Handy Manny

Ryle doesn't have a guard better than Jacob Flesch. Ryle rests on Stauffer. Perkins , Mullins, and Vollet are all solid, but in the big games that team goes as Stauffer does. Robinson and Hodges for Conner are not the strong inside force that Vollet and Stauffer are, but provide alot in their own rite. If Hodges, Robinson, and Flesch are all on at once Conner can beat anyone in NKY.

Even in the loss last night Conner looked better. They were moving the ball like a team in the end of the season should. However, Hayes and Gray were not on the court and this would have changed things considerably. Still there was life in the players and the coaches. Obviously no one has given up yet.

There is more than one way to work and play. You can work and play smarter and not harder. That may be Conner's problem. losing the mental game. I am sure there is not one player on that team that comes to the game to lose, but they may not know what it takes to win. I agree with Clyde that good guard play = high chance of winning. Conner starts three guards. (Flesch, Miller, Liechty) They need three guards to come and play. If they do not feel comfortable handling the ball or don't know what to do with it, then put someone in that does or better yet, play to your strengths and put in the bigs. Force teams to deal with your size. IMO this team settles too much on the 3 point shot. I would like to see them get more movement in their offense to open up lanes for penetration and for the big guys to go to work. If they can get one on one matchups with Robinson and Hodges, they can win those.

I really hope no one has given up on the season. I am really close to some of the players and I do not get a feel that they have given up and it would be hard to believe that a coaching staff has. Like you said one win in districts and the door opens. That will be a hard win, but it is possble. Being close to the Conner program I hated the number 1 ranking, but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this season has gone. I can't speak for who plays and how much, but being a fan and watching the games I get a feel for the team. This team has never found their leader. Robinson has been their biggest scorer, but no true leader. I believe it could have easily been Flesch, but he didn't seem to embrace that role. At this point, nothing counts until districts. Work , work, work, and work some more.

As bad as Conner has looked this year they are still extremely dangerous. My money would be on Holmes to win this game, but I honestly can see the Cougars pulling off the win. Holmes will press, but if Conner can break the press they should be able to get easy baskets with their size and speed. Conner actually is really athletic. Conner struggled with the Holy Cross press, but I am hearing that Flesch may have the flu and since he seems to be the only ball handler that can really take its toll. Conner will need to get more people involved and get solid games from Hodges, Robinson, and Flesch. So far this season, Robinson has been the only consistent scorer. THe holmes guards may cause matchup issues. Conner may need to play zone and hope it is an off shooting night for the Bulldogs.

Conner fans can't feel real comfortable right now. The Cougars have not been able to beat any of the top ten teams this year. Although, outside of tournament play, all of their losses are to top ten teams. It's a bit confusing for these guys. Last night's game was another example where the Cougars could have won the game, but failed to execute the whole four quarters. Kellen Smith is a stud. No questions asked. He started off slow, but finished extremely well. Scott got a huge lift from Nick Farris. His threes were game changing. At at time when Scott had lost Haynes to an ankle injury, Farris stepped it up. There were some bright spots for the Cougars. Clay Robinson continues to shoot the ball well. He leads all scorers last night and Tyler Hodges gets a double double. Scott did a great job of pressuring Flesch and not allowing him to be a scoring factor after the first quarter. He saw double and triple team traps on almost every possesion. He did do a good job of getting the ball down the court, but it limited his scoring which has been a big lift for the Cougars the last 5 games. IMO, Conner settled for too many threes off of the broken press and it cost them alot of one and dones. Scott exectued and pulls out the win. It was a good game. There is life in Hebron, but they desperately need a big win.

45 points is a great game. No doubt and not to take anything away from him, but when you play on a team where more players contribute you tend to not have as many opportunities. If he were on a team like Dixie, there is no way he is getting close to 45 points. This team is a great fit for him and it allows him the opportunity to shoot and shoot and score. He will beat some teams by himself in that situation.

Cooper and Boone still need to play their second game. Cooper is 1 - 4 & boone is 4 - 1.

