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se7ens

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  1. Isaac Speicher steps down after 3 years at the helm for Beechwood.
  2. This hire just makes so much sense. In the building, younger guy with a lot of energy but still has massive experience, has coached under some stellar coaches, and is overall just an excellent dude.
  3. I wish they could talk Kevin Sisler or Brock Radkowski to come back take the helm but I don't see that happening at this time. Both were key assistants throughout the Kelley years (and for Brock, even predating Kelley). I think the pool is going to be deep and with the proximity to Lexington I think you'll get some really intriguing names out of the 11th as well as the 12th.
  4. I also think this may play out if the region loses some of the northernmost schools in realignment.
  5. I thought that whoever made it out of that barn burner last night would be disadvantaged but I didn’t think the deficit would be this bad. Congrats to Somerset on a great year. They fought through some serious adversity to have a great run in the regional and get to claim an all-time great win with that victory last night. Now we get to see if a full strength, all cylinders Maroon squad can keep this success up at Rupp.
  6. They are listed at 2500. About a half hour farther than Lincoln County for both Wayne and McCreary. And honestly, I think maybe you rotate it between Pulaski, Mercer, Lincoln, McCreary, Wayne, and Casey County and you could keep most everyone happy. At least those would be the six gyms in the 12th I would choose. Rockcastle is a tad smaller than all of those but it would be my next suggestion, then probably Boyle which is at 3000 capacity.
  7. I'll be honest - Mercer County is what made me ask this question. I just think their facilities would be absolutely perfect to host the regional.
  8. What high school gyms across the state are the most suitable for hosting a regional tournament in terms of size, parking, facilities etc... but do not ever get a chance to do so?
  9. What a shot to end the game. Whitaker is just the ultimate competitor.
  10. Somerset 41 DCA 39 I just can't pick DCA to win all three games over the Jumpers. I think Somerset gets over the hump tonight.
  11. The final four in the regional is now set and the semifinals will take place tonight, March 11th, with the finals set for tomorrow, March 12th. Let's breakdown the four quarterfinal games then preview tonight's matchups. Quarterfinals Mercer County 55 Southwestern 42 As I have said before I think Southwestern is still a year away from being a contender but they certainly stood out the last month or so of the season. Their run ended at the hands of Mercer County behind the 17 points of John Perry and Trevor Ellis' 16 points and 20 rebounds. Pulaski County 71 Boyle County 44 The rollercoaster ride is over as the champions of the 45th District, the Boyle County Rebels, were summarily blown out by the hosting Pulaski County Maroons behind Will Blankenship's 26 points. Zak Anderson added 12 points and 12 rebounds and Carson Fraley scored 13. Montavin Quisenberry and Avery Bodner each had 10 for the Rebels. Pulaski out rebounded Boyle 27 to 18. Avery Bodner graduates for the Rebels but the remaining core returns so there is certainly potential for success in the immediate future but can they be more consistently successful next year? Somerset 73 Trinity Christian 53 The feel good story of the Trinity Christian Titans ended as the Somerset Briar Jumpers cruised on to the semifinals behind the 24 points of Indred Whitaker. Josh Lewis added 18 and Ben Godby scored 16. The Jumpers went 50% from three-point range with Whitaker making six and Lewis making 5. Danville Christian 53 Wayne County 48 (OT) Titus Boyd may have only scored 7 but he was there when it mattered as he hit the game tying shot with 7.2 seconds left to send this game to overtime. Antajuan Dumphord had a look to win but it fell flat. DCA was able to ice the game from the free throw line in the final moments of overtime. Braden Fugate led DCA with 14 points. Kendall Phillips scored 17 for the Cardinals. With both him and Dumphord back for Wayne County I expect we will hear from them again next March. Semifinals Preview Mercer County vs. Pulaski County The Maroons won this matchup at home on February 6th. Trevor Ellis had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Titans and Zak Anderson had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Pulaski. The Maroons had four double digit scorers and Carson Fraley did not play. With this game being at Pulaski County again and Fraley being healthy, I see the Maroons having a clear edge. However, I think there is a strong argument Mercer will have the best player on the floor in Ellis, something I think always gives a team a chance no matter the competition. Somerset vs. Danville Christian When two teams are both talented (and sometimes even when there is a talent gap) it is really hard to beat the same team three times. That's exactly what DCA would have to do to advance to the finals. The Warriors won 53 to 39 in the All A Regional Tournament and then 48 to 45 on February 23rd. Somerset was atrocious offensively in the All A game with no scorers in double figures and going 7 of 31 from three point range. They were able to clean that up a bit as Indred Whitaker and Ben Godby both scored 13 in the rematch and the team shot 40 percent from the field including 10 of 23 from long distance. Titus Boyd had 18 in the first game and 14 in the second. Geu Ateny wasn't available for the first game but had 11 in the second as well as 8 rebounds. I really think this is anyone's game but can be dictated by one stat - if Whitaker and Godby combine for over 30, it'll be the Jumpers. If it is under 24 it will be the Warriors. Anywhere in between those two numbers and it'll be a tossup. We will be back next week to break down the semifinals as well as the finals and then preview the path ahead in the state tournament for the regional winner.
