Walter

You know we are talking about 2 totally different families here....Right!!!:thumb:

Doesn't Merrill Hodge' (sp?), of ESPN, son go to Highlands? I'm pretty sure Hodge lives in Florence and I remember hearing someone tell me that he attends a church out in that area.

I may be wrong though? :confused:

Tates Creek played Scott Co tough last year both games and only lost Hagan from that team. I'd look for this to be another close game between the two.

Fucci/Barksdale v Jackson/Guyn should be two great match ups. The only problem I see for Tates Creek is they really don't have anyone to match up with Euton.

I think Scott Co pulls out the W at the end from the charity stripe.

Scott Co- 74

Tates Creek- 66

Any word of Pittman's stats?

Pittman had 12 at the half but not sure what he finished with. Holmes kind of went away from him in the second half for whatever reason. I'd say he finished with 15-20.

Campbell Co isn't a very good team right now. They're coming off a loss to Pendleton Co and I just don't see them beating Dixie.

Dixie- 61

Campbell- 54

7- Boone Co

5- Brossart

3- Deming

2- Calvary Christian

1- Harrison Co

TB- Boone Co

Lloyd lacks experience big time this year while Newport is one of the most experienced teams in the region. Throw in the fact that the Wildcats have some talent to go with that experience and I think Lloyd is in over their heads in this one.

Newport- 73

Lloyd- 55

Could be one of the best games of the year in the 9th region! Newport is loaded this year people do not let anyone fool you. Upset special for Christmas.

I thought the same thing last year and all Holmes did was jump out to a 36 point lead against the Wildcats. Newport isn't disciplined enough to beat any of the top 5 teams and I think the 14th will show that.

Unlike many other teams in the 9th, Holmes actually has the athleticism to give Newport problems instead of vice versa.

I do agree though that Newport will surprise some people this year.

Highlands physical style of play will be too much for the Cru. I look for both Grote and Kowolonek to have nice games.

The Birds depth down low with Watson, Dill, Smith-Keller, and Stewart will really take a toll on the smaller St. Henry front court.

Highlands- 64

St. Henry- 51

I would have to agree with this. Shelby Valley's problem this year will be their schedule. They don't play any of the top ten teams so it will be hard to guage how good they really are beating up on weaker teams.

They play Christian Co at home, but that's about it.

They also have Mayfield and Herndon on the bench that can play pg. Anyone know why Herndon isn't getting more PT at pg? I've watched him for two years, back when he played JV as a Sophomore and again that summer when he played on a team with Riley, Dom Johnson. He can play that position and handles the ball very well.

 

I watched the game on ihigh and once Bowman went to the press, Holmes didn't have an answer. That's where a lot of turnovers happened. They put Hayes in the game, but he really didn't make a big difference against the press.

Both struggle against better teams, especially Herndon. Mayfield is good for defense and that's about it. He gets out of control at times and tries to do too much which causes silly turnovers.

I agree that the press killed Holmes. Both Johnson Brothers would walk the ball up and seemingly wait for the trap to come, rather than being aggressive and attacking the middle.

I could be wrong about Hayes. It's still early and I guess only time will tell.

I like Boone in this one. I think their depth will be the difference.

Boone Co- 61

Newcath- 53

I'm coming in a bit late but just wanted to be one of the many to congratulate Highlands on #19 and another undefeated season.

This senior class was unreal during their tenure at Highlands. 44-1 as varsity football players and undefeated as freshmen. They will go down in Highlands history as one of the best classes ever, if not the best.

I think this game will be closer than some think. UC obviously hasn't seen a team with the speed and athleticism that Florida will have, but I can guarantee Florida hasn't seen an offense as potent as UC's.

The Cats have the skill guys to compete with Florida in Woods, Gilyard, Pead, Pike, and Binns. It's their lines that I worry about in this game.

With that said....

Florida- 38

Cincy- 27

UC rose to the occasion when it mattered.

People can say this or that about the defense, but take in to account they weren't helped much by the offense in the first half. Miscues by the offense and special teams gave Pitt great field position. (Int's, blocked punt)

Their defense stepped up in the second half and was the reason that UC won the game. They gave their high powered offense a chance to get them back in the game by limiting Pitt to just 13 points.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Mardy Gilyard's performance yet. I believe he had 384 all purpose yards. That's unreal.

Chris Hayes is the closest thing to a true pg that Holmes has. He is extremely quick with the ball and able to use both hands when dribbling which makes it easier for him to get around pressure.

