Eta Rho

C. Lang looked good at times, as did Hodges off the bench but nobody else really stood out. Avery had a couple nice buckets but overall forced a lot tonight and was frustrated all night by Rico and Pittman.

First quarter Holmes jumped all over Conner early with an 8-2 run in the games' first two minutes after both Rico and DJ hit back to back 3's. Conner would then go on a 5-0 run to close within 1 at 8-7 but a lay up by Rico gave Holmes a 10-7 lead. Conner responded with a 3 to tie the game but this would be the only tie of the game. Holmes would break the tie with an 11-1 run keyed by 4 straight points from Housely. JJ then knocked down a jumper, followed by a Pittman 3, and jumper by Rico to give Holmes a 21-11 lead. Conner hit a 3 with time running down and Holmes would lead 21-14 after one. Second quarter Pittman started off the scoring with a bucket but Conner went on a 5-0 run to close the gap to 23-19. I believe 12 of Conner's first 19 points were from 3 pointers. Holmes countered with a 5-0 run themselves to put Holmes up 28-19 with 6:13 left til the half which forced Conner to call a timeout. Both teams traded baskets and then Pittman threw it down hard one handed to give Holmes a 33-21 lead. Holmes then built a 42-26 lead behind buckets by JJ, Pittman , Rico and DJ. Conner hit two free throws to close within 14 at 42-28 but Holmes scored the last 5 points of the half to give them a 47-28 lead at the half. Third quarter the game was back and forth the first few minutes but with the score 56-36, Holmes would close the quarter out on a 7-0 run behind 4 straight points from Pittman, including a 2 hand dunk, and a nice drive and lay up by Arnold to give Holmes a 63-36 lead heading in to the 4th. Fourth quarter Riley started things off with an "and one" to give the Dogs a 66-36 lead. Conner answered with a 5-0 run but two free throws by Pittman with 548 left in the game put Holmes up 27, 68-41. Conner got a bucket at the other end and then on their next possession they missed a shot, Housely grabbed the rebound and raced the length of the court and threw it down with two hands. Conner responded with a 3 to cut the Holmes lead to 70-46 which would key a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 20 with Pittman and both Johnson brothers on the bench, but James Rice got a bucket to put Holmes up 72-50 and give you the final. For Conner they shot the ball very well from outside during the first half. Second half they cooled down a little but continued to knock down 3 after 3 to keep Holmes from making things worse than they already were. C. Lang had a pretty decent game as did Hodges off the bench but Avery was pretty much shut down. He was very frustrated with both Rico and Pittman's defense. I'd say he probably finished with MAYBE 10 points but that came on a lot of shots. At one point he took 3 or 4 consecutive shots for Conner. For Holmes, this was the offensive explosion people have waited to see. The game and score probably could have been a lot worse but Henley subbed freely throughout using both Mayfield and Slusher several minutes at a time, leaving them on the floor with usually 3 starters or 2 starters and Arnold. Pretty balanced scoring and Pittman looked really good tonight, pretty much scoring at will, along with Rico. All in all a solid performance from every player tonight. They played great team ball. I'll have video from the game later.

Final.

Final was 72-50...not 70-52. Can a mod fix the thread title please? I'll have video and a recap soon.

Or Brian of Fox 19...:sssh::thumb:

Exactly what year did they come to EC though? Wasn't it middle school for Chris and late elementary school for Timmy? I'm just wondering because this is a similar situation as the Setty's of Mason Co and many people don't consider them "homegrown" because of it.

I was comparing him to Hester as far as peaking early goes...which is why I said by his soph and jr season other kids would start passing him up because they had finally physically matured. Smith has been up and down this year. There's been games where he's scored in the mid teens, such as against Newport and St Henry where he had 14 and 16, respectively, but then there's also been games where he's really struggled. If he can become more consistent, he could be a nice weapon for Dixie.

:lol::thumb:

If Mays is smart, he'll let his starters build a 20-30 point lead and then clear the bench mid third quarter to get the bench players a little more work before post season starts. With that being said: Elliott Co 83 Russell 49

So what do you see the outcome being? It'd be a shame if you guys don't get to broadcast the games. It's become a tradition over the past few years to have the semi's replayed and finals broadcast live.

Moeves played on the 78 team...correct?

I'm not trying to take away from the story...but you can't deny that the title of the story is a bit misleading because they aren't as "home grown" as it states. Just because someone brings something up that doesn't agree with the EC fans, doesn't mean someone is bashing them and all arms should be thrown up. I think everyone has made it pretty obvious that we love what this team is doing and they are certainly making a huge impact for all of their community and all of the "little guys" across the state.

Which is why I compared him to Mike Hester.... He won't grow much more. Right now, I'd say he's around 5'9, 5'10, but I'd be very surprised if he got bigger than 6'0. Either way, as you said, he'll still be a solid player but others his age will eventually catch up to his skill set by the time they're sophomore and juniors and physically matured. IMO Pike has the most upside on Dixie's team. Trammel also looks like he won't grow much more but Pike could end up around 6'6, 6'7 by the time he's finished growing.

So unless they drop the fee, you guys won't be covering the 9th semi's and finals on tv?

That's what I was thinking. So technically, both of the Knipp boys should be at West Carter...correct? Or is it open enrollment that you can attend either school?

Sure...I've mentioned time after time how foul trouble and a lack of depth could potentially hurt them in the long run against the state's top teams. Against HC...I just really can't envision any disadvantages. Just my opinion...take it FWIW.

:lol:

Depends on whether or not he wants to play football and baseball as well or just focus on basketball. Dixie seems like a logical choice if he wants to play all 3.

Great story...thanks for sharing. I admire that opposing teams' coach for having his player miss those technical foul shots on purpose.

Just wondering, but wouldn't a bigger court work in their favor more against a team like Holmes since they are so big? With HC having such a small court it leaves less room for them to work against a quicker, athletic team which could hurt them if Holmes decides to press like they have recently.

I agree. :thumb:

10th region is the most logical place IF he decides to transfer out.

He's referring to the out of state teams...........

Pittman of Holmes is a perfect example of this. 6'7 but has a 7 foot wingspan. Makes it much tougher for a bigger opponent to score over him because his arms are so long.

T. Knipp is definetly one of the top sophomores in the state, but I wouldn't go as far as saying he's the best in the state. There are some very good sophs out there and honestly if T. Knipp were at GRC, I'm not too sure he'd start over any of those sophs. (Stenzel, Purvis, Rogers, Zollo) The good thing about it though is he has two more years to develop in to what he's being hyped up to be. If I had to compile a list of the top sophomores in state, in no particular order: Fant- Warren Central Shanklin- Warren Central Stenzel- GRC Rogers- GRC Purvis- GRC Zollo- GRC Arnold- Holmes T. Knipp- Elliott Co Barksdale- Tates Creek Fucci- Tates Creek Setty- Mason Co The bigger question is will he finish his career at EC...10th region seems like a logical place for him to end up, if indeed he decides to leave....I think a few close to the situation know what I'm talking about.