8th Region Warrior

WKY loves districts

You reward a team for losing their district, I understand that losers of a district have won a state tournament. Trust me when I say that a district runner up may get an awesome draw at the regional tourney and that is a major reason why they even get to the state tourney. When you lose in post season you should be done, it is why it is called post season play. If you can not win your district are you really the best team in your region?

Sunday has to go away if they want it to be better in my opinion. Just too much travel and food for people, and people an extra night in hotels. Put that with the NCAA going on, internet, radio and you have a lot of people at home. Attendance also vary's on the teams that make it to the State tournament, and whether or not school districts go all in for their teams/kids. For me I wished our state would embrace the fact that post season is the same for everyone. Everyone seeds, regions are split correctly/realigned about every 3 years based on school built/closing etc. Also would like to see District runner ups eliminated when they lose. If you get beat in post season your season should be over period. That makes your regional a final 4 deal with all winners. Would like to see all award that are given away KABC, etc during the Mr. Basketball Banquet instead of at tourney, makes Friday miserable

Let me give you this scenario, I thought was a tough spot to be in if you are this superintendent Murray Girls All A Wednesday thru Saturday All A champs (2 days of school) Murray Boys All A Wednesday thru Saturday All A Final (2 days of school) Murray Girls State Tourney Wednesday and Friday (2 days of school) Murray Boys State Tourney Wednesday and Friday (2 days of school) Both of them had tremendous seasons, kids would get (8) days off, what do you do if you are that guy? I tell them load the buses with as many as we can!! WOOHOO!!!!

We sure have beat this dead horse to death that is for sure. Both are outstanding basketball players, you can only give the award to one person. Picking one of these guys was tough for a lot of people. I saw Ben Weyer for the first time and thought he was an excellent player this week. Its just a matter of what you want as a coach I think. Carson plays so hard that it gets him votes, attitude, effort, skill all there. Its why I voted for him. I know my screen name is 8th region warrior so some may say I am biased. I just think the whole package was there for him that coaches want. If it were based on potential I think Goodin gets the award.

The only reason would be to stop transition from Dunbar if they thought making them score in the half court was important. Looking at the score they got what they wanted, a game below 60 points. Now if there is very little time on the clock some will remove their players so no foul occurs. Some coaches will even put their guards up there instead of their bigs. Just up to the coach. Me personally I use my guards and press you hit or miss

It is a 94 feet floor, every college is. The high school is 84 feet. They leave the college line and use a blue tape deal for the high school. The difference in footage on the floor is between top of keys and half court. Much larger area. The depth perception makes it seem different. When we pressed and played 1-3-1 it messed with us for sure, different trap areas.

Two of my buddy's coaching in this one, I was hoping for a tie, both are great guys that deserve this for their school and families!!! I am not picking one of them rooting for them both

As I have said before it wasn't close. One of the best to play in Kentucky and she has worked on her game to evolve it to where it is now. Will be a stud for the Irish. Congrats Erin!!

There is not a legit way of determining who is better and so on, look at the NCAA seeds, and how that worked out

1. Butler 2. Male 3. Mercer 4. Murray 5. Simon Kenton

Yes Dawgs83 correct! Waggener and Fern Creek have nothing to show for it as well, just sad all the way around. Actually had a parent off one of those teams tell me they sent their kid to a particular school to be a doctor, when it was strictly AAU ties. Talent and cheerleading only takes you so far, when regional tournaments start you better know how to coach em up

What does Bracken have after the graduation of Crawford, or is it just all eggs in one basket next year for them?

I have put it on here before, Erin has a chance to start at Notre Dame, I might be wrong but I think she will. They are #2 in the country with 1 loss this year, so she is pretty good. I would put her top 3 that our state has produced

Really like the Dragons to advance in this one. I think fans at Rupp Arena will fall in love with how this team plays. South is 0-2 at Rupp, drew Hoptown first game both years. They have played Meade County from region 3 and got the win so a comparable team from that region. Tim Riley is good at his craft that is for sure but Dragons will find a way

Mercer wins this one pretty easily, however they will need some teams to be upset to win it all, not saying that can not happen because it definitely has before. They have great offense and very little defense. They are a treat to watch for sure, but unless they ever learn to get stops there is teams that will be able to stop that offense they have. Seygan Robbins for those who have not watched her, she is special

It was fun covering this region this year. As I mentioned all year long, it has great history, coaches, players, and a host site that has been doing the region since 1963. South Oldham has captured 3 of the last 4, all as a runner up in their district. Coach Simpson does a remarkable job, and his kids must have worked really hard to get to where they are. They shoot so well, and make the extra pass, BUT I said it earlier they don't get enough credit for their defense. They got a lot of points of turnovers in that second quarter. They used that extended 2-3 zone and Anderson ran nothing against it all night, it really bothered Owen in the first round as well. Congrats to the Dragons and at Rupp next week!! You finally got a good draw! Tim Riley with a week to prepare vs. Simpson should be fun!

