As usual in the 9th region, the matchups in the tournament will be key. NCC is always a tough out. Highlands I haven't seen play, but I think they will be one of the weaker teams in the Region should they make it. CovCath and Holmes seem to be playing well now, and Holmes will give many teams fits, but for teams that can handle the pressure and have big inside games, the Bulldogs could be in trouble.

 

Dixie is solid, but they will have to overcome the lack of winning the region in a long time. On the other hand, Newport just shattered that lack of a region title ina long time in 2010. St. Henry I think will make the region and be the weakest team entered.

 

Right now, I would say Boone and Ryle will advance from the 33rd. I am not counting Conner all the way out yet, but progress has to be made quickly. Overall I would say that the 33rd and the 35th are the strongest districts right now.

It's probably futile to discuss the 'could've beens' and 'what ifs' regarding Vollet going down early, but he's a big boy and made an impressive strong move to the basket, cashing in just a split second before going down. I think we'd be talking about a whole different game had he not gone down. The loss of his size factor I think would've given the Bulldogs more troubles. Stauffer then had to take on the big man load all by himself the rest of the way. He kept them in it and Ryle truly could've won if the Raider's hadn't had such a horrendous night at the line. I like Booher's style of play and how he gets his guys to play disciplined ball for 32 minutes, but I think this game did expose some of the Bulldog's weaknesses with lack of size being the most obvious. They make up for it a bit with their leaping abilities, but I see it giving them trouble down the road. If these two teams happen to meet again in the Regionals, and if Ryle is at full strength, I tend to believe that Ryle would have the upper hand. All in all it wasn't exactly a pretty game. Games involving Ryle rarely ever are. Tough defensive struggles can be rather frustrating and painful to watch.

 

Luckily for us fans, Ryle and Holmes will meet again in the regular season so we'll be able to see if those "what if's" and "but's" come to fruition.

 

Plain and simple, Holmes pressure wears down the opposition regardless of the size of the other team. Athletic teams will give Holmes more fits than teams built like Covcath, Ryle, and Conner.

 

Why? The guards have to be able to get the ball up the court for the big men to be effective in the half court. You don't have to have a lot of size to be a very good team. Look at Holmes' 08 state championship appearance team. Not a player over 6'5. I believe their starting lineup went 5'10 Avery, 6'0 Henderson, 6'2 J. Johnson, 6'3 R. Johnson, 6'5 T. Clark/6'5 Pittman.

Dixie is solid, but they will have to overcome the lack of winning the region in a long time.

 

I've told people I think Dixie has the best starting 5. However, I need to see them play some tough teams to determine if they can win the region. Their schedule hasn't given us a good indication of where they stand or what they are capable of.

I think you are right on Walter. I would like to see their games' 2nd half scoring compared to first half. In most they have outscored the other team significantly, I would think. Brossart (maybe) and Moore I believe outscored them in the 2nd half. In the rest they wore them down. They jumped on Brossart early and it took the Mustangs a while to adjust to ther athleticism and quickness. They don't clamp down on the press at all times and lull teams into their half court press, then they get aggressive in the full court and score 6-10 unanswered. I believe Booher is a Pitino disciple and they play that way. The press will get more advanced as the season progresses. Their free throw shooting besides Hayes and Gray is a problem at this time.

I think you are right on Walter. I would like to see their games' 2nd half scoring compared to first half. In most they have outscored the other team significantly, I would think. Brossart (maybe) and Moore I believe outscored them in the 2nd half. In the rest they wore them down. They jumped on Brossart early and it took the Mustangs a while to adjust to ther athleticism and quickness. They don't clamp down on the press at all times and lull teams into their half court press, then they get aggressive in the full court and score 6-10 unanswered. I believe Booher is a Pitino disciple and they play that way. The press will get more advanced as the season progresses. Their free throw shooting besides Hayes and Gray is a problem at this time.

 

The 4th quarter has been where Holmes has won the past few games, because of the bolded above. Holmes is in incredible condition. By far one of the best conditioned Holmes' teams I've seen a while. With guys like Lewis, Coston, Palmer, and Peterson gaining more experience as the season progresses, you'll see Holmes continue to get better.

BTW, just noticed the pic above of Chris Hayes dunking. Not too often you see a 5'11 guard throwing it down the way he does. Kid can jump out of the gym.

Luckily for us fans, Ryle and Holmes will meet again in the regular season so we'll be able to see if those "what if's" and "but's" come to fruition.

 

Plain and simple, Holmes pressure wears down the opposition regardless of the size of the other team. Athletic teams will give Holmes more fits than teams built like Covcath, Ryle, and Conner.

 

Why? The guards have to be able to get the ball up the court for the big men to be effective in the half court. You don't have to have a lot of size to be a very good team. Look at Holmes' 08 state championship appearance team. Not a player over 6'5. I believe their starting lineup went 5'10 Avery, 6'0 Henderson, 6'2 J. Johnson, 6'3 R. Johnson, 6'5 T. Clark/6'5 Pittman.

 

Walter... it looks like the "what if's" and "but's" came to fruition.

Walter... it looks like the "what if's" and "but's" came to fruition.

 

Ryle played better on their home court. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Ryle was without Vollett first game, Holmes was without Mayfield in round two. It is what it is.

Ryle played better on their home court. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Ryle was without Vollett first game, Holmes was without Mayfield in round two. It is what it is.

 

Ryle played pretty good last year @ Holmes too, being the only 9th Region team to beat them in the regular season with much of the same cast playing against last year's Bulldog 'All Stars'.

Box Score:

 

HOLMES: 13-14-15-21–63

RYLE: 7-16-18-13–54

 

RYLE (7-6): Stauffer 10 5 25, James 4 0 8, Mullins 2 2 7, Perkins 2 0 4, Vollet 2 0 4, Mays 1 0 3, King 0 1 1, Scott 1 0 2. Totals: 22 8 54.

 

HOLMES (7-3): Hayes 7 5 20, Rice 5 1 12, Gray 1 7 9, Knox 2 2 6, Peterson 3 0 6, Palmer 2 0 4, Mayfield 0 3 3, Coston 1 0 2, Lewis 0 1 1. Totals: 21 19 63.

 

3-pointers: R – Mullins, Mays. H – Hayes, Rice.

 

Holmes FG%: 46.6 (21 of 45)

Ryle FG%: 44 percent (22 of 50)

 

Holmes had 20 points off 15 Ryle turnovers.

 

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