ColonelMike

Fouls - or the lack thereof - may play a big role in this one. Hopefully, we don't see the "sudden change" in officiating philosophy we saw in the girls' final. After swallowing their whistles in the first 6 games of the girls' 8th Region, the referees sent Grant County (24 FT attempts) and Simon Kenton (35 FTA) to the line a combined 59 times on Sunday. It's always a little bit of a challenge to the teams to get accustomed to the referees from another region (this year, the 8th Region tourneys are being called by referees from the 13th region), but I think the ladies from Grant and SK were shocked on Sunday at how the title game was called so much tighter than the first two rounds. North has very mobile bigs, and they are comfortable letting them (particularly Higdon) guard on the perimeter. Woodford with several players with extraordinary quickness - obviously, they'd love to get the North bigs in foul trouble. On the flip side, North has some excellent free throw shooters - but Higdon and Anderson haven't always been so productive at the stripe. The North bigs need to have at least a decent night at the line. On the Woodford side of things, there are very few flaws in Jasper Johnson's game - but every time I've seen him play, he's gotten into foul trouble or even fouled out. The Jackets need him in the game tonight; he's one of those true difference makers. I think North could more easily survive with one of their two twin towers out than Woodford could without Johnson. He can do it all for Woodford.

I'm taking the obvious route....I think the two defenses will keep this score low and close. Be prepared to stay in your seats for the entire 32 minutes.... 😎

The pre-season favorites in the 8th Region have done very well over the last several years...North appears poised to continue that trend, but Woodford is scary talented. I certainly don't foresee anything like last year's rout in the finals, but I like the qualities possessed by Levitch's team: Size, mobility (including the size!), several potent outside shooters, good ballhandlers, strong defense, depth that produces (and doesn't just take up space on the floor). Plus, North just never seems to get flustered. If the Mustangs keep their cool and control the tempo to their liking, I like the Mustangs' chances. But I do believe Woodford will make them earn it. At the end of the day, you just can't easily dismiss such an insanely talented group of young men. Both teams probably need better performances than their first round game performances, but both faced formidable opposition in those games and found a way to win, anyway.

very true (that it's hard to beat a team 3x in a year)

You know, I hadn't even thought of the fact, in terms of length of time actually in the region, until I read your (very comprehensive!) preview. It suddenly dawned on me that these are the four "youngest" teams in the region.....

Who: #17 Collins vs. Simon Kenton What: 8th Region semi-finals Where: New Castle, KY Henry County HS When: 2nd game on Monday, 3/6/23 Approximately 8 pm ET Broadcast: The "Voice of the 8th Region Tournament", Pegasus Sports www.pegasussportsky.com FREE, live hi-def video coverage starts immediately after the first game of the night. Mike Montgomery and Todd Gilley have the call. Collins and Simon Kenton have battled twice this year, with Collins winning both games in narrow fashion, defeating SK by 4 in the Ashland Invitational championship, and by 8 in the Henry County Classic. These are two of the elite defenses in the region; SK is coming off an eye-popping defensive effort in the second half of their first-round win over Oldham County, when they held the Colonels to just 9 second half points, and ended the game on a 33-4 run over the final quarter and a half. Thoughts?

