Mr. Sixer

Should be a great game just like most of the battles of late. If Cooper plays like they played on Friday, which was their best game of the year, they can win. CCH will be extremely motivated after losing the last two contests vs. the Jags. Miller is a shot blocking machine so the Jags will have to shoot well from mid-range and beyond the arc and run at every opportunity. Rebounding has been the Jags strong suit of late, especially offensively getting multiple 2nd chance shots in their last two games, and they have ramped up their defense even higher since the end of the regular season. Fouls, FT shooting and turnovers will be the keys to this game. Two very good teams.

Understand your comment and I was at both of those games as well. CCH was rock solid with their zone defense, especially in the 2nd half and it was a problem for Newport and IMO was the deciding factor in that loss. Cooper did utilize a zone defense a few trips for sure but 95% of that game, like all other Cooper games, was Man to Man. Coach Sully is not a fan zone defense whatsoever and only uses it when it is strategically necessary.

Newport's game with CCH early in the year was a classic example of what you described. CCH switched to zone in the 2nd half and it hurt them badly. Ryle grinded hard in the first round using the zone and man and almost pulled it out. Cooper played the entire game vs. Newport man to man and almost pulled it out without their best player who is now back. These teams are all #1 seeds for a reason, any 4 of them could win this region which is the way it should be.

? I resemble that remark!! I did try say months ago that this team was pretty deep and at full strength they could make some noise. Only gets harder from here though…..

Very impressed with the depth from the Cooper bench. 22 points (16 from the 5 guys in the normal 10 man rotation) really highlights there is not a huge drop off when the starters come out. Coach Sully has the team playing as one unit finally now that the entire team is fully healthy fully and demanding defense, defense and oh yeah, more defense!

One of the best games of the year by the Jags. Excellent defense, low turnovers and great job on the FT line. Andy Johnson played exceptionally well and continues to find his groove after missing nearly 3 months! Rondon was definitely on his game tonight as well. Great team win. Gets no easier for Sunday but if the Jags can repeat tonight’s performance I will take Cooper.

Wasn’t at the game, just asking. Did Rylr shoot a lot of jump shots or were they driving to the basket and not getting calls. If they shot a ton of jump shots there will ALWAYS be these types of disparities. Again, wasn’t there but if they were in fact driving way more than shooting jump shots it could be a head scratcher.

Not shocked Ryle played Zone one bit.

I’ve stated since the beginning of the year that Cooper is the deepest team in NKY and I stand by that. The Jags will go 10 deep with very little drop off and they now have had 3 games under their belt at FULL strength. Their district was arguably the toughest in NKY and they came out of it solid. Defense again will be the key and if Pouncy continues on the tear he’s been on the last 3 games I like the Jags. I will say that if the Jags don’t significantly reduce the turnovers and clean up the FTs it could be more than interesting.

That charge they called on Kinney was an absolute joke!!

Congrats to the young man. Collins is an excellent corner and nearly every corner had long nights against Cooper. Having to guard two 6’4” WRs (one being the KY #1 player in the class of ‘25) with high level D1 QB isn’t an easy task. He’s very worthy of attention he’s receiving.

I fully enjoy the games at NKU and cannot wait for them to start. There have been some epic games at NKU over the years including last years semi between Cooper and CCH and the finals which went down to the final shot buzzer beater. And the 4OT battle in 2011 between Dixie and NCC was unmatched as most people weren’t sitting in their seat for a nearly 3 hour game! The atmosphere is perfect and will be this year as well with so many NKY teams in the top 25. I’ve been to a ton of regionals when they were at Holmes. If you didn’t get there at least a hour early you weren’t getting parking spot anywhere close let alone getting in the gym, especially with the battles between the Bulldogs and Colonels were taking place. The fan interest is just too large in our area and ONLY NKU can hold the crowds and since the games are not streamed it’s the only option and personally I like having a comfortable seat and some elbow room!

