously both mentally and physically. He's even gotten several comments on here about how he has matured and grown mentally.

 

When he attacks the rim like he did last night, he is very tough to handle for any player in this region. When he's settling for jumpshots, he becomes a mediocre player. He just needs to play with confidence all the time. When his confidence goes down, that's when you start seeing the mistakes.

 

He showed last night that he's capable of taking over a game offensively. There were several possessions in a row where he either scored or got to the charity stripe.