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kyhssports

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  1. Saw this game tonight...Henry Clay was dominant on the boards and wasn't bothered at all by Central's press. Henry Clay got out to a 20-5 lead and Central never got closer than five points. Second half stayed around the 7-11 point deficit before the Devils pushed it out at the end. Henry Clay's length inside really bothered Central. Think they showed they have as good a chance to win the 11th region as Central or Scott County. Should be an awesome 11th region tournament, especially considering Woodford County getting the big win tonight and the Lexington schools could also be dangerous.
  2. Took the liberty of predicting some regional winners in my analysis. Winners 1) Rowan County (16th Region) The Vikings will have a fairly easy road to get back to the state semifinals as they seek another championship berth. Harlan County is playing extremely well in the 13th region, but they are nowhere near a top ten team. With Sweet 16 experience and the dynamic duo of Townsend and Wing, I’d be surprised to see the Vikings get knocked out early…that is if they get to Lexington of course. 2) Madison Central/Scott County (11th Region) The winner of the 11th region, likely to be either the Cardinals of Scott County or the state’s lone undefeated team Madison Central, would avoid a Louisville team until the championship AND likely have to play only one top ten team, if that many. Your 14th region champion, either Perry County Central or Knott County Central, would serve as a tough test in the semifinals. 3) The Rupp Arena Crowd on Wednesday Night It’s certainly not want Louisville teams wanted, but a matchup between a Trinity and a Bullitt East, or a Ballard or a Moore, or heck even a Jeffersontown and a Manual will be the highlight of the first round. Both teams that play in that contest will be good enough to win the state championship, and I’d say the winner will be the favorite to win it all from there. Plus, a likely appearance from nearby George Rogers Clark in the late game will keep Rupp Arena packed through the night. Losers 1) Trinity/Ballard/Manual/Bullitt East/Moore/PRP/Jeffersontown (6th & 7th Region) While in a perfect world we’d have the winners of the 6th and 7th region meet in the state finals every year (sarcasm), we don’t have that as the draw produces a top-heavy first round matchup. Fortunately for the winner, they will get a day off before the quarterfinals, but the team that would likely await — GRC — is no picnic. Add an experienced and hungry Rowan County to the semifinal game, and the road to Saturday night is a tough one for the Louisville teams. 2) Marshall County (1st Region) Their one loss came to Montgomery County on the Indians’ home court. Ever since that loss, and throughout the rest of the season, the Marshals have been outstanding and dominant. They have not lost to a team west of I-65, and their impressive record would make them a darkhorse pick at Rupp. But a matchup with the 11th region champ right off the bat is a tough break. 3) Legitimacy of the State Tournament Honestly though, how fair is it that FIVE of my top seven teams in the most recent state rankings will be guaranteed to be out of the state tournament by Thursday night? I understand and LOVE the fact that this is a true STATE tournament and all teams get a shot, but with the blind draw system as we have currently, there will be more and more people that will say the LIT or the KOB or the Republic Bank are better tournaments than the state tournament. That shouldn’t happen. The state tournament should be a celebration of the best TEAMS (not necessarily talent but sometimes they are one in the same) in the state, and I’m not sure a blind draw is the best system to get the best celebration.
  3. #25 Pulaski County vs. Mason County (2:00 pm) The Royals don’t have the power and prestige that they used to carry, but they’ll look to put up a good showing against a solid yet inconsistent Pulaski County team. Even the last three games, all wins, have revealed their inconsistency. A great road win at Southwestern was followed by a narrow victory at home against a poor Mercer County team, which was then followed by a 46-point shellacking of Casey County. Which Pulaski County team will show up on Saturday? #9 Perry County Central vs. Ashland Blazer (3:45 pm) The Commodores haven’t lost to a Kentucky team since mid-December, and they beat a fairly good Sheldon Clark team on the road by double digits. They will get Ashland Blazer on Saturday, a team who themselves have not lost to a bluegrass team in the new year. The Tomcats have the name recognition to be a favorite in the 16th region but do they have the results? There aren’t many quality wins on the ledger so far, but a win on Saturday would be just that. #6 Bullitt East vs. #13 Rowan County (5:30 pm) The crowd will likely swell for this game because the Chargers could very well be bringing in the newest Kentucky Wildcat to play the defending state runners-up. While the Derek Willis side story is intriguing, the implications of the contest here are also important. Bullitt East looks to battle back from a disappointing loss to Ballard in the LIT. Rowan County is looking for a quality win that carries some weight on the state level. This should be a competitive contest. #1 Trinity vs. #5 Madison Central (7:15 pm) As if the Derek Willis story line wasn’t enough, then you have the consensus number one team in the state playing the state’s lone unbeaten team. The AP poll has elevated the Indians to number two in the state; for the first time this season, they will get the chance to prove their ranking against a state championship contender. If Trinity lays down the hammer here and then again next week against Pleasure Ridge Park, well folks we might as well get ready for baseball and softball. #18 Montgomery County vs. Letcher County Central (9:00pm) The Indians have lost three in a row, two in convincing fashion to George Rogers Clark and Madison Central. They will close out the day with what should be a bounce back win against Letcher County Central. The Cougars are looking to recover from a 39-point destruction at the hands of Clay County. Things might not get much better against a solid team looking to get back on track. -- So, who will be the winners?