Good work by the Jags! Having a full squad and going 9 deep made the difference. The 15 turnovers (many unforced) and missed FTs kept the game closer than it should have been. The Jags had plenty of motivation from the previous meeting!

If this one is anything like the last one it's gonna be a good one!

Not sure why all the discussion on Cooper's QB being injured is so important. Injuries are part of the game and let's just hope ALL players from ALL teams stay healthy.

There's not a team in NKY that this doesn't apply to. Every team needs depth at EVERY position to be successful.

Big congrats to Coach Browning of Boone County winning the 9th COY. Been a journey for Boone and happy to see them have some good success.

The Boone vs Ryle game should be a good one for sure. The comment that Cooper has their entire roster for the first time all season cannot be overlooked as the return of Andy Johnson adds an entirely new element to the Jags play. Additionally, Pouncy has raised his game to an entirely new level the last 7 games or so. Last Thursday vs Scott, Coach Sully started Rondon, Combs, S. Pouncy, Isaiah Johnson and Andy Johnson for the first time and they looked EXTREMELY good. Lastly, no team in NKY has the depth that Cooper has playing 10 players consistently night in and night out. While the games need to be played and anything is possible in arguably the toughest NKY district top to bottom, I’m taking the Jaguars to win the 33rd.

Congrats to Coach Johnson on a successful first regular season! Good luck to HC in the post season!!

Having Coach B. back on staff is an absolute bonus! His 50+ years of experience to a staff that is already very good will only enhance the teams development. The Jags are working their tails off and have embraced the attitude of "Nobody Cares, Work Harder". While the 3 seniors that started, as well of the other 8 seniors, will be sorely missed no doubt, but the team understands that it wasn't just good enough to make it Lexington, they want to finish. Cooper is firmly aware that the target is firmly on their back in NKY and in a very tough district which is why I'm sure the staff is making it clear to the players to understand that NO TEAM will be taken for granted or underestimated and everything MUST be earned in order for them to reach their ultimate goal of trying to win their first football championship. On paper, Cooper is loaded returning basically the entire team, however, games must be played and aren't won on paper. They should be fun to watch if it all comes together.

Agreed. I don't see one seat on the list that could be hot. Maybe the bottom 4 may be up for discussion as luke warm but even those teams are not regular contenders so the expectations are not ginormorous.

Agree with your list but Newport should be in the first tier without a doubt. I’ll include Cooper in the 2nd tier for the tourney as next week will be the first time all season they will have their top 5 players on the floor all at once. They have already beaten Cov Cath and played Newport within 6 points without their best player who just returned today after being injured for 2 months.

After a sluggish start, the Jags crank up the defense in the second half and pull away. Shaun Pouncy led the way with 19 points and Andy Johnson added 14 in his first game back after a two month injury! Andy Johnson is BAAAAACk!! This team is totally different with him on the floor.

Not being funny or disrespecting your comment, but help me understand your thought process on how Lloyd matches up better vs. Cooper with arguably their best player in Andy Johnson, who is now healthy? Cooper is a different team with Johnson on the floor, offensively and defensively, and has the ability to go 10-11 deep with their bench. Truly, anything can happen but the only teams to beat and/or hold Newport within 10 or less points in this region are CCH and Cooper.

Couldn't agree more. Cooper's top 2 players missed the game this week and Cooper still almost pulled off the upset with tough defense and a monster game from Shaun Pouncy. Kinney is Kinney and there is no one that has completely stopped him all season. However, their depth is a question in my opinion as he had 28 of the 48 points and only 3 other players scored in that game. Just hoping there is a round 2 with both teams at full strength. CCH will certainly have their hand in things also as Caden Miller is a force that NKY has not had in many years and there are a couple of other sleepers that could pull off upsets. Of course we all know the ball can bounce any way at Truist just like last year. I think we are in for another great 9th region tournament and NKY is just simply blessed with great basketball talent and coaching.