  12. Well now the stage is set. Cooper and Newport will play Tuesday March 12th at 7:00 PM at Truist Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University for the regional title and the right to go to Rupp to compete for a state title. If anything has been proven this week, it is that the winner of this game will be a serious contender to win a state title. Let's go through the first two rounds then breakdown the title game matchup. Quarterfinals Lloyd Memorial 59 Beechwood 30 The tournament started with a blowout behind EJ Walker's 15 points and 13 boards as the Juggernauts limited Beechwood's Jack Sullivan to just 6 points. Newport 45 Ryle 43 Ryle had Newport on the ropes most of this game but could not prevent a second half surge by the Wildcats. It included one of the more intriguing coaching calls of the tournament as Coach Snapp had his team foul sub-fifty-percent free thrower shooter Evan Smith up two in the final moments of the game. It was an ugly win for the Wildcats as they shot just 27.5% from the floor but Taylen Kinney put them on his back offensively, raking up 22 points. Covington Catholic 49 Dixie Heights 47 From losing by 40 less than 3 weeks earlier to having a shot up for the win, Dixie can walk away knowing they laid it all out on the court. CovCath was out in front by a decent margin until the last minute where they watched their 7 point lead evaporate down to just 2 after a series of missed free throws and turnovers. Caden Miller had 17 points and 10 rebounds while Cash Harney also scored 17. Cooper 81 Highlands 46 A healthy Andy Johnson dominated the Bluebirds, scoring 22 and getting 7 rebounds. Yamil Rondon added 12 points of his own. Nathan Vinson scored 15 in his final high school game. Semifinals Newport 60 Lloyd Memorial 29 In a rematch from last year's tournament that lead to some dramatic off the court moments, the Wildcats erased any potential for on-the-court suspense as they rolled right over Lloyd on their way to the title game. Jabari Covington had 14 while James Turner and Taylen Kinney each had 13. Cooper 55 Covington Catholic 36 Unlike the Newport Wildcats who found themselves on the brink of elimination in the first round but gained their momentum back for the semifinals, Covington Catholic never really shook off the tight victory over Dixie and Cooper took advantage. Cooper now has won three games in a row over the Colonels. Yamil Rondon went out with a reinjury of his shoulder and although the Jaguars are no strangers to playing shorthanded it will still be a major loss if he can't go Tuesday. Finals Preview So that leaves us with Newport versus Cooper. As just stated, the status of Yamil Rondon is unknown. Both Taylen Kinney and Andy Johnson have put in major performances so far for their respective teams. Newport won this matchup 48 to 42 roughly a month ago on February 13th but Cooper was still without the injured Andy Johnson at that time as well as Yamil Rondon. Shaun Pouncy led the way for the Jaguars with 19. Taylen Kinney went off in that game for 28 and no other Wildcat reached double figures. It is sure to be another packed house at Truist Arena and, in my opinion, will come down to which star rises to the moment, Johnson or Kinney. Both teams have tremendous talent behind those 2, but, especially with Rondon questionable for the Jaguars, you have to think the these two will be the ones to really lift their respective teams. We will be back next week to recap the game and preview the winner's projected path in the state tournament.
