article 9th Region District Preview and Final Rankings

Regional Rankings

1. Covington Catholic (24-5): The Colonels beat Madison Central. They begin their trek on Tuesday in Ft. Mitchell as they play the Holy Cross Indians. Some people (not necessarily me) are worried about their free throw shooting.

2. Conner (20-5): The Cougars continue to play well. I did not predict a record as good as 20-5. Are they turning into a Powerhouse? They open district tournament play Wednesday and will probably play Boone County.

3. Highlands (24-3): Highlands lost to St. Henry and beat Beechwood last week. #14 for the Bluebirds hit several 3-pointers from the right wing. Highlands will probably play Dayton on Wednesday.

4. Beechwood (20-10): The Tigers got their 20th win last week against Lloyd. I read somewhere that this is their first back-to-back 20-win seasons in school history. The Tigers play Holmes on Wednesday.

5. St. Henry (22-4): The Cru’ closed the season on a 3-game winning streak and hope to ride that momentum into the post season. They will play the winner of Ludlow and Villa.

6. Newport Central Catholic (16-9): The Breds played Conner to a close loss on Thursday. Newport Catholic will play Newport High on Wednesday. This game is at NHS and should be competitive.

7. Cooper (10-15): Cooper actually lost to Dixie this week, but I still think they should remain at #7. They will play Ryle at Conner on Wednesday. I predict a very close game.

8. Holmes (11-16): Despite the fact that they are on a 3-game losing streak, Holmes seems to be playing better. They lost to St. Henry, Conner, and Simon Kenton by a total of 21 points. They travel to Beechwood on Wednesday. This should be a competitive game.

9. Dixie Heights (9-19): It is generally believed that Dixie is a little better than their record. They have won 2 games in a row and will host Lloyd on Wednesday.

10. Lloyd Memorial (15-12): Lloyd beat Trimble by 1-point to finish the regular season. They will play Dixie on Wednesday.

11. Holy Cross (15-12): The Indians play Cov Cath on Tuesday.

12. Newport (14-13): It seems like a lifetime ago when the Wildcats were 9-0. Newport does have the talent to pull off an upset, especially with being the host school.

13. Ryle (12-16): Ryle lost to a pair of 37th District schools last week. They play Cooper on Wednesday. The Raiders could win.

14. Boone County (5-23): The Rebels play Heritage for a chance to play Conner. Despite the record, I think Coach Browning has done a pretty good job in his first year.

15. Ludlow (17-12): Last year, Ludlow lost the 4/5 game to Villa. They have a chance to avenge that loss on Monday. I may take this one in. I have not seen either of these teams in person this year.

16. Dayton (11-19): I think my old boss has done a very good job with the Devils this year.

17. Villa Madonna (7-22): I thought they would have more wins, but I don’t know much about their system. Villa did beat St. Pats last week; I do not know if St. Pats is part of the Covington Diocese or not.

18. Heritage Academy (7-18): Heritage plays Boone.

19. Bellevue (3-24): Bellevue plays Dayton

20. Covington Latin (0-17): Latin lost to Holy Cross in the opening round. Their season is over.

District Preview:

There are several good games to go and see on Wednesday.

33rd District Tournament:

Location: Conner

Preview: Conner is the #1 seed in this district with Cooper and Ryle as the 2 and 3. The Cooper vs. Ryle game is intriguing. Cooper has won both regular season contests, but Ryle can keep it close.

34th District:

Location: Dixie Heights

Preview: The All A Champs are the #1 seed. Dixie is the #3, but being the host could give them an edge in their matchup against Lloyd.

35th District:

Location: Beechwood

Preview: Beechwood probably has the smallest gym of all the host schools. There are potentials for sellout crowds this week. Cov Cath is the #1 seed and Beechwood will host Holmes in the 2/3 game.

36th District:

Location: Newport High School

Preview: I do not know the last time Highlands was the #1 seed, but they have should have an easy path to NKU. The NCC and Newport High game will be a good one.

Players to Watch: This is not an all-region team. I could have listed 20 names but I only picked 10. They are not in any particular order.