  4. This was posted on my blog the other day. Thought you all would appreciate seeing it and commenting if you haven't seen it already... --- Well we’re about halfway through the regular season, and I’d say it’s high time to do some predictions in terms of your 16 regional champions and even hypothetical state tournament matchups. First of all, I did a random draw to set up the state tournament field. Here’s how the draw went… 12th Region vs. 13th Region 11th Region vs. 14th Region 9th Region vs. 2nd Region 1st Region vs. 7th Region 8th Region vs. 16th Region 15th Region vs. 6th Region 10th Region vs. 5th Region 3rd Region vs. 4th Region And now your hypothetical regional champions… 1st Region — Marshall County There’s perhaps no region with a more definitive favorite than the Marshals. They are undefeated in regional play, and outside of a two-point win at Lone Oak, they have not been challenged. Given the right draw, they could do damage at the state tournament, but as you’ll see in our scenario, they will not get that opportunity. 2nd Region — Hopkinsville The Tigers are two points away from having an undefeated season, but they haven’t played enough teams outside of the western part of the state to truly judge how good this team really is. But given that the 2nd region gave us last year’s state champion, one should not count out Hoptown at state. 3rd Region — Ohio County Muhlenberg County started out the season with the preseason accolades, but Ohio County has come on as the regional favorite. The Eagles defeated the Mustangs by two points earlier in the season, and they only have two losses for the whole year. A Tuesday rematch with the Mustangs will test to see if Ohio County deserves to stay in this spot. 4th Region — Warren Central Outside of the 9th region, the 4th might be the most wide open in terms of potential regional winners. Warren Central, Bowling Green, Glasgow, and Clinton County are lead contenders, but Greenwood, Logan County, and Russell County could also be considered. We’ll give the nod to the Dragons because, simply put, the program knows how to win. 5th Region — Bardstown The Tigers made some waves at the King of the Bluegrass, and there’s not many teams in the 5th region which could create enough waves to stay with them. I believe the Tigers will take this region rather easily, though LaRue County, Marion County, and Elizabethtown could complicate things. 6th Region — Bullitt East It’s really a pick ‘em between the Chargers, Moore, Pleasure Ridge Park, and even Jeffersontown, and perhaps even Butler. There’s a lot of depth in the 6th region, and the champion will have to earn their title. I will go with Bullitt East because of their postseason success last season and the fact they have the region’s best player in Derrick Willis. 7th Region — Trinity Ballard is good, and Manual/Central/St. Xavier could win many regions in Kentucky, but I don’t see anyone touching Trinity, now or when it counts. I’m not sure which tournament will be more difficult for Trinity — the 7th region or the state tournament. Each will probably result in a lot of blowout wins. 8th Region — Oldham County The Colonels haven’t been very good lately, but I don’t see enough contenders in the 8th region that could beat the Colonels on a neutral floor. North Oldham, South Oldham, Owen County, Anderson County, Gallatin County, and others all have had decent regular seasons, but none have beaten Oldham County away from home. 9th Region — Dixie Heights There are a host of teams that could come away with this regional crown, from Newport Central Catholic to Covington Catholic to Holmes to Boone County to Covington Holy Cross. But we stick with the Dixie Heights Colonels because of they haven’t done anything to convince me they still aren’t the favorite to win the region, as they were in the preseason. Perhaps a strong performance at the Toyota Classic this week will convince everyone else. 10th Region — George Rogers Clark There’s no hotter team in the state. The Cardinals lost two of their first four games, but they’ve been rolling for the last 18 games, beating some top competition along the way. Montgomery County is their top competition inside the region, and district for that matter, but the Cardinals recently waxed the Indians by 17. 