se7ens

The off-season in the 9th is already looking juicy as the transfer rumor mill has already kicked up. Let's take a look at some of the burning questions around the region: Newport - Will they be able to replicate their success again now that Covington and Jackson are gone? Will a junior Kinney be healthy and even better than the sophomore version? Will their be any new additions as referenced already? Covington Catholic - Are things stable in Park Hills? Who can we expect to step up for the Colonels next year? Cooper - Are things in flux? Will Cooper be able to threaten for a regional title again? Holy Cross - Does Ricardo Johnson keep things moving in the right direction? Conner - Will the Cougars make a big hiring splash and improve their standing in the 33rd? Other burning questions - Will Boone and Ryle remain competitive in a tough district? Will Holmes bounce back some and who will they hire? Beechwood, St. Henry, and Newport Central Catholic are all vying for improvement and a run at the All A against Newport - is there any chance any of them can compete with the Wildcats? Please feel free to discuss all of these and beyond.

As we turn the lights off in the gym for the final time of the 2023-2024 season, it is now time to turn our attention to what lays ahead. And boy are we getting off to a loud off-season in the 12th region. Wayne County - How could we not start here? Rodney Woods, 38 year veteran coach of the Wayne County Cardinals, a man whose name is spoken with the same reverence as Bobby Keith and Jim Hicks, was let go from his post this past week by the new superintendent. What comes next for Coach Woods? Who fills his position in Monticello? The Cardinals are poised to have a huge year next year but will this move derail things? Pulaski County - Can they replicate the late season success they had? Will they be able to add any depth? Will their schedule toughen up at all in the front end? West Jessamine - Are we really looking at Steve Wright descending upon the northern part of the region? Can the next coach, be it him or someone else, get things going back in the right direction in Nicholasville? Danville Christian - Are they the early favorites to repeat as All A Champs as well as possibly the favorites to win it all? How much depth will they have? Somerset - Will Absher, Bruner, Lewis and Grundy be able to make the Jumpers competitive still following the losses of Godby, Whitaker and Coomer? Will Ryan Young still be at the helm? Other burning questions - Will a junior Walker Craig keep Rockcastle near the top of the region? Who does East Jessamine hire? Will Boyle be more consistent? Will Mercer have another run at region? Will Lincoln County be able to reload behind Cash Baird with the losses of Nuckols and Miracle? Is Southwestern ready to make the jump after a nice second half of the season? Please feel free to discuss these questions and beyond.

I am thinking they barely had enough by the end of the year to scrimmage in practice. They have a decent core I think they could build around but the end of the season numbers look really devastating. Could the right coach come in and get those to bounce back? Absolutely. Could the wrong one drive those numbers even further into the danger zone? Absolutely.

I agree. There's no reason not to give Sam a chance here.

So the top job for the girls program on the hill is back open after just one year as head coach Dan Albrinck is not retained. This follows the program's first ever loss to Bellevue, sending the Breds home in the district semifinals and propelling Bellevue to the regional tournament. I think you are going to see a ton of pressure on the new coach to win immediately as they should be set to compete for an All A regional title but also are in danger of not making it out of the district again as Highlands and Bellevue also return a lot.

Coach Clary has stepped down after two seasons as head coach.

This shouldn't come as a major shock. Holmes is at a historic low point and I don't think anyone thought Coach Perkins was going to be able to change it. In fact I think they need to make the right hire or this program could be in danger of a pause in participation. They missed their chance with Ricardo Johnson but I don't think they can afford a miss this time.

Look, I know he’s a good coach with a bright future, but I don’t see how anyone can take him right now after a 3 win season. Really hard to sell that to your players, parents and supporters as a step in the right direction.

The more Campbell zones, the more Kinney will play, IMO. And I think Campbell needs to zone to win.

I almost put him on my list as well. If he wants to hop on over to the boys, this a very sensible opportunity for all parties.

Where is Ryan Bowman at today? Jim Hicks return to the sidelines? David McFarland with another whack at the 33rd district? I think this is a decent job, yes. Very competitive district where you might end up a top ten team in the region and still hold the four seed (example - Conner this year). But honestly, since Cooper opened, how many times can we say Ryle, Boone or Conner were favorites to compete for a regional title?