who: #3 North Oldham Mustangs vs. Woodford County Yellowjackets What: 8th Region Semi-finals Where / when: Henry County HS, New Castle, KY Monday 3/6/23 Tipoff 6:30 pm Broadcast: The "Voice of the 8th Region Tournament" - Pegasus Sports - FREE, live hi-def video coverage begins with a pregame show at 6 pm on www.pegasussportsky.com These two haven't met since North routed Woodford in last year's region tournament finale. North returns all five starters from last year's region titleists, and their top 2 reserves, including 8th Region POY runner-up Dallas Roberts, a 5-year starter at PG who is now the Mustangs' all-time leading scorer. 6'8" senior center Luke Anderson and 6'7" senior forward Ian Higdon form a potent one-two punch inside; both made the All-Region team. On the outside, Jack Fischer, Jack Scales, Grant Neal, and Ryan Howard combine with Roberts to form a very formidable corps of perimeter shooters; rare is the day all five are mis-firing from deep. North is 7-2 against ranked teams this year, with their only two losses coming to #1 Warren Central (by 14) and #2 LexCath (by 8). The Mustangs are by far the hottest team in the region, having won 14 straight - North hasn't lost in 2023 - and 18 of their last 19. Woodford is maybe the most athletic team in the region. Preseason voted into the Bluegrasspreps Top 20, the Yellowjackets fell out of the rankings after suffering several injuries and taking on some losses. But the Jackets are healthy now, and the return of 6'10" John McRear provides a defensive insurance policy on the back of Woodford's defense that has made them immensely more dangerous. 6'4" guard Jasper Johnson is just a sophomore, but some services rank him among the top 15 sophomores in the nation. He leads the team in scoring at 21 ppg. Three other Woodford players are Division 1 material, either in basketball or football. Woodford likes to play around the rim, and not surprisingly, they are one of the best shooting teams in the region at 53% as a result. thoughts? FREE, live hi-def video coverage starts at 6 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com The game can be seen afterwards as an archive on the website.

Great preview, AWB! As always, very interesting reading! Just a trivia tidbit....."since 2000" may be a bit of a misleading date, since none of these four teams were even in the 8th Region in 2000. North Oldham is the oldest 8th Region team of the group, opening in the 2003-4 season. Simon Kenton joined the 8th in the 2005-6 season, when the state re-districted. Collins' first year was 2010-11, after the school opened. Woodford didn't join the region until the 2019-20 season, when the state re-districted them from the 11th Region. So....it's not like these four teams have each had 23 opportunities to win the region title (2000-2022); North has had 19 tries; SK has had 17, Collins has had 12 opportunities, and Woodford only 3 chances so far. Only North and Collins have region 8 titles. Miscellaneous Notes.... North is an impressive 7-2 against ranked competition, having defeated Trinity, Mason County, Lyon County (by 30+), North Laurel, Grant County (twice), and Collins, winning by double digits in each game except the Trinity game, which they won by 2. The Mustangs' lone losses to ranked teams came by 14 to #1 Warren Central and by 8 to #2 ranked LexCath. North Oldham has not lost in 2023, going 14-0. North's defense isn't getting the credit it deserves; the Mustangs held #17 Collins to their lowest point total of the season (39 points) and #18 Grant County to its lowest point total of the season 43 points). They also held high-scoring South Oldham (71 ppg) to its lowest point total of the season (38 points) North is 1-1 against the remaining teams, with a win over Collins and a loss to SK. Simon Kenton's defense, led by 7'3" shot blocker Gabe Dynes, was borderline sensational against an Oldham County offense built to score. With the Colonels up, 25-22, midway through the third, SK went on a 33-4 run to close out the final quarter and a half. It was one of the most dominant defensive performances we've seen this year. Simon has battled to a 4-4 record against ranked teams, with wins over Grant County (twice), North Oldham, and Mason County. SK fell to Collins (twice), Conner, and CovCath. SK is 1-2 against the remaining teams, with two narrow losses to Collins and a win over North. Collins will try to achieve a difficult feat Monday when they attempt to take down SK for the third consecutive time this year. Collins knocked off SK by 7 in the championship of the Ashland Invitational tournament and by 4 points in the Henry County Classic. Collins is 2-3 against the other semi-finalists, with two narrow wins over SK, and losses to North Oldham and Woodford (twice). Woodford is perhaps the most intriguing of the final four teams; the Yellowjackets struggled through injuries all season, but they are healthy now. Probably the most athletic team of the bunch, Woodford is stocked with Division 1 college talent. Only their fourth opportunity in the region tournament; Woodford will undoubtedly have a chip on their shoulder when they face North in the rematch of last year's finals. The Jackets have already beaten Collins twice, so they should have a load of confidence heading into the semis and - perhaps - finals. Both semi-final games and the finals will be broadcast live (and archived on) www.pegasussportsky.com Pegasus Sports is the Voice of the 8th Region....having been covering 8th Region games since 1979 (on radio/cable TV/ and now the internet). For the last 26 years, PSN has broadcast each and every game of both the boys and girls 8th Region tournaments. Our announcers can talk knowledgeably about tournaments past - they were there! Hope you can make it to the games - but if you can't, please join us!