11th Region — Madison Central With Lexington Catholic’s slide as of late, it seems Scott County and Madison Central are the favorites to win the 11th region crown. The Indians have not played the schedule that Scott County has played, but Central has the athleticism on the perimeter and more size in the paint that higher-rated Scott County. Call this one a hunch. 12th Region — Pulaski County They’ve played a very difficult schedule, and it seems to be paying off for the Maroons. A great road win on Friday night across town at Southwestern elevates them back into the role of regional favorite. Keep an eye on East Jessamine however, which had a great weekend and has scored several good victories this season. 13th Region — Harlan County I’m wishing that I could defer this selection until Friday, as the Black Bears face the Bell County Bobcats twice this week in battles of regional titans. The Black Bears have quietly been great this season, losing only two games and running the table in regional wins. Bell County has done the same through the region though…should be a fun week. 14th Region — Knott County Central Here’s hoping that we get a Knott Central-Perry Central regional final, but the Patriots as of now have been the more impressive team. A great performance in the Lexington tournament before Christmas vaulted them into the state rankings, and they haven’t moved since. They have not lost to a team from Kentucky as of yet. 15th Region — Johnson Central There haven’t been too many impressive performances from the 15th region on a larger, state level this season, but Johnson Central seems to have it rolling at this point. The Golden Eagles have won 10 of 12, and during that stretch they’ve defeated Betsy Layne and Sheldon Clark twice. Look for a wide-open and exciting 15th region tournament. 16th Region — West Carter While many will advance Rowan County into this position again on the heels of their state runner-up performance last season, I will go with the Comets. They are 15-3 on the season, winning 14 of 15 games against 16th region teams. They’ve beaten Rowan County in Morehead. No other teams in the 16th jump out at me as potential contenders besides the Comets and the Vikings, though keep an eye on Ashland Blazer. — So, with our champions and the draw we conducted, here’s the state tournament matchups… First Round Pulaski County vs. Harlan County Madison Central vs. Knott County Central Dixie Heights vs. Hopkinsville Marshall County vs. Trinity Oldham County vs. West Carter Johnson Central vs. Bullitt East George Rogers Clark vs. Bardstown Ohio County vs. Warren Central Here’s how I see things panning out… Quarterfinals Pulaski County vs. Madison Central Dixie Heights vs. Trinity West Carter vs. Bullitt East George Rogers Clark vs. Ohio County Semifinals Madison Central vs. Trinity Bullitt East vs. George Rogers Clark Finals Trinity vs. Bullitt East State Champion Trinity ---
  5. #18 Montgomery County @ #5 Madison Central This will be the final home tuneup for the Madison Central Indians before their Saturday matchup with the top team in the state. These two tribes met once already this season, as Madison Central defeated Montgomery County 67-57 back in December. If Madison Central remains focused, then they should roll on and extend Montgomery County’s recent woes. #24 Ohio County @ Muhlenberg County Way back in the beginning times of this basketball season, Muhlenberg County traveled to Ohio County and lost by two points. Since then, the preseason favorite Mustangs have dropped several games but have won five straight. Meanwhile, the Eagles have won all their games save two at Mercer County’s holiday tournament. The winner is the favorite for the 3rd region crown…simple as that. #9 Perry County Central @ Sheldon Clark The 15th region has not been able to prove itself that many times on a statewide level this season, but does Sheldon Clark have an opportunity to do so on Tuesday night. The Cardinals have lost to Johnson Central twice and over the weekend against Buckhorn, but they do have the 15th region’s best record as they entertain Perry County Central. The Commodores haven’t lost to a Kentucky team since going down to Scott County before Christmas. Some other games to note tonight… Franklin County @ #1 Trinity Good luck, Flyers. John Hardin @ Elizabethtown Seems like the Bulldogs and Panthers have been extremely quiet this season. We’ll see if one can make a run to challenge Bardstown in the 5th region. Christian County @ Bowling Green Been a disappointing season for the defending state champions. A win at 4th region contender Bowling Green would be a nice surprise.