Isaac Speicher steps down after 3 years at the helm for Beechwood.

This hire just makes so much sense. In the building, younger guy with a lot of energy but still has massive experience, has coached under some stellar coaches, and is overall just an excellent dude.

I wish they could talk Kevin Sisler or Brock Radkowski to come back take the helm but I don't see that happening at this time. Both were key assistants throughout the Kelley years (and for Brock, even predating Kelley). I think the pool is going to be deep and with the proximity to Lexington I think you'll get some really intriguing names out of the 11th as well as the 12th.

I also think this may play out if the region loses some of the northernmost schools in realignment.

I thought that whoever made it out of that barn burner last night would be disadvantaged but I didn’t think the deficit would be this bad. Congrats to Somerset on a great year. They fought through some serious adversity to have a great run in the regional and get to claim an all-time great win with that victory last night. Now we get to see if a full strength, all cylinders Maroon squad can keep this success up at Rupp.

That surprised me too. Pulled them right off the KHSAA site.

They are listed at 2500. About a half hour farther than Lincoln County for both Wayne and McCreary. And honestly, I think maybe you rotate it between Pulaski, Mercer, Lincoln, McCreary, Wayne, and Casey County and you could keep most everyone happy. At least those would be the six gyms in the 12th I would choose. Rockcastle is a tad smaller than all of those but it would be my next suggestion, then probably Boyle which is at 3000 capacity.

I'll be honest - Mercer County is what made me ask this question. I just think their facilities would be absolutely perfect to host the regional.

What high school gyms across the state are the most suitable for hosting a regional tournament in terms of size, parking, facilities etc... but do not ever get a chance to do so?

What a shot to end the game. Whitaker is just the ultimate competitor.

Somerset 41 DCA 39 I just can't pick DCA to win all three games over the Jumpers. I think Somerset gets over the hump tonight.

Pulaski 59 Mercer 50

The final four in the regional is now set and the semifinals will take place tonight, March 11th, with the finals set for tomorrow, March 12th. Let's breakdown the four quarterfinal games then preview tonight's matchups. Quarterfinals Mercer County 55 Southwestern 42 As I have said before I think Southwestern is still a year away from being a contender but they certainly stood out the last month or so of the season. Their run ended at the hands of Mercer County behind the 17 points of John Perry and Trevor Ellis' 16 points and 20 rebounds. Pulaski County 71 Boyle County 44 The rollercoaster ride is over as the champions of the 45th District, the Boyle County Rebels, were summarily blown out by the hosting Pulaski County Maroons behind Will Blankenship's 26 points. Zak Anderson added 12 points and 12 rebounds and Carson Fraley scored 13. Montavin Quisenberry and Avery Bodner each had 10 for the Rebels. Pulaski out rebounded Boyle 27 to 18. Avery Bodner graduates for the Rebels but the remaining core returns so there is certainly potential for success in the immediate future but can they be more consistently successful next year? Somerset 73 Trinity Christian 53 The feel good story of the Trinity Christian Titans ended as the Somerset Briar Jumpers cruised on to the semifinals behind the 24 points of Indred Whitaker. Josh Lewis added 18 and Ben Godby scored 16. The Jumpers went 50% from three-point range with Whitaker making six and Lewis making 5. Danville Christian 53 Wayne County 48 (OT) Titus Boyd may have only scored 7 but he was there when it mattered as he hit the game tying shot with 7.2 seconds left to send this game to overtime. Antajuan Dumphord had a look to win but it fell flat. DCA was able to ice the game from the free throw line in the final moments of overtime. Braden Fugate led DCA with 14 points. Kendall Phillips scored 17 for the Cardinals. With both him and Dumphord back for Wayne County I expect we will hear from them again next March. Semifinals Preview Mercer County vs. Pulaski County The Maroons won this matchup at home on February 6th. Trevor Ellis had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Titans and Zak Anderson had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Pulaski. The Maroons had four double digit scorers and Carson Fraley did not play. With this game being at Pulaski County again and Fraley being healthy, I see the Maroons having a clear edge. However, I think there is a strong argument Mercer will have the best player on the floor in Ellis, something I think always gives a team a chance no matter the competition. Somerset vs. Danville Christian When two teams are both talented (and sometimes even when there is a talent gap) it is really hard to beat the same team three times. That's exactly what DCA would have to do to advance to the finals. The Warriors won 53 to 39 in the All A Regional Tournament and then 48 to 45 on February 23rd. Somerset was atrocious offensively in the All A game with no scorers in double figures and going 7 of 31 from three point range. They were able to clean that up a bit as Indred Whitaker and Ben Godby both scored 13 in the rematch and the team shot 40 percent from the field including 10 of 23 from long distance. Titus Boyd had 18 in the first game and 14 in the second. Geu Ateny wasn't available for the first game but had 11 in the second as well as 8 rebounds. I really think this is anyone's game but can be dictated by one stat - if Whitaker and Godby combine for over 30, it'll be the Jumpers. If it is under 24 it will be the Warriors. Anywhere in between those two numbers and it'll be a tossup. We will be back next week to break down the semifinals as well as the finals and then preview the path ahead in the state tournament for the regional winner.

