St. Henry / Covington Catholic 3/3 Predictions

[EZ Living]

St Henry and Covington Catholic square off in a battle of David vs. Goliath. Covington Catholic has the interior size and St. Henry the scrappy bunch of well coached players that will battle to the end. What a battle this should be between the cheering sections, a game in itself.

[Clyde]

Neither team seems to match up well with the other. That will make it interesting.

[StraightShooter]

I'll take St. Henry in a very close game.

[NKYBOY1487]

Lets talk about game plans real quick.

 

CovCath: There is no doubt in my mind that Coach L is planning on pounding the ball inside to Thelen and Wellbrock. Especially Thelen! St Henry doesn't really have an answer for him on the post. Defensively I see CovCath trying to press a little bit, but mostly play straight up man to man.

 

St Henry: The gameplan for them doesn't really change from game to game defensively. Coach Faust knows he doesn't have any height, but what he expects from his team is for them to compete and make every shot CovCath takes a difficult one. And if they do get an easy attempt to put the Colonels on the free throw line, where they really seem to struggle. Offensively this Crusader team, unlike others of the past, really strives on pushing the ball up the floor and getting quick easy buckets. I expect this will be the offesive game plan again Wednesday night.

 

OUTCOME: I worry about the size difference for St Henry. Thelen is a beast and scored bunches in Game 1. But as for CovCath Id have to worry about becoming "one dimensional". I think Coach L could almost become obsessed with the size difference and that could lead to some struggles. Lets remember this, St Henry has been undersized all season. So this is nothing new for them. They are going to rely on speed and quickness to get on top. Bessler and Barnett almost have another gear that most players don't have.

 

All in all I see this coming down to 2 things. 1. St Henry's 3pt shooting 2. CovCaths Free Throw shooting.

 

If St Henry shoots the 3ball anywhere near the way the did against Dixie, Crusaders head to the final 4. CovCath will get to the line often I believe because of the size difference. If the Colonels can shoot better than 65-70%, I see them on top of this "Recent Rival".

[ColonelCrazy]

If the Colonels can shoot better than 65% from the line, it may be a season high!

 

I planned on going to this one until I realized that UK plays Georgia @ 8.

[9thregionbb]

This should be a good game, but what can not happen for St. Henry is foul trouble. Bessler, Thorburn and Seifreid have to guard much bigger and stronger players in this one. If they all get in foul trouble and do not play on the floor together much in this one St. Henry is in trouble. Cov. Cath has the size and the bench to win this one, but they also had the advantage in December. Curious to see if Cov. Cath puts Connelly on Barnett in this one to take his outside shot away. Should be a good one.

[StraightShooter]

If the Colonels can shoot better than 65% from the line, it may be a season high!

 

I planned on going to this one until I realized that UK plays Georgia @ 8.

 

This will be a closer game than UK-Georgia.

[Tiger1]

CovCath by 5

[9thregionbb]

Possible matchups for this game and of course this is my opinion or say possible outlook.

 

Thorburn vs Thelen

Bessler vs Wellbrock

Anderson vs Wilson/Robinson/Heimbrock

Barnett vs Connelly/Evans

Hils vs Pauly

 

It would seem Cov. Cath has a deeper bench than St. Henry also. Another thing to think about will the Crusaders throw a zone at Cov.Cath and make them hit some outside shots. One thing for certian the point guard matchup will be a very good one to watch. Whoever gets out of this one has a very tough matchup in the next round, be it Newport or Ryle. Good luck to both teams.

[scout]

 

But as for CovCath Id have to worry about becoming "one dimensional". I think Coach L could almost become obsessed with the size difference and that could lead to some struggles.

 

I agree that there is a danger of CovCath falling into the 1-D trap. Interestingly, during the first meeting of these teams this year, Coach L never put three of his 'big' guys on the court at one time. CovCath never tried to take advantage of their height and that, I believe, was a mistake.

 

If it were me, I would put Schult on Barnett. That would shock everyone.

[Clyde]

I agree that there is a danger of CovCath falling into the 1-D trap. Interestingly, during the first meeting of these teams this year, Coach L never put three of his 'big' guys on the court at one time. CovCath never tried to take advantage of their height and that, I believe, was a mistake.

 

If it were me, I would put Schult on Barnett. That would shock everyone.

 

As you know, early on Coach L didn't have the confidence yet in Alex C. He obviously does/should now so we'll see a bigger lineup than we did in December. Adding him to the lineup, while increasing the overall size, also makes CCH more athletic. We are starting to see aggressiveness from Alex that wasn't there early. Confidence/aggressiveness/athleticism/size/attitude is a nice asset for Coach L.

 

The Schult thought is intriguing. It will not happen but its certainly interesting to ponder.

[CovCathiRadio]

Rebounding, free throws and turnovers. Have to win two of these stats to win the game. Thelen, Wellbrock and Connelly will score 40-50.

[kyvince]

I agree that there is a danger of CovCath falling into the 1-D trap. Interestingly, during the first meeting of these teams this year, Coach L never put three of his 'big' guys on the court at one time. CovCath never tried to take advantage of their height and that, I believe, was a mistake.

 

If it were me, I would put Schult on Barnett. That would shock everyone.

 

I think you start Connelly on him, and use Schult when Connelly needs a breather. Barnett is a very nice player, but if he gets frustrated by tough physicall defense, his overall game seems to suffer. Not to mention the amount of energy he will have to spend just trying to get an open shot. I think the key to the game for CovCath is how they handle Barnett.

[colonel-fan]

Rebounding, free throws and turnovers. Have to win two of these stats to win the game. Thelen, Wellbrock and Connelly will score 40-50.

 

CovCath only put up 54 points in the first game with St. Henry, correct? And you've got Thelen, Wellbrock, and Connelly going for as many as 50?

[Reality Check]

CovCath only put up 54 points in the first game with St. Henry, correct? And you've got Thelen, Wellbrock, and Connelly going for as many as 50?

 

I think those three have come a long way since that first game. I agree with CovCathRadio, rebounding, free throws, and turnovers are the key. With an emphasis on free throws. I think if it becomes close Faust will make them earn it from the stripe.