ColonelMike

All South Oldham at the half. Ella Morrison with 12 points to lead the way, and South has a comfortable double-digit lead at the break. South Oldham 24 Owen County 12 Owen unable to solve the South 2-3 zone, and the Lady Rebels are really struggling from outside. Forced entry passes have led to several turnovers - they had 3 on the first three possessions of the 2nd quarter - that have allowed South to get out on their transition. live coverage: www.pegasussportsky.com

This has been a pretty good rivalry over the years.... Since 1998, South leads the series, 13-7, but Owen County has won the last two and 3 of the last 4. Owen won, 66-54, on 12/11/19 - the last meeting - but the two previous meetings were decided by just one point. South's Ella Morrison (19.5 ppg / 6.5 rebounds) and freshman sensation Maddie Young (15.9 ppg / team-high 7.0 rebounds) lead the Lady Dragons, who are one of the most dynamic teams in the region when they can get their transition game going. Look for Owen to try to make this more of a half court game to try to slow down the South fast break. Owen is led by Gracie Ferguson (14.8 ppg). Neither team is a particularly strong outside threat; both average just over 3 made three pointers a game. Pegasus Sports coverage (www.pegasussportsky.com) starts at 7 pm.

Yep.....Clay County was, for many years, the CONSTANT in the boys' Sweet 16. You hardly even looked to see who was coming out of the 13th.....it was Clay County!

Two teams that have largely owned their respective districts tangle in Crestwood, KY Monday night. Monday, 2/13/23 7:30 pm tip South Oldham (15-8) vs. Owen County (18-7) Both teams are riding four-game winning streaks. FREE, live hi-def video coverage on www.pegasussportsky.com, beginning at 7 pm This should be a dandy.

2 days and counting..... You want to BE at this game.....but if you can't, join us on www.pegasussportsky.com for the free, live, hi-def coverage.... CM

Did Richie play?

Jeffersontown's been on an uptick over the last few weeks. Since defeating top 20 Western on January 17th, the Chargers have had two "quality losses", falling to Manual and Ballard, but losing both games by just 3 points. They lost to Male back on January 3rd by a mere 6 points.... Jtown has upcoming games against Butler and Iroquois to wrap up the season. Oldham County lost three straight in a daunting three-game stretch against top 20 Collins, Simon Kenton, and Lloyd Memorial, but has bounced back with back-to-back wins over Doss and Gallatin County. Like Jtown, the Colonels face a tough final week's schedule: Jtown, St. Xavier, and top 20 Great Crossing. On air tonight at 7 pm ET at www.pegasussportsky.com Audio from the broadcast simulcast on Crossroads Radio LaGrange.

Oldham County's Lady Colonels (13-12) host the Walton-Verona Lady Bearcats (13-13) today at 1 pm at Oldham County HS in Buckner. Oldham is back to full strength now that leading scorer Adriana Palazzolo (13+ ppg) is healthy again and back in the lineup. Ron Ferch has done a marvelous job rebuilding the Oldham team in his first year. Walton has been on a roll of late; Rianna Gayheart's Lady Bearcats have won 6 of their last 8. FREE, live, hi-def video coverage begins at 12:30 am on www.pegasussportsky.com. The broadcast will also be archived indefinitely.

Oldham County hosts Jeffersontown Saturday 2/11/23 at 7:30 pm ET in Buckner, KY. FREE live high-definition video coverage starts at 7 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com Should be a dynamite game between two teams that have both had some strong wins this year, and some head-scratching losses. Both trying to get a final tune-up before districts.

Slight correction: Oldham County is at home Saturday against Jtown. (www.pegasussportsky.com)

Really nice win for the Rebels.

Slight correction. The last 8th Region tournament held outside New Castle was in 1962, when Henry County won it at the old Shelbyville HS. In 1963, the tournament moved to the brand-new Henry County gym. Oldham County won the first two events held there. The 8th Region has been held there at Henry County - at the gym now known as the Roy L. Winchester Gymnasium - since that 1963 event....the longest any region tournament has been held at the same venue (and that record grows each year).

All I meant was that I've seen both teams. I expected a very close battle. Just a 7-point margin, but I thought this one would be a single-score game - and maybe a Lloyd win. Frankly - and I'll confess I've only seen three Highlands games and one Lloyd game - I thought I Lloyd might win this one.

Honestly, I'm a tad surprised at this final.....

His stats have been obscene for three years... Love this young man's style of play. He's a throwback front-line player, ala Willis Reed and Wes Unseld. The kind of big men who KNEW you couldn't beat them to the rebound because they had ALREADY DECIDED that the board was theirs. ALL theirs. Hammond's opponents are often beaten before the ball goes up.

Well.....I'm not really surprised W-V won, but I would have thought Grant would have the advantage in a low-scoring game. Guess I missed that one. AWB is right - the win burnishes the Bearcats' resume, but the loss doesn't exactly hurt Grant's. District elimination game in two weeks will be one of the region's premier first-round district games.

