BigT

It needs to happen. Tonight was not the regional championship that fans deserve to see.

I'm betting we are gonna find out. Not predicting that upset but simply saying it is the perfect "trap" game. Trust me, if Cooper and Cov. Cath meet in the semi's, whoever the victor is, that coach will be instructing every single player on their team that their ticket is not yet punched. That there is still work to be done.

Again, I see your point but I am not buying it. You're saying a better team can not have an off night and lose a game thus losing a birth to the sweet 16. I would argue your third ranked team is handed a gift by having one of the stronger teams eliminated. My point is the weaker team should have to run the gauntlet, not your better teams.

You couldn't be more wrong. I hear what you are saying that you have to play the favorite at some point so what does it matter. I'll tell you why it matters. If we all can agree that Cooper and Covington Catholic are the two best teams in the region then here ya go. Your third best team only has to pull off one upset to earn a ticket to Rupp. I believe the 4 district champions should be seeded. This can be done off their regular season records. It also gives a little more merit to winning your district championship. No one is griping here, as those teams will show up and battle it out as they should. Let's just hope there is no let down on their part in the championship game. Another reason to seed your two strongest teams opposite one another.

Can someone please post the link for the 9th region draw?

Can someone post the link to watch the draw?

Make no mistake about it Cooper wants to play fast. It is not their fault teams can't find shots early in the possession and sometimes will run more than a minute off the clock. I think they are blaming "low scoring" on the wrong team. Let's see a team jack up quick shots against the Jags and see how many points they run up.

Very solid performance from the JAGS these last two weeks. 3rd place finish in the KOB by taking down Covington Catholic and being crown Champions of the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic. They were tested in nearly every way possible. Played big strong teams, played quick aggressive teams, played poorly a few games and still found ways to win. Just what you want out of tournaments this time of year. Now it is time to get the boys home and healed up and ready for the second half of the season. They have proven to everyone who is the best in the 9th to this point in the season, but we now have the second half to play and this is where it counts. Place your bets boys!

It also sounds like they don't know AK either. Adam is the kind of player that when he gets in the zone, you want the ball in his hands. He is hands down the streakiest scorer I have ever seen play the game. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he has a game or two this year in the 40's. He is that type of player. His teammates know and understand this as well, as they have been friends and teammates for a very long time. Good teams and good coaches understand what their strengths are and the play to them. Coopers first and primary strength is their team defense, which yesterday was not very good. Adjustments were made and fortunately they were able to pull out a win. Offensively, it is not like they are not capable of scoring outside of Adam. Their supporting cast (Walters, Runion, Ollier, McNeil) are certainly no slouches. Cooper had three quarters yesterday where they looked tired and played poorly. It happens. But the bottom line is this, they won the game. And I will also add this, Paul Lawrence Dunbar regardless of their record, was a worthy opponent. They are well coached and their kids played extremely hard. Cooper plays a very good Madison Central team today and I guarantee you Sully will have them dialed in. But let's don't get caught up on who is scoring, margin a victory or any other arm chair coaching statistics. You make adjustments during the game if need be and review your results. Should you find a certain style or strategy didn't work, you address it and move on. I'm pretty sure the message coming from Sully is not who scores but a lesson on what happens when you don't defend well collectively.

Just curious, were you at the game and have you seen any other Cooper games this year?

Should be a great game. Cooper had them last year but a turnover late by a guy that normally takes pretty good care of the ball cost them. I know he won't let that happen again!! Important side note, Chris McNeil appeared to injure his knee in last night's game. Had ice on it following the game. Critical that Sully have him available and at full strength for the JAGS to be at their best.

I agree with the defensive assessment above. But that is a constant with Cooper. I feel that the offense is struggling a bit. You may not be able to tell by their margin of victory but in all three games thus far the offense has sputtered at times. Look for this team to continue to iron out the kinks and if they can get 4 solid quarters put together, look out! Branden Runion has been especially good early this year for the Jags. His point production is up and his hustle and rebounding effort is off the chart. Nice job B!!! Keep up the good work.

Sounds like someone here understands the game of basketball!! :clap:

Heard the Kentucky team lost 94-89 this evening. Didn't make the game but hear future WKU kids just want to shoot it all the time. Not sure what Western sees there. Not a fan of either one. You play the game with one basketball and you PLAY as a team. One or two guys jacking up 30 shots a piece is ridiculous. If they are true "All Star Basketball Players" their BBall IQ would tell them differently. Sounds like this is just a typical All Star game, no passing, no defense and jack everything you can get your paws on. Funny though as I heard the coach talking about how he wanted to compete and hopefully beat this Indiana team which Kentucky has lost to for several years now. If you really want to win coach, stop the selfish play. All these kids can score or they wouldn't be there. Spread the shots around. Two guys shooting that much will win you nothing. (Mic Drop)

Or just shoot the ball 30 times. You gotta be kidding me!

Good lord. We are not but a few hours since the final horn of this years state championship and we are already starting this nonsense again. Wow! You would think by now someone would learn something.

Congratulations to Holy Cross for doing exactly what they needed to do to pull off an upset. They were extremely deliberate on offense slowing the pace of the game down dramatically. Cooper didn't help themselves by shooting a very low FG % thus disallowing a press to be applied. Had the Jags been able to hit a few more shots and set up their press this could have gotten away from HC. Great effort by the Indians. Congratulations to Cooper. You don't win any tournament worth its weight in salt if you don't have a game or two where you have to battle it out and as stated earlier "win ugly" sometimes.

Incorrect

The Jags are playing really well right now. Offensively they are moving the ball better than I have seen all year long. This ball movement has allowed the Jags to shoot a higher than normal FG percentage. They are also playing with great pace. This with their signature defensive effort is extremely fun to watch. They really seem to be hitting their stride heading down the stretch. They have a week to rest up and heal some bumps and bruises before hosting New Cath next Wednesday. The other thing I noticed is these guys are having a ton of fun out there on the court. One makes a play and the others are eagerly awaiting their turn to make the next play. Aggressive play is infectious and right now these guys are eaten up with it! Keep it up fellas. Something special could be looming.

Congrats to Sean for finally getting his 1,000 point this afternoon. He has been sitting on 999 ever since the Lexington Catholic tournament. Great young man. Love watching him play. Expect him to have a very nice career at Bellarmine provided he stays healthy.

Nice win today by the Jags. They eased guys back into the fold offensively and got anything they wanted. As usual the Jags defense was outstanding. Several Ryle possessions consisted of over a minute of good ball movement but just no shots to be found. Cooper's defense is worth the price of admission. They are really good. It was nice to see all the smiles from all the guys. It appeared to me they all were excited about being back together and enjoying the game.

Did either one even dress for the game?

Did either McNeil play?

Either way, it shows poor sportsmanship. An elbow to the head should warrant checking on your opponent after the play to simply say "my bad" or "you ok". The fact he just stood there while Adam was down seemed to reveal at minimal intent.

Dante is a true warrior. He is a kid you always want on your team because he knows how to find ways to win. Braydon Runion has been spectacular stepping up his game in the absence for the McNeil brothers. Adam I think has been the victim of teams being able to focus on him more which has limited his scoring a bit following the injuries to both Chris and Sean. The rest of the crew has performed admirably. Great experience for these younger guys which may very well pay dividends in their post season run.