The Observer

I attended the first Beechwood/Holmes game with the hope the Tigers would put up a fight. Needless to say, I came away disappointed. That being said, the Tigers did not play very good basketball while I felt Holmes shot the ball well. I have attended numerous games for both teams this year and that was the worst I have seen Beechwood play, and one of the best games I have seen from Holmes. Romas did not play the last time if I remember correctly, but that does not make a 30 point difference. I see Beechwood hanging tough with the Bulldogs for a couple of quarters but eventually the best team will win. I'll take the Holmes by 16. Henderson and company play with an intensity the Tigers do not. While Romas may contain Henderson better than most, the fact is Holmes is deeper and more talented. With that being said, I will be pulling for the upset. I have attended more games for Beechwood this year than I ever expected. They are truly a fun team to watch. I also enjoy attending the Holmes games. Defensive intensity topped off with a few nice dunks every game. I hope to see a close one !!

Both teams seem to be playing their best basketball right now. That being said, I'll take the Camels on senior night. I think this game is decided in the 4th quarter.

If he is even able to play at 90% it would dramatically change the way everything plays out in the region. He does not have to be at 100% to make an impact. This could be the breath of fresh air the bluebirds need.

Is the vote before or after the Sweet 16?

I agree that all 3 are great players but what is the deal with McGraw's back? Will it prevent him from playing at the next level? He is an amazing talent and I'd hate to see him give up the game.

I'm willing to predict the 33rd will not play out like it is expected to.

1st Region-Paducah Tilghman 2nd Region-University Heights 3rd Region-Owensboro 4th Region-Franklin-Simpson 5th Region-Adair County 6th Region-DeSales 7th Region-Male 8th Region-Shelby Co. 9th Region-Holmes 10th Region-Mason County 11th Region-Lexington Catholic 12th Region-McCreary Central 13th Region-Corbin 14th Region-Hazard 15th Region-Shelby Valley 16th Region-Rose Hill 1st Tiebreaker-8th

I'll go with Tennessee, North Carolina, Memphis and a dark horse that no one is talking about, perhaps an Arizona or someone of that nature with talent who gets hot at the right time.

Hansborough deserves it. I know he has loads of talent around him, but he consistantly puts up great numbers night in and night out. He is the leader of a top team in the country. To me, this gives him the edge over Beasley.

Tenneesee should move up a couple spots this week, setting up a show down with Memphis. Great win for Wake and always nice to see Duke lose.

While I wasn't at the game, I'd say most wins are not handed out. When a team is down 15 at half time and battles back, credit must be given for the amount of heart shown. It sounds like Villa made mistakes and did not have some calls go their way, but clearly Beechwood earned it. Whatever was said at halftime must have inspired Hall because he came out firing. Having seen Villa in the past, I know they are not a very deep team. Having foul trouble made them rely on their bench and Beechwood's athleticism is outstanding for a DIII school.:thumb:

Having seen Conner play twice this year, they have little to no chance against the Bulldogs. The guard play from Conner struggles against defensive pressure on the ball. Holmes will create and score off turnovers at ease. I'll take the Bulldogs by 28. Then again, I did predict them beating NCC by about the same number.

Another good win for the 9th region. Boone County has the ability to go far into the regional tournament. In my opinion, McFarland makes this team go. When he is having an off night, they seem to struggle.

1) Holmes 2) Boone Co. 3) Dixie 4) Highlands 5) Covington Catholic

Holmes is way more athletic. The only way NCC stays in the game is if Holmes has foul problems. I know NCC is high on their "new offense" they have been running, but the real tests comes against the state's #1 defensive team. I'll take the Bulldogs by 24.

That is some pretty impressive stuff. I like her chances of being on the cover of "NEXT" for ESPN the Magazine in 2008. I wonder if the WNBA has the same 1 year of college rule that NBA does.

I agree with Scott Co. and Mason Co. being at the top. These two programs are elite year in and year out.

Take away McGraw, Kowolonek, and Simpson and the Bluebirds are no longer special. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out come district and regional time. Highlands is good enough to win the region with these guys, but bad enough they can lose early in the districts without them. As for Holy Cross, it is nice to see someone else lead them besides Sorrell. The Indians are not a deep team and their currently running on fumes. That being said, their is no doubt in my mind they can still beat a team like Cov. Cath.

Seen Simon once, and have yet to see Scott. I'll go with Simon Kenton by 13.

The change in sites caught my eye as well. I am friends with parents close to the program and I have been told the size of Beechwood's gym is the issue. Because it was Beechwood's turn to host, they were able to hand pick which team gets it instead of them. Since Holmes is the largest gym, they chose Holmes knowing they would get the large gate in return. I cannot say I agree with this move. To me it is about your team and every advantage you can get. It is not like Beechwood's gym is the smallest in the area. If I were the AD, I would have made the best of the situation and kept it at home. They owe it to the seniors who have played every other year on the road.

Why has the JV played only 9 games? I am guessing that has to do with the varsity in a lot of tournaments?? Mason Co. is an elite program and something you should be proud of mhighfield !!

Boone is still a year away. I'll take Holmes by 10. Playing Highlands tough is nice, and pounding Cov. Cath is great, but Boone has not played a team like Holmes yet. Boone Co. can gain a lot of confidence towards the region if they can hang until the end with Holmes. In the region, anything can happen.

Good win for Lloyd and the 9th region

Holy Cross led by about 8-12 all game long. The largest lead I believe was 16, but Beechwood cut it down to 6 with the ball midway through the 4th. Beechwood had plenty of opportunities late in the 4th to make it a one possession game, but could not put the ball in the bucket. Sorrell was the man tonight as he took the ball strong to the hole each time he touched it. Beuttel kept the Tigers in the game in the 2nd half. Giwa was in foul trouble and the Holy Cross offense was nonexistent with the exception of Sorrell who finished with 37 of the Indians 67 points. Hall and Romas struggled for Beechwood.

I think this game will be closer than most people expect. McGraw and Henderson will have their hands full with one another. I look for this game to be decided by the other 8 on the floor. I'll take Holmes by 5 as the Bluebird faithful keep their team in the game until the very end.