Poor Moco, no one feels sorry for them, that is the staff they wanted. Anyway, Go Augusta!! Rooting on the little team that could. Coach Hinson has to be happy for the team he left, he loves those kids.

I believe it was an upset to some extent, but it is the second game of the region and that is where someone always seems to lose that no one thought would. Considering that Spencer is about 3 seconds away from not letting Anderson out of the district on Anderson's floor shows you what I said all year about this region, anyone, anytime if you don't bring your best game. There are alot of good coaches in this region, and players!

It has come down to this, 2 teams that are battling for the right to represent the 8th region at Rupp Arena. It's not Owen County or Oldham County the 2 teams that I had 1 or 2 all year in my poll. On the other hand give credit to the South Oldham Dragons and the Anderson County Bearcats as this is much deserved. Both teams had stretches in their season that made you scratch your head and wonder if they could even get out of their district, but when you have 2 incredible coaching staffs, that have a total of 4 regional titles under their belt, and all region players playing, you have a shot to do awesome things and that is what will happen for one of these teams tonight. Let's start with the Champion of District 30 the Anderson County Bearcats. Glen Drury has been here before. His name is on the court in the Burg, and with that comes love, passion, and commitment to the city that he calls home. It has driven him to do what is best for kids no matter what and that is what impresses me the most about Coach Drury. Fine young men, homegrown kids, is what he has on his team. The Bearcats are led by Cobe Penny. Cobe accounted for 33 points in the semi-final, 19 in the 4th quarter when his team needed him the most. Very good player, fun to watch, as he brings versatility to the court. They also have other younger class men capable of breaking out 20 point games on your in Garmon, and Gillis, and a senior that just gets it done in Harper. Mitchell and Pittman can also hit some 3's so when they are in you must know where they are. Defense is what makes them go, they are stingy and don't let you score easy ones. Very physical and blockout is a must to play for Coach Drury. The District Runner up from the 29th, The South Oldham Dragons, like being runner up apparently, the last 2 times they were they cut the nets down. Coach Simpson had a tough year last season, they missed the regional tourney after winning it the previous two years. Had tons of injury's and a young team. Coach Simpson put his Dragons through a tough off season, and prepared them for this moment, an outstanding job by himself and his staff. What makes this team good, is shooting, ball handling and making the extra pass in my opinion. They led the state in FT shooting as a team at 78% which is hard to believe, and a state record in made 3 pointers (346) at 40% which is crazy good. I believe that it is very hard to shoot a bad pass, so that is the passing part I was saying is a strength. They make that extra pass to an open shooter rather than a contested shooter. Everyone on their team has the green light so they over flow with confidence and each one can knock it down. Bouvet, Bray and Griffin are the double digit scorers average wise on this team. All 3 have different strengths. Bouvet is deadly 3 point shooter, Griffin is the in between game, and Bray loves getting to the rim. I like their supporting cast of Williams who runs the show, Fields, and Young who does it all. All 3 right at 10ppg. Then throw in some unsung hero's like Snook, and Hoover who Owen people know by name now and you have depth at alot spots. This team can score and then some. People overlook their defense, as they are all about turning you over and getting run outs in transition. They play a lot of different defense's to keep you off balanced. Keys to the Game: 1. Who controls tempo? If it reaches 65- 70 the Dragons win, if it stays 55-64 range the Bearcats win. 2. Can the Dragons make alot of 3's, and can the Bearcats take them away? 3. Can the Dragons slow down Penny for Anderson? If it is close in the 4th quarter they better. 4. What coach is going to get his 3rd regional title? And make the best in game adjustments? Prediction: South Oldham 65 Anderson County 62 Be weary of the junk defense's that Simpson will use at South, I think we might see that Triangle again tonight on Garmon and Penny. If they can do it long enough to keep the Bearcats at bay I think they will get it done. Would not surprise me to see the Bearcats go to Rupp as I know how good their staff is. Whoever it may be let me say that it has been a pleasure to watch you both and it is much deserved. Represent the 8th at Rupp, as I love your draw for once. Good luck to both teams.