Wow.....13th region officials called very few fouls in the first six Region 8 tournament games....they made it up for it today in a very physical championship. SK shot 35 free throws; Grant shot 24. Long game as a result. Three Grant players fouled out (Naranjo, Cummins, and Scroggins). Naranjo and Cummins spent most of the first half on the bench; I was really impressed by how Grant - with three subs tasked with keeping Grant close - did exactly that with their top two scorers out most of the first half. Caroline Barnes came through big for GC , with six second quarter points. The sophomore substitute finished #2 on the team in scoring with 12. GC PG Rowe finished the game with four fouls... SK also piled up the fouls, but the Lady Pioneers played more players and nobody fouled out. SK defense was very effective; although Grant did much better in the second half, they had 12 turnovers, unofficially, in the first half. Brynli Pernell (SK) led all scorers with 20 points. She averaged a team-high 15.3 ppg for the tournament, and was brilliant leading the offense, shooting, and on the defensive end. SK 5'10" freshman Ella Kelch had her third consecutive double-digit game in the tournament, scoring 10 points and grabbing 9 boards (after tallying 13 against Owen County and 18 against South Oldham in the SF). Emilee Eggleston had 12 and Haylie Webb scored 11 as SK finished with four players in double figures. Webb was strong inside once again for SK. The 5'9" freshman averaged 11 ppg for the tournament, and 6.3 rebounds and was named the MVP of the tournament. Though a bit of a surprise to some observers - not because Webb wasn't deserving, she certainly was - but simply in light of Pernell's brilliance on the court - Webb was undeniably one of the most consistent performers of any player in the tournament, and her mobility repeatedly posed problems for opponents' post players. I was extremely impressed by this young lady's performances. Webb (MVP), Pernell, Gadzala, and Kelch made the all-tourney team for SK. Rowe, Naranjo, and Russell made it for Grant County. Grant County had won two straight over the Lady Pioneers this year and 4 of the last 5 meetings. SK not only broke that mini-streak, they served notice to the rest of the 8th Region. The Lady Pioneers start 3 freshmen and one 8th-grader, and they have a deep bench that includes four underclassmen - including a 7th grader. This group will be around for a LOOONG time. Emily Naranjo of GC was gallant in defeat, scoring a team-high 15 points and grabbing a team-high 7 rebounds, despite collecting three fouls in the first half, and sitting much of the game. She fouled out with 3:44 left in the game. GC's Jada Cummins, also on the bench an extended period due to fouls, was held without a field goal and finished well below her team-best scoring average of 12.4 ppg. The talented sophomore fouled out with 1:30 to play with 5 points and 6 boards. Besides Naranjo (15 points) and Barnes (11 points), Sarah Russell finished with an impressive 11 points - well above her average of 5.4 - and 6 rebounds. Dakota Rowe finished with 9. In the end, both teams shot similar percentages, but SK was 27 of 35 at the line (77%), while Grant finished 14 of 24 (58.3%) at the stripe. The 13 point differential was essentially the difference in the game. Kudos to both teams; SK wins its 6th Region 8 title in 18 seasons (the Lady Pioneers appeared in the title game for the 12th time in 18 years). Grant County must wait at least one more year to claim its first region title, but the Lady Braves had a superb year, winning their first District title since 2000 and posting the most victories for a Grant team (20) since 2000. Grant County finishes 20-11; SK improves to 19-14.

Who: Simon Kenton Lady Pioneers vs. Grant County Lady Braves What: 8th Region Girls Finals Where: Gallatin County HS, Warsaw, KY When: Sunday, 3/5/23 3 pm Tipoff Broadcast; Pegasus Sports, www.pegasussportsky.com Free, live, hi-def video coverage starts at 2:45 pm ET Both teams hail from the 32nd District. (Grant County was the champs; SK the runner-ups) It will the first title since SK won the region in 2018 that a team outside the 30th District was champ. A Simon Kenton victory would be the Lady Pioneers' 6th in 16 years. A Grant County victory would be the Lady Braves' first-ever region title.