Well now the stage is set. Cooper and Newport will play Tuesday March 12th at 7:00 PM at Truist Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University for the regional title and the right to go to Rupp to compete for a state title. If anything has been proven this week, it is that the winner of this game will be a serious contender to win a state title. Let's go through the first two rounds then breakdown the title game matchup. Quarterfinals Lloyd Memorial 59 Beechwood 30 The tournament started with a blowout behind EJ Walker's 15 points and 13 boards as the Juggernauts limited Beechwood's Jack Sullivan to just 6 points. Newport 45 Ryle 43 Ryle had Newport on the ropes most of this game but could not prevent a second half surge by the Wildcats. It included one of the more intriguing coaching calls of the tournament as Coach Snapp had his team foul sub-fifty-percent free thrower shooter Evan Smith up two in the final moments of the game. It was an ugly win for the Wildcats as they shot just 27.5% from the floor but Taylen Kinney put them on his back offensively, raking up 22 points. Covington Catholic 49 Dixie Heights 47 From losing by 40 less than 3 weeks earlier to having a shot up for the win, Dixie can walk away knowing they laid it all out on the court. CovCath was out in front by a decent margin until the last minute where they watched their 7 point lead evaporate down to just 2 after a series of missed free throws and turnovers. Caden Miller had 17 points and 10 rebounds while Cash Harney also scored 17. Cooper 81 Highlands 46 A healthy Andy Johnson dominated the Bluebirds, scoring 22 and getting 7 rebounds. Yamil Rondon added 12 points of his own. Nathan Vinson scored 15 in his final high school game. Semifinals Newport 60 Lloyd Memorial 29 In a rematch from last year's tournament that lead to some dramatic off the court moments, the Wildcats erased any potential for on-the-court suspense as they rolled right over Lloyd on their way to the title game. Jabari Covington had 14 while James Turner and Taylen Kinney each had 13. Cooper 55 Covington Catholic 36 Unlike the Newport Wildcats who found themselves on the brink of elimination in the first round but gained their momentum back for the semifinals, Covington Catholic never really shook off the tight victory over Dixie and Cooper took advantage. Cooper now has won three games in a row over the Colonels. Yamil Rondon went out with a reinjury of his shoulder and although the Jaguars are no strangers to playing shorthanded it will still be a major loss if he can't go Tuesday. Finals Preview So that leaves us with Newport versus Cooper. As just stated, the status of Yamil Rondon is unknown. Both Taylen Kinney and Andy Johnson have put in major performances so far for their respective teams. Newport won this matchup 48 to 42 roughly a month ago on February 13th but Cooper was still without the injured Andy Johnson at that time as well as Yamil Rondon. Shaun Pouncy led the way for the Jaguars with 19. Taylen Kinney went off in that game for 28 and no other Wildcat reached double figures. It is sure to be another packed house at Truist Arena and, in my opinion, will come down to which star rises to the moment, Johnson or Kinney. Both teams have tremendous talent behind those 2, but, especially with Rondon questionable for the Jaguars, you have to think the these two will be the ones to really lift their respective teams. We will be back next week to recap the game and preview the winner's projected path in the state tournament.