retropop

District 29 is up for grabs, with three teams having realistic hopes of cutting down the nets. Oldham has not been successful of late, Trimble has shown symptoms of still being haunted by past losses to Oldham and South, while South seems to enter into the post-season on the up-tick. Tradition and recent play leads me to predict that the District 29 throne will remain perched in Crestwood for another year. Sorry, but again a chance for district victory it is not in the cards for the Lady Mustangs of North Oldham.

Coach Osborne has done a great job with a very young and unseasoned team. His squad has remained pretty positive despite taking some lumps. This year the Lady Rebels are planting seeds early for a future harvest that might pay off in great ways. They have been basically playing a varsity schedule with middle school, freshman and JV-aged kids, so if they don't get negative, it should work out very well for them down the road. Many coaches might have gotten out with a season on the horizon such as this, but Coach O has shown good character and a love for the game that he is teaching these young ladies. Very commendable indeed!

On select occasions, the "prevent offense" rears its ugly head at the most inconvenient times. It unpredictably seems to happen to many teams at one time or another. And its still uglier cousin, the "celibate offense," is even more exasperating to fans and coaches alike. They both make you want to scratch your eyes out after watching only a few minutes of play.

So ... there is no chance of playing on Saturday???? If not, too bad --- as a good game, with a lively crowd, in a hot gym on a cold winter's day would be a great place to be.

This is no criticism at all towards Coach Stewart, as she has done another fantastic job with her Lady Raiders this year. However, AC Coach Kays has consistently been superb over the past few years, only to be left at the altar when it has come the COY award. He is an outstanding coach and good man who always coaches at a very high level. Too bad there weren't at least co-COY this year - and SK's Coach Stowers is pretty doggone good, too.

What a shame, but you are spot on. Winter snows and freezing precip, go away.

Where are all the TC faithful???

It will definitely be a SELLOUT!

Since Lexington Road is not normally very kind to visitors, it may be a tall task for the Bearettes to beat the Valkyries. SHA will be super-motivated after the LIT final, while Butler may feel they had a potential rout in their grasp until they went stone cold in the second half of that game. If my info is correct, I believe several of SHA's players attended Butler's JCPS feeder middle school, which makes this game all the more interesting. This should be a great contest with a packed house, as this is a must-see game.

Is this year of the Lady Raiders? Is the mojo alive and well enough in Bedford for Trimble Co. to advance to the region, maybe even as the 29th district champs???

The 5th (E-town, LaRue Co.), 7th (Eastern, Ballard, Sacred Heart), and 8th (Anderson Co., Simon Kenton) regions are very much up for grabs. Butler is a prohibitive favorite in the 6th, but surprises often happen in early March.

Congrats to the Lady Bearettes on defeating SHA for the LIT championship. It was quite an exciting game. Does anyone have the all-tourney team?

From the C-J articles this week, evidently there were several LIT participating teams that were down one or two players.

Does anyone have any of the details for Wednesday night's games?

Is this is the year of the Lady Raiders?

Cut down the nets, Lady Raiders! Go blue and gold!

Colonel, the 29th district is down a bit this year, and my prediction is that both South and OC will dominate their games with North this week. However, the Pegasus broadcasts will be, as always, top notch. This year's district, more than normal in recent years, depends on the top seed. If there is a three-way tie for first and the tie-breaker is imposed, look out! North will still be No. 4, so the real horse race is to see which team will play them again in the district, as one deserving team will be staying home. The top three teams are all really even in the 29th this year, which hasn't been the case for quite a few of years - there's no lock-down favorite this time around.

It's always interesting when the JCPS blanket cancellation takes effect. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is not. But one thing is certain, it consistently puts all JCPS schools at a definite competitive disadvantage against private schools (Catholic and CAL) and other county schools that do not forbid games and practices on days when school is cancelled. I wonder if the KHSAA will ever address such disparities? On second thought, already I know the answer to that question - nah, it will never happen.

This winter's weather was, is, and looks to continue being a bear on the current basketball season. I bet the teams from out-of-town who arrive on Friday may still want to play on Saturday, if at all possible. How it all plays out will be very interesting - teams, officials, fans, etc. moving about may become very tricky for all parties. Too bad, as so much work and planning has gone into such a good event. I don't know about anyone else, but all this global warming is wearing me out -- especially when I am shoveling it.

Thanks. Each system has a different formula, but generally speaking, the better teams are included. No teams are getting slighted or promoted in either one.

Congrats to Coach Stewart and the girls, and good luck in the All-A. Maybe this is the "Year of the Raiders" and they shake things up in the district and region, too.

Say what??? Rivals or not, there couldn't have been many folks who saw anything like this coming. Prediction alert: SHA will end their funk in time for the post-season, mark it down.

Not to change the subject, but did a new edition of the Cantrall ratings come out this morning? Any word from anyone out there?

"... unless they are athletes." Now that's a mouthful of words that speaks volumes. And speaking of Butler's girls' team, which is again very good this, check the catholic schools to see the talented players who attended Butler's feeder school. If they were not drawn out from Butler, they would have THE BEST talent in Kentucky, bar none. The same stuff happens with the boys, too. Let's face it, as attendance rules are becoming more and blurred and/or not enforced, public school and private school rosters are being filled more and more like AAU rosters. Sorry, but that is not a good thing.

Is it true that Ballard played the game without one starter and a top reserve - both post players?