Grant Disken: Sr. for Cov Cath

Noah Hupmann: Sr. for Cov Cath

Scotty Draud: Jr. for Beechwood

Will Downton: Jr. for Beechwood

Jacob Meyer: Fr. for Holy Cross

Jude Bessler: Jr. For St. Henry

Luke Muller: Jr. For Highlands

Sam Vinson: Jr. For Highlands

Evan Mullikan: Sr. For NCC.

Jalen Scott: Sr. For Conner

17. Villa Madonna (7-22): I thought that would have more wins, but I don’t know much about their system. Villa did beat St. Pats last week; I do not know if St. Pats is part of the Covington Archdiocese or not.

Yes, St. Patrick is a member of the Diocese of Covington.

The Archdiocese is across the river.

17. Villa Madonna (7-22): I thought that would have more wins, but I don’t know much about their system. Villa did beat St. Pats last week; I do not know if St. Pats is part of the Covington Archdiocese or not.

 

Yes, St. Patrick is a member of the Diocese of Covington.

 

The Archdiocese is across the river.

Out of curiosity, are the Private Catholic Schools closer to Lexington part of a “Lexington Diocese?” Is it divided by major urban areas?

Out of curiosity, are the Private Catholic Schools closer to Lexington part of a “Lexington Diocese?” Is it divided by major urban areas?

The Catholic schools in Lexington and eastern Kentucky fall under the Diocese of Lexington. The other two dioceses in Kentucky are the Archdiocese of Louisville and the Diocese of Owensboro.

Out of curiosity, are the Private Catholic Schools closer to Lexington part of a “Lexington Diocese?” Is it divided by major urban areas?

You refer to Kinmon as your old boss, did you coach under him?

You refer to Kinmon as your old boss, did you coach under him?

About 15 years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long.

About 15 years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long.

Time flies when you're having fun. LOL

3. Highlands (24-3): Highlands lost to St. Henry and beat Beechwood last week. #14 for the Bluebirds hit several 3-pointers from the right wing. Highlands will probably play Dayton on Wednesday.

 

4. Beechwood (20-10): The Tigers got their 20th win last week against Lloyd. I read somewhere that this is their first back-to-back 20-win seasons in school history. The Tigers play Holmes on Wednesday.

 

5. St. Henry (22-4): The Cru’ closed the season on a 3-game winning streak and hope to ride that momentum into the post season. They will play the winner of Ludlow and Villa.

It must have been tough how to decide to rank these three teams, what was your thought process here?

In my opinion Highlands and St Henry could be interchangeable at 3 and 4. Beechwood should be 5.

It must have been tough how to decide to rank these three teams, what was your thought process here?

Geography... The farthest from my house to the nearest.

Just kidding. Nothing real fancy. Beechwood won at St Henry so they had to be ahead of them. Highlands won at Beechwood. St Henry’s victory in this Frey was not on the road.

On a neutral floor, maybe NKU, I think Highlands would beat the Cru’.

I considered a 3-way tie for #3 ranking but my friend said it was a bad idea.

I also want to avoid any major drama this week. The next two weeks are the best 14 days of the school year for me.

Geography... The farthest from my house to the nearest.

 

Just kidding. Nothing real fancy. Beechwood won at St Henry so they had to be ahead of them. Highlands won at Beechwood. St Henry’s victory in this Frey was not on the road.

 

On a neutral floor, maybe NKU, I think Highlands would beat the Cru’.

 

I considered a 3-way tie for #3 ranking but my friend said it was a bad idea.

 

I also want to avoid any major drama this week. The next two weeks are the best 14 days of the school year for me.

Thanks for all of that and I agree with your friend PP1. :thumb:

Thank you for ranking the teams, these look pretty good to me.

Thank you for ranking the teams, these look pretty good to me.

I agree @allsport71 and believe we are all lucky to have PP1 putting so much effort into 9th Region Basketball.

In my opinion Highlands and St Henry could be interchangeable at 3 and 4. Beechwood should be 5.

Agree. Beechwood really has to be on top of its game to get through without Mitchell Rylee. They’ve done great so far, hopefully they can continue to cover his absence until he can come back. Gonna be a fun week In the 35th for sure.

Bump.