Thanks Birdbrain I missed it. Open Enrollment makes it nice for them. I would think that being in the 8th region would help with that. Thinking it is easier to win than the 9th.

Are the 8th graders on Simon's roster going to Simon next year? Someone was talking about that at the regional tourney. So my question is do 8th graders get to choose what high school they can attend? Just an outsider wondering how it works in Kenton.

I really like Butler to win this thing, but anything can happen

I think NB Eagles fan is referencing the 2 sophomores that came to Simon, Harmeyer and Neice. Both played at different high schools. I know that Ally was an 8th grader at Scott High, almost a 1000 points for them and then went to Simon. Scott High by the way with Ally would be loaded for sure. Grant on the other hand would of had a long year even with Harmeyer. Kenton County are 8th graders allowed to choose where they go to school? Now whether or not they were assembled who the heck knows, 9th region is a war for players

The toughest game to play and coach in, JMHO, kids and coaches get time to prepare over the weekend, and think about what is at stake. Adds pressure to getting it done and advancing to what they have worked toward all year. In the 8th region, it was absolutely awesome to see the "old gym" packed the other night, brought up the good ole days. What we have in the semi-finals are the 2 strongest districts all year being represented. The 29th and the 30th. The district runner-ups are playing each other and the district winners are playing one another, so no matter what we have a runner up playing for the chance to go to Rupp Arena. Game 1 Collins Titans vs. South Oldham Dragons This game features two teams that have won the last 3 regional titles, and two coaches who know how to win this time of year. They played earlier in the year with South getting the win. South jumped on the Titans in that game just to see their 20 point lead become single digits in the 4th quarter. This time around is to advance to the regional final and that means more pressure on each team. The Dragons come in leading the state 78% FT as a team, and state record in made 3 pointers. They have a deep bench in one that outscored Owen 33-5 in the first round. You just don't know who is going to hurt you on their team. They can put up a lot of points on you. Then you have the Titans that are completely opposite. They are a grind you out team, and really run offense until they get what they want. On defense they can get up and pressure you or play that match up zone. If they want to win Monday it has to be in the 50's. Clarkson and Test are good enough guards to get quality possessions for the Titans and with a slasher like #35 Dominique Turner, they can definitely beat the Dragons. These 2 teams love having close games in the regional tourney. An OT affair 2 years ago was an awesome game in the first round. Keys to the Game and Concerns: Is South still enjoying the win over Owen? They better not be. Can they get the tempo where they want it? Is there changing defense's going to stiffle the Titans? Is the bench for them going to be as productive, and finally what about these 3 point shots? For Collins, can they score enough points to stay with the Dragons? How are they going to guard South? Match up or Man to man? Can Coach Gaither control tempo? Prediction: South 65 Titans 54 Game #2 Oldham County vs. Anderson County This game is intriguing. They played during the regular season with Oldham getting the win but that was back in December and both teams did not know their identity yet. The Colonels seem to be on a mission since the loss at Owen. Sometimes it takes a game like that to dial your team in. They had no problem with Henry at all, and got to play alot of kids. They should be rested that is for sure. They have lots of depth and are playing the best defense in the region in my opinion. They have multiple kids that can hurt you, Wirth, Bates, Johnson, Mclarty, Henderson, Gibson, Heelan, Jones, and I know I have left some out. When they have good ball movement they are at their best. Question for them are they going to have that 3-4 minute lapse and not stay focused. Anderson County comes in winning a tough district championship. They have Penny who can score in bunches but also have a good supporting cast. They have given teams like Mercer County all they could handle, so I believe they can do the same with the Colonels. Throw in a coach that has won this region before, and knows how to control games and you should have a dandy on Monday. Keys to the Game And Concerns: Can Oldham's defense force T/O's and make the game a track meet? Will Oldham' depth hurt or help them? Will last year's loss in the final drive these Colonels to get it done? For Anderson, will their young players handle this spot? Can Coach Drury control the tempo and keep the game around 60 points? Which team shows up for Anderson? Prediction: Oldham 70 Anderson 58