  6. Hmm really? Did not know that...that's what I get for assuming they were
  7. Thanks for the note mooremiller31...I will make that adjustment. Sounds like it was a good game.
  8. I had a separate post on my blog about those games in depth. Don't worry...I did not ignore them!
  9. 15 Scores which mattered this weekend... FRIDAY #9 George Rogers Clark d. #14 Montgomery County 52-35 What a resounding, dominating win for the Cardinals as they seize control in the 10th region. It’s also the 16th straight win for GRC as they should continue to rise up the state rankings. Montgomery County needs to regroup for when they meet the Cardinals again, as it will likely happen in the 40th district championship. Newport Central Catholic d. Covington Catholic 63-53 The Catholic battle of Northern Kentucky ends with the Thoroughbreds’ victory and the continued slide of the Colonels. They’ve lost two in a row (they actually lost another on Saturday to a team from Ohio) and a trip to Scott County’s Toyota Classic this weekend might bring more struggles. Pulaski County d. #22 Southwestern 87-83 This is a strong win for the Maroons, as they showed the right colors (hah see what I did there) to win on the road at the presumed regional favorite. When all is said and done, expect these two teams to play twice more (district AND regional championship). They both, given the right draw, could do some damage at Rupp. Tates Creek d. #8 Lexington Catholic 41-39 The Commodores win at Catholic, who was once again without Craig Floyd, but how will the Knights bounce back from such a disappointing week? Losses to LCA and Tates Creek will be hard to shake. They’ll be off until they host a solid Dunbar team next Thursday night. Woodford County d. Franklin County 89-74 Jay Johnson has returned for the Yellow Jackets, and he made his presence known with an 18-point effort and a dominating win over district rival and contender Franklin County. With Johnson, you have to consider the Yellow Jackets as a serious regional contender, perhaps just slightly under Scott County and Madison Central. #11 Knott County Central d. Hazard 59-52 (OT) It was a narrow win for the Patriots, who have still not lost to a team from the Bluegrass. We are more than ready for Knott Central to host regional rival Perry County Central on February 9th. Bowling Green d. Warren Central 73-67 After winning at Glasgow, the Dragons could not sustain their 4th region momentum as they dropped a narrow contest at Bowling Green. The 4th region tournament will be wide open, with these two teams, Glasgow, and Clinton County acting as the favorites. #15 Marshall County d. Graves County 72-64 The Marshals continue to own the 1st region. They stand at 8-0 in regional play, while not one other team has over 11 wins or stands more than four games over a .500 mark. But Graves County could be that team in the regional tournament that has the best shot of knocking off these Marshals. #5 Scott County d. Bryan Station 84-47 While Madison Central sneaks past the Defenders, Scott County absolutely destroys them. Quite the statement from the Cardinals, and it might propel them up the state rankings as they prepare to host the Toyota Classic. Owen County d. Anderson County 59-50 The Bearcats lose their first game after being knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten. The win at Collins, however, still leads me to consider them as an 8th region favorite, especially due to Oldham County’s recent struggles. — SATURDAY #11 Knott County Central d. Buckhorn 69-64 #10 Perry County Central d. Breathitt County 61-42 Two games on Saturday could be your preview of the 14th region semifinals. Knott Central survives a very good Buckhorn team which is clearly capable of defeating top state competition (Henry Clay, for example). And Perry Central won impressively in Jackson with a big win over Perry Central. Harlan County d. Clay County 74-72 (2 OT) In perhaps the game of the weekend, the Black Bears just slid past the Tigers in a battle of two of the best of the 13th region. The Tigers have lost seven of their last 13 games, quite the unimpressive streak, but keep in mind that the Tigers have wins over Bishop Brossart and Eastern during that stretch. Harlan County needed this game after losing surprisingly to Hazard a week ago. East Jessamine d. #14 Montgomery County 79-78 What a bad weekend for the Indians. A blowout loss in Winchester on Friday night was followed up by a damaging loss in Nicholasville to a good East Jessamine team. Now the Indians have to head off to Richmond to play the lone undefeated team in the state — Madison Central. A win there would erase the pain of these two losses. North Oldham d. Franklin County 59-58 Bad weekend for the Flyers as well, losing to Woodford County and North Oldham. The Mustangs get a big win after losing to Oldham County on Friday night. North Oldham will now face the once-unbeaten Anderson County at home in a critical regional game. Newport Central Catholic d. Campbell County 59-58 (OT) The Thoroughbreds are putting some nice wins together, winning six of their last seven games away from home…and that one loss being to mighty Trinity. They’ll now play in the 9th region All ‘A’ Classic, of which I hope comes down to them and the Covington Holy Cross Indians. It would be a rematch from a close Indians win early in the season.
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