Twotoplace

Why can't we just delay the games until the weather takes a turn for the better? Isn't that the smart thing to do? It's funny that it's OK to postpone a game at halftime because the floor got slippery, yet school districts get raked over the coals on these boards for canceling when the entire infrastructure-transportation system gets slippery.

Seems to me that the two Caths could complete their game prior to the doubleheader at NKU on Feb. 14. As far as the larger matter, again, I have no problem with the cancellation policy in conditions like we are experiencing. Nobody wants to see cars driven by teen-agers broken down on the icy interstate with big rigs whizzing by at 80 mph, or school buses getting stuck trying to make it up Taylor Mill Hill. School boards are responsible for the welfare of the kids, and not to simply satisfy a bunch of bored, middle-age basketball dads.

I don't have any problem with the Kenton County School District/School Board opting for a "safety first" approach. (Isn't that what NCC and CC did a couple weeks ago stopping that game at halftime?) School buses are just one aspect of this icy conundrum. One also has to consider the teen-age kids who would be tempted to drive in the ice and minus 5 temps to watch their classmates play.

Maybe the transportation people at Kenton County Schools are afraid of going down and then up Taylor Mill Hill. That's a legit concern. Then again, they could just go down a mile on 275 and take the 3L Highway exit. The latter option seems highly do-able.

Hill and Housely stepped up their game tonight. McClendon had some nice drives to the basket in second half. The young man is quick. It appeared Bolden was working on his assists rather than his scoring in second half. Good to see more scoring distribution.

Delete.

Rankings look solid to me. We'll know for sure who's No. 1 when the two Caths play the second half of their game.

You're confusing Central with Eastern. Both went to the Sweet 16 in '08-'09. Holmes beat Central in two OTs in the final after Central beat Eastern in the quarters. What's interesting is that the Holmes coach that year -- Henley -- is now coaching at Eastern (I believe). I have no doubt Eastern will only get better the rest of the year.

Some of this, no doubt, involves NCC wanting to play a game at NKU before possibly facing Holmes or CovCath in a first-round regional matchup.

Rebounding is a problem for the Bulldogs. No one has come close to duplicating what Englemon did last year.

I found an explainer on the NY tourney website. As I recall, and don't quote this as gospel, Holmes got X number of hotel rooms at no cost, free meals at the hotel buffet and a grand or so to cover travel expenses. Wasn't a whole lot, but it probably covered most of the cost. When Holmes played CovCath recently, the gym was packed. I figured the take for just that one game to be in the area of $12,000.

Looks about right. Interesting that Holmes got one first-place vote. What does that coach know that the rest of us don't?

Holmes is still a work in progress, unlike CC and NCC.

Holmes obviously is putting an emphasis on getting McClendon more involved offensively from the get-go. That might have been part of the game plan vs. CovCath, but the soph guard had to sit most of the first half due to early foul trouble.

Gotcha. Just read it wrong. If Bolden didn't score in first half, as I believe I heard the HC radio crew report, that must have been intentional.

Should it be 35-17 at half? HC radio reported Bolden got all 18 of his points in third quarter. He didn't score in first half, if I heard it right.

My buddy and I both agreed after the game that the main problem areas for Holmes are (1) rebounding ... or lack thereof; and (2) getting scoring from someone other than Bolden and Chames. The fact that Holmes didn't play much D tonight didn't bother me all that much, because we saw the same last year vs. NewCath in Game 1 ... then witnessed a complete reversal in Game 2 at NKU. I think some of what happened tonight is due to the fact that Holmes hadn't played in 10 days or so. Having said that, this was a most impressive effort from CovCath. I opined in another thread earlier this week that CovCath might be the best team in the 9th Region, and was shot down for making said statement. If you're a CovCath fan, you must hope that tonight's effort can be duplicated at NKU two months from now.

Even though I will be cheering for Holmes on Tuesday night, I have a feeling this might be CovCath's year. I'll take CovCath 67-64 in match-up No. 1. I'm not sure Holmes' roles and rotation are set yet, while CovCath obviously is clicking on all eight cylinders.

Nice story from Aaron Snyder about one of the people who make it all possible. I really like reading these kinds of stories. 47 years as a basketball referee is quite an achievement. Congrats to Mr. Kouns for a remarkable career.

You mean like what happened last year? We'll get a better handle on the 9th when CovCath squares off against Holmes on Jan. 7 and NewCath three days later. I also will say this: NewCath's recent losses are more problematic than Holmes' losses in N.Y. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Holmes playing with a shot clock in N.Y.? That greatly impacts Holmes' late-game strategy.

Like last year, I think there's less separation among the top three teams in the 9th than some would have us believe.

What you describe might well be the case. Or another coach with an ax to grind is leaving the Bulldogs off his ballot. Those are the only two plausible explanations, in my opinion, since same has occurred two weeks in a row. Either way, it's a blatant omission and only serves to discredit the poll. Coaches should vote honestly, not use the poll to make a "statement."

For the second straight week, one coach left Holmes entirely off his ballot. Holmes got three first-place votes, which leaves a remainder of 63 points. Seven times nine equals 63 points. NewCath got eight first-place votes (80 points) and three second-place votes (27 points). The fact that there's a 14-point gap between the first- and second-place teams reinforces the fact that one coach left Holmes entirely off his ballot. The point difference should be less than double digits. Be interesting to see which coach left Holmes off his ballot two consecutive weeks ... and why. Heck, if I were voting, I'd put CovCath No. 1 ... considering the five losses racked up by NCC and Holmes within the past week.

Thought Holmes' D in third quarter was the real game-changer. Bolden heated up in second half after a rather lackluster shooting performance in first half. Bulldogs did what they had to do tonight, but not a whole lot more.

Most likely voting breakdown: NCC got 6 first-place votes, one vote for 2nd and one vote for third. Holmes got 2 votes for first, five for second and was left off one ballot. CovCath got 6 third-place votes, one vote for second and one vote for fourth.