After watching this game on ihigh.com, I think the biggest thing that's hurting Holmes right now is they simply aren't being aggressive and pushing the ball. They lack a sense of urgency offensively.

In the first half, Pittman dominated but for whatever reason they went away from him in the second half? Bowman had nobody that could guard him, including their star Dejuan Marrero.

I don't buy that Ricardo isn't a pg and unhappy about having to run the point. Coach Henley put the ball in his hands and had him running the point last year during late game situations and he did fine.

Didn't Holmes lose their second game last year too then win 20 or so in a row? I think they'll be fine, but they play an extremely tough schedule so they're going to lose some games this year. I think they'll lose around 4 or 5 games.

Clark Co wins this one comfortably. I don't think Madison Central has the size to contend with them.

I'll take the Cards by 15+.

I'm not surprised NCC won this game but the margin is a bit surprising.

HC is really going to struggle this year.

I think Mr. Basketball comes down to R. Jphnson, Pittman, Guyn, or Justice.

Pittman and R. Johnson will have a little bit of an advantage over the other two guys as Coach Henley has his team playing all over the state this year which means more exposure amongst the voters and writers. Their track record over the past two years speaks for itself. BUT, when you have two of the top 3 players in the state, it's obviously going to cause a split in votes.

Despite a slow start, I expect Guyn to pick things up and be Scott Co's msst impressive player this year. If he has to run the point though, it hurts his chances IMO because he simply isn't a natural pg.

Justice will receive a lot of votes from the EKY faithful but can he get enough votes to win over the other 3 mentioned? Coach Booher didn't really schedule anyone this year outside of EKY and the only quality in state team they play is Christian Co. I really like Justice but I don't see him winning the award. I don't think it will be from a lack of talent, but rather a lack of exposure around the state.

Can't wait to see how things unfold as the season progresses.

Gabbard gets a lot of props in the N Ky area but I feel is underrated on a statewide basis. Popp gives Boone another ballhandling/defensive option other teams just don't have from the 2 spot.

 

Difference in yesterdays game vs West Jessamine was the guard play of Boone.

I agree. When it comes to pure pg's, Gabbard is as good as they come. I'd take him on my team any day of the week and put him against any pg in the state.

Shelby Valley not in the top 5!

Shelby Valley is a top 10 team but not top 5 IMO.

They wouldn't beat anyone in my top 5. (Eastern, Holmes, Ballard, Clark Co, Scott Co)

Prep School???

 

Any big name players on Bowman Acad.?

No not a prep school, it is a public school in Gary, Indiana. Bowman Academy beat South Laurel 24 the night before they played Holmes.

Bowman Academy is a public charter school.

As far as their players, they have several D1 prospects:

6'5 Dejuan Marrero is rated the best sophomore in Indiana and already has offers from Indiana, Ohio St, Purdue, and Illinois.

Other D1 prospects include;

6'1 pg Tyrae Robinson

6'4 g Chris Bond

Sorrell didn't shoot all that well last night but he is the leader of the Neers and had a quiet 20. Basham made four threes and pretty much made the biggest that put SK up by 8 midway through the 4th quarter. I know Shelby is the favorite along with North Oldham and Anderson for the 8th region but SK has a very good team. If they can get solid games from their post players they will be in the hunt. The future is bright, Sampson is a very good frosh and Swanson also will receive some major minutes, like I said before, I'm very excited about this season.

Swanson and Sampson are going to be a nice 1-2 punch over the next 4 years. I spoke with Jared's mother recently and she said that he was recovering from a hurt shoulder. Any word on how that's coming along?

With Scott Co losing to Ballard and Holmes losing to Bowman Academy (IN) in the opening week end, how does that shake up the rankings?

I'd go with the following top 5 now:

1. Eastern

2. Holmes

3. Clark Co

4. Ballard

5. Scott Co

Nice win for the Neers. Dixie looked pretty good against Conner the other night, so I'd consider this a mild upset.

I expect big things out of Sorrell this year.

Trust me they did not lose to a bad team. Holmes gave the game away but Bowman Academy would easily be a top ten if not top five in the state of Kentucky.

Bowman has several good players.

6'5 F Dejuan Marrero is rated the best sophomore in the state of Indiana and already holds offers from Indiana, Purdue, Ohio St, and Illinois.

6'1 PG Tyrae Robinson is another D1 prospect.

As for the game, I just watched it on ihigh and Holmes had ALOT of turnovers. They led by 11 early in the second half and 5 with two minutes to go but couldn't hang on to the ball or make their free throws down the stretch to win.