ON AIR www.pegasussportsky.com

Pregame starts at 2:30 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com

Going to be exciting.... I go back to the 1977 region tournament....to my knowledge, there has never been an 8th region tournament in which BOTH of the top 2 seeds were eliminated in round 1 since 1977. I'm going to investigate a little further, but I'm fairly certain of that. Of course, there was only two 8th Region tournaments prior to 1977 in the "modern era" of girls KHSAA-sanctioned basketball in KY. All four teams look to have legitimate shots; wins by South Oldham and North Oldham today would result in the first-ever meeting between two Oldham schools in the girls' 8th Region championship.

free, live, hi-def video coverage on www.pegasussportsky.com My heart goes with the sentimental underdog, the Lady Mustangs, who went 20 years - their entire history before this year - without a single district tournament or regional tournament victory. They broke the ice with wins in both this year, knocking off Oldham County in the district 29 tournament, and upsetting Anderson County in the region. But can the Mustangs hit 63.6% from the floor again, like they did against Anderson? Can they keep their FT% up in the 60+% range? And can they keep Emily Naranjo from hitting 9 of 10 shots like she did in the December 15th game? That December game was long ago. North hit just 10 of 24 (41.7%) in a ten point loss at Grant County. I see this game as a bit of a toss-up....it may boil down to who can hit their free throws, which would seem to favor the Lady Braves, who are hitting 65.4% at the line on the year, compared to North's 52.5%.

free, live, hi-def video coverage starts at 2:30 pm ET on www.pegasussportsky.com

I think this will be a VERY interesting game. If South is allowed to get into their transition game, I think the Dragons become a solid favorite. I just don't see SK's "10-deep", platoon assault having the effect on South it had on Owen. Owen was visibly fatigued - but the Lady Rebels really only subbed in one reserve, and Adi Bowling's time on the floor was measured in seconds. South goes 7 deep, with two solid contributors off the bench in Betz and Hall, both of whom will likely get significant minutes. I also tend to favor South due to the experience factor; Morrison is a four-year starter, Young (despite being a freshman) is a two-year starter. Betz, Richardson, John, and Hall all have significant varsity experience prior to this year. Morrison started as an 8th Grader (averaging 9.8 ppg) on the 2020 South team that was 8th Region runner-ups to Anderson County. Betz was a sub on that team. Only Turner is a first-year varsity contributor. Give me the Lady Dragons in this one.

It wasn't actually the battery - we don't run anything on battery. The AC adaptor shorted out, and the warning was telling us that the camera was now "running on battery" (meaning it no longer was getting power from the AC adapter) Yep, saved by camera 2..... LOL..... We have replaced the adapter and will have both cameras up tomorrow. Sorry we kept you hopping! LOL! CM

Kudos to the Gallatin County fans, who came "en masse" to support their upstart Wildcats, but it just wasn't to be. Collins by far the superior team.

SK ended the game on a 33-4 run starting in the third quarter......(they had trailed, 25-22)

Game has been POSTPONED. Now will tip at 5 pm on Saturday. New schedule: Saturday Semi-finals 3 pm (South Oldham vs. Simon Kenton) and 5 pm (North Oldham vs. Grant County) Championship is Sunday at 3 pm.

Semi-finals have been moved to SATURDAY 3/4/23 at 3 and 5 pm. Championship now on Sunday at 3 pm.

GAMES TONIGHT ARE POSTPONED. They have been moved to Saturday. South Oldham vs. Simon Kenton Saturday 3/4/23 at 3 pm North Oldham vs Grant County Saturday 3/4/23 at 5 pm. Championship is now at 3 pm on Sunday.

If this game is as close as I think it should be, the FANS WIN! 😁 Looking forward to calling this one.

Don't forget, the Voice of the 8th Region, the Pegasus Sports Network, will be broadcasting the game immediately following Oldham County vs SK. Approximate tip around 7:30 - 7:45 PM ET. Coverage is FREE, live, and in hi-def video. www.pegasussportsky.com Mike Montgomery, who has called 8th Region tournament basketball since 1979, and former 8th Region coach Todd Gilley, have the call from New Castle.

Free live hi-def video coverage starts with a pregame show at 6 pm on www.pegasussportsky.com