33rd standings?

I would say Zane Mcqueery was the star of the game. If it were not for his shooting, Boone wouldn't had been in the game and definately would not have won. As for #44 acting. That is pretty much a load. Brown earned every foul he was given. He should have received and intentional when he slammed #44 to the ground. Fookes did bring a spark off the bench. I will give you that, but he could have easily had fouled out in his first 3 minutes of play if the officials were calling it tight. I think I read that Conner only shot 6 free throws to Boone's 19. How can anyone say the refs were picking on Boone?

Good to hear. The Birds are definately missing him. Jack is a great guy and an outstandling player.

I really don't think SK can stop Stauffer. He should get his usual double double plus. The Ryle guards should be able to hold their own against the Pioneers too. I am going with Ryle by 10, but not putting it away until the middle of the fourth.

I hope he is back for his sake, but that seems kind of quick for a return from an injury such as his. Is that normal or is he healing like superman? I honestly do hope he is back and playing. He is a great person.

Ok Ok. Major faux pas on my part. They travel to Ft. Thomas on Saturday. Even I can get a laugh out of that. That explains why I have trouble getting to the Highlands games.

I will just ditto this and save myself some time.

Tough weekend coming up for the Cougars. They have Boone on Friday night and then travel to Highland Heights for the Birds on Saturday afternoon. I think Conner will be a different team than the one that played Highlands in the Mercer tournament, but I am concerned about the two games in less than 24 hours. I still believe Conner comes away with a win. I will feel more confident with my prediction after I see how Friday night goes. A bad showing at Boone could carry over. This team needs Flesch, Hodges, and Robinson to show up all weekend.

7 - NCC 5 - Ryle 3 - Montgomery County 2 - Harrison 1 - Dayton TB = Montgomery County

I don't know if we are ready to say turned around yet, but it does feel better to be competitive. This was a must win and the Cougars pulled it off. The previous two games were multiple OT losses to good teams. Friday's game against Boone will be a sign as to what to expect down the stretch. I am forcasting a closer game than last time, but I am still uneasy as to the consistancy of the Cougar's play. I also want to mention that last night's game was not an easy win. Cooper is a much improved team. Coach Sullivan has done a terrific job with his group and I feel like they are earning their respect. As a Conner fan, I am proud of our win against Cooper.

Final from Hebron

Heard that as well.

I hope this game is played as well. It should be intersting to see how Ryle rebounds from the loss to Cooper. Both teams really need to win this game. It is hard to beat a team three times in one season so I say the odds favor Conner, but their track record doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy. I really can't specualte how this game will go.

I understand completely what you are saying, but I feel like stats are something that should be entered and because it is the last thing they feel like doing is not an acceptable excuse. Ultimately the fans and parents want to see them and these happen to be the same people who fill the seats and help to generate the little money that the programs have. When you decide to be a coach you take on the responsible of promoting exposure. It's not a secret society. Alot of people are interested in the stats. I am positively confident that every school would have someone that would love to do it for them if the coach was too busy. When schools are ranked high in the polls you will see their student base coming out in full force. When they are not, the sections dwindle. People like to see how teams are doing and people talk and word of mouth spreads exposure for teams and players.

This is a very bold and (and using the word properly) ignorant statement. The 9th. is completely wide open. There are a couple of favorites, but there are way more that 3 teams that are capable of winning the region. Matchups and draw will be key. Some teams will fare better against others and one off night by a player or a hot night by another changes the whole dynamic.

You are not alone Waterboy.

I think at this time of year every team has or has had someone or multiple someones suffering from something or another. Players are dealing with minor injuries, major injuries, soreness, colds, flues, and a whole slew of whatever else. There is always that on teams. That is why there is a whole bench of players. To say it is hard to tell if Conner is picking it up or that it could have been different had the bug not been a factor is really meaningless. It was a great game with some really good plays and shots down the stretch. Poor free throw shooting and alot of turnovers on both teams, but overall a very fun game to watch. I definately think Conner is playing better and will be a contender come tournament time.