I love both these teams....have been impressed all year by how business-like North is, and Collins absolutely wowed me in Buckner last week. Forced to make a call, I have to give this to the home team. North has tons of scorers - even if Roberts, Anderson, and Higdon aren't scoring so much, Neal, Fischer, and Howard - all far less heralded playing in the Big 3's shadows - can flat fill it up. Collins has the region's best defense, IMO, but they won't be able to win simply by shutting down 3 players, as they did against Oldham last week. They will have to shut down five. If any team can do it, Collins can - but I'm going to guess North has enough arrows to shoot to outlast the Titans. AWB, I see what you're saying - but I think we've all just gotten a little used to Roberts' magic and don't recognize it so much anymore as a truly special talent - which he certainly is. He is, after all, in his FIFTH year as a starter. (when he pulls off a tough play now, we've seen it all before....) He was the Mustangs' leading scorer as an 8th grader running point.... Now he's the school's all-time leading scorer....and he doesn't have to assume so much of the burden anymore as he has an elite group around him. Comparing him 1 to 1 against Kenyon Goodin is a really tough compare - I still say Goodin is the best player in the region that you don't hear talked about much (why he's not talked about as much as some others defies all logic). It's like debating apple pie and pumpkin pie. I'll take BOTH. But even if Goodin is the best player on the court, I'll say this.....with the final seconds running off the clock and down by one score - and allowed any one guard in the 8th Region - I would take Roberts anytime. Roberts may or may not be the best guard in a region full of insanely talented guards this year (Moore, Goodin, Green, Krohman, Johnson, ad infinitum), but with the game on the line, I honestly think he's the guy I want to have with the ball in his hands. Over the last few years, I haven't seen anyone make as many plays in the closing seconds of a game as Roberts. Just my opinion. All that said - the coin came up heads. ?

OK, the big 8th Region tilt of the regular season is just a week away....time to start talking about it... Who: #3 North Oldham vs. #13 Collins When: Tuesday, 2/14/23 (Valentine's Day!) girl/boy doubleheader Girls' tip at 6 pm ET; boys immediately following Where: at North Oldham HS in Goshen, KY Broadcast: Both games will be broadcast FREE live hi-def video on www.pegasussportsky.com The boys' half of this girl/boy doubleheader should be special. North Oldham and Collins have been 1-2 in the region all year, and are the only 8th Region teams appearing in the top 20 rankings - and both are in the top 15. Both teams are veteran clubs, with players who have extensive varsity experience. Dallas Roberts (NO) and Kenyon Goodin (COL) are two elite-level guards. North brings the inside presence to the table in 6'8" senior shot-blocker extraordinaire Luke Anderson and 6'7" senior power forward Ian Higdon. Collins counters with perhaps the most ferocious defense in the region. Whether Collins can turn over North may be critical in this ballgame.... North will need to keep their bigs out of foul trouble to maintain their inside advantage... North has waves of players who can score the ball.....Collins needs to see Cole Harbin produce like he did against Oldham County to keep North from simply shutting down all the lanes to the rim. This one will be fun! What say ye?

Spencer playing at home will be very tough, but the outside shots will likely need to fall. North should control the paint, unless Anderson and Higdon get in foul trouble. North's an exceptional outside shooting team as well, with Roberts, Fischer, Neal, and Howard all very quality perimeter players. Should be a fun, fast-paced game, but I would have to pick North to win.

North Oldham (12-12) tries to get a little momentum going as they head into the final two weeks of the season, hosting Woodford County in Goshen. North has lost 5 of their last 7, but has played a very tough schedule. Katelyn Vize has been very productive of late, with three double-doubles in North's last 7 games. The Lady Mustangs - who made the 8th Region tournament for the first time in school history last year - are favored to return to the region tournament this year. They will have a district elimination game against Oldham County (who they beat by 6 a couple of weeks ago) in the 29th, but will be playing at home. Woodford (2-22) has had a really tough season, with a team that has only one senior on the roster. With a lot of freshmen playing a lot of minutes, WC has -not surprisingly - been struggling offensively. The Lady Jackets have scored over 50 points only once (51), and their best shooting night this season was 33% from the floor. Thirteen of their 24 games have ended with the Lady Jackets hitting less than 30% from the floor. That said, the Woodford schedule has been downright amazing, considering the extreme youth of this team. Woodford has played an absolutely brutal schedule. It's senior night in Goshen, so Pegasus Sports will be there to broadcast the game and send the NOHS seniors out with a little fanfare. FREE, live, hi-def video coverage starts at 7 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com

A really big state trooper......

Players who went Division 1 ... Since it looks like we are now looking at all the 8th over the last 15 or so years... besides the ones already mentioned, above... just a few that popped into my mind... Joe Griffin, South Oldham (University of Louisville) David Levitch, North Oldham (University of Louisville) Donta Smith, Oldham County (signed with Univ of Louisville, went JUCO, then NBA) Davion McKnight, Collins (WKU) Marcellus Vail, Collins (Samford) Dieonte Miles, Walton-Verona (Xavier) Mike Hester, Simon Kenton (the current W-V coach was signed by Union College out of HS, but finished his career at D1 Northern Kentucky. Small asterisk....NKU was a D2 power when Mike attended, but transitioned to D1 just a year or two later, starting in 2012). The above doesn't include the 8th region basketballers like Sam Royalty of Henry County, who went Division 1 in football (EKU).

Oldham County vs. Jeffersontown Saturday 2/11 - Pegasus Sports will cover this game, which may be very interesting. Both teams are hovering around the .500 mark, but both have some solid wins over very good teams - and some head-scratching losses. Pregame at 7 pm ET Saturday on www.pegasussportsky.com

Small correction: It's GREG Brohm, not "Chris"......

In the last ten years, Collins and South each have 3 titles, Oldham 2, and North Oldham and Walton-Verona 1 apiece. W-V's title in 2019 is the only title for a team not in District 29 or District 30 since the re-districting in 2006. If you go back 15 years, the breakdown is this: Oldham County 4 titles, Collins 3, South 3, Shelby County 2, Anderson County 1, Walton-Verona 1 and North Oldham 1.