  13. The four teams ranked at the top of the region all year have won their districts and head into Truist Arena at NKU looking to book a trip to Rupp. Let's review what happened in the district tournaments and take a look at the regional tournament ahead. 33rd District Brady Bushman scored 19 as the Conner Cougars defeated Heritage in the 4/5 game. Conner saw their season come to an end though in the quarterfinals as Yamil Rondon scored 13 and Shaun Pouncy scored 12 as the Cooper Jaguars proceeded to the title game. In the other semifinal matchup Ryle defeated Boone 49 to 47 behind Logan Verax's 17 points. Mason Hall put up 14 for the Rebels in the losing effort. In the championship game Cooper rode a 25 point performance from Andy Johnson coupled with dual 17 point nights from Yamil Rondon and Shaun Pouncy to defeat the Raiders 69 to 61. 34th District Spencer Brandenburg scored 25 points for the Ludlow Panthers against Villa Madonna in the 4/5 game. Ludlow failed to compete with Lloyd in their semifinal matchup as the Juggernauts won 85 to 47 with EJ Walker leading the way with 25 points. In the other semifinal Dixie took down St. Henry in a thriller, 61 to 59. Griffin Derry had 19 points and Hudson Blank had 16 to lead the Colonels while Andrew Reis had 15 for the Crusaders. In the title game Lloyd was able to narrowly hold off Dixie in a low-scoring affair in overtime, 37 to 35. EJ Walker had 12 in Lloyd's winning effort. 35th District The first semifinal game witnessed Covington Catholic blowout Holmes by a score of 83 to 33 with Cash Harney scoring 17. The second semifinal game was a much closer game as Beechwood defeated Holy Cross 40 to 36 as Jack Sullivan and Carson Blackburn both scored 11 and Tyler Fryman had 10. CovCath defeated the Tigers 77 to 57 in the championship game with Caden Miller scoring 18 and adding 9 rebounds. 36th District The 4/5 game was another iteration of that classic river city rivalry between Bellevue and Dayton. The Bellevue Tigers, behind Jase Iles' 24 points and Noah Frommeyer's 20, were able to bring home the 16 point win. They were unable to replicate that success as they were blown out by the 1 seed Newport Wildcats with Taylen Kinney scoring 20. The other semifinal was an instant classic as the Highlands Bluebirds defeated the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds 90 to 85 in double overtime. For the Birds Daniel Schick had 23 and Nathan Vinson had 22. For the Breds Caleb Eaglin had 24. Taylen Kinney scored 17 followed by Jabari Covington and James Turner, both with 12, to lead the way for the Wildcats in the Championship game as they defeated Highlands 63 to 48. Regional Tournament The quarterfinal round opens March 4th at 6:30 as Lloyd squares off with Beechwood. This is a rematch of a 61 to 58 Lloyd win from January 2nd where Isaiah Sebastian scored 20 for Lloyd and Jack Sullivan scored 21 for Beechwood. The second game on March 4th is between Newport and Ryle, a rematch of a December 12th Newport victory by a margin of 66 to 55 with 4 Wildcats in double figures. The tournament takes a night off and then we are back in action Wednesday March 6th as Covington Catholic faces Dixie Heights. The Red Colonels and Blue Colonels did not face each other in the regular season. Dixie is certainly playing their best ball of the year right now but it still may not be enough to take down mighty CovCath. The quarterfinals then close out with Cooper taking on Highlands, a rematch from January 9th where Cooper won 79 to 63 with Yamil Rondon scoring 28. Andy Johnson was out with injury. Brayden Moeves scored 21 and Nathan Vinson was held to 10. The semifinal games will take place Sunday at 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM. We will be back next week to recap the first two rounds of the tournament and preview the championship game.
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