snow_bird

Since no one is naming names regarding the summer league incident, I guess I'll bite -- Taylor Thomas was the player that allegedly (cough, cough) punched the Assumption kid several times. I walked into the gym right before it happened. If memory serves me, I believe Stinson did get T'd up for something else before the fight broke out.

Butler @ Male Tuesday night.

Mercy vs. Nelson County game at Bullitt East: I think Mercy won but really not sure. They were up by 15 or so early in the first half and subbed in several young players and Nelson ended up winning the half. Mercy won the 2nd half handily. In any event, the Mercy coaches don't care at all about scrimmage scores. I honestly don't think they've won a preseason scrimmage in the past 4 years (unless they won this one). So now that you know that score is irrelevant, here are my observations: -- Elizabeth Anderson seems to have recovered from the knee injuries (fingers crossed). She played under control and looked better than ever. She didn't play a ton of minutes, but was very good while out there. -- Nelson's guards were very impressive. They basically played the entire game and never seemed winded. They both can score and are tremendous on the defensive end. If they had any size at all, they would make some noise this year. -- Mercy had 39 turnovers in this game.... and I think they still won. If they take care of the ball, which I think they will, they will be very good.

Didn't the Elder kid transfer? Seems like I heard she was transferring to Butler (like they need help).

I hear ya. I've seen all of those kids play several times over the years but it's really hard to put them in order. I even had a hard time deciding who to put at #1. Penn and Duvall are both outstanding - should've been 1 & 1A, I guess. Also, Anderson is definitely playing. I heard about the other injury a few days ago, but (like you) didn't feel right about putting it out there. Sucks!

She's always been talented and very athletic. Before the injuries, she played with as much reckless abandon as anybody I've seen. It's hard to imagine that anyone would be the same after two years away from competition (and 3 ACL surgeries) but I sure hope she can. I think everyone that knows her and her family will be nervous when she takes the floor the first few times.

If I were voting... 1- Jaelynn Penn (Butler) 2- Lindsey Duvall (East) 3- Fontasia Jeffries (Butler) 4- Danielle Feldkamp (Mercy) 5- Molly Lockhart (Butler) 6- Raegan Williams (East) 7- Lauren Deel (N. Bullitt) 8- Teri Goodlett (Butler) 9- Kathleen Scott (East) 10- Janna Lewis (Buterl) 11 - Tie between Josie Woods, Breia Torrens, Hailey Free, Kirstie Henn, Alyssa Peak and Peri Mitchell. I don't really think one is better than another. I left one player out because of injury --Elizabeth Anderson (Mercy) should be one of the best in the region IF she has physically and mentally recovered.

I'm not so sure I'd say "hands down", but they definitely should win it. If you remember, Bullitt East beat Butler in region tourney in 2015. Neither team has lost many notable players since, but I'd argue that Butler has lost more. In any event, I'll want to be in the gym watching when they hook up this year.

Chance of winning the 6th Region: 1) Butler -- 60% 2) Bullitt East -- 30% 3) Mercy -- 10% 4) Everybody else -- zilch % I know that's a little harsh, but that's the way I see it. Several teams in the region will be better than last year... including the top three. They just have too much talent, experience and coaching. All three are senior dominated teams, btw.

Read through this post and you'll see: http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-girls-basketball/summer-showcase-technical-328556.html

SMH..... People will find a way to believe what they want to believe, but I'm not buying it. The altercation she had last week was with a black kid, so... what was the excuse then?

Part of the bigger issue is parents attending summer camps and wanting the games called like a District final...yet complaining if they are asked to pay. In my opinion, those two things have absolutely nothing to do with one another. We all know that tempers are more likely to flare when referees allow rougher than normal play. Parents (like me) want the obvious fouls to be called so that it doesn't escalate into something like yesterday's event. AND... the most adamant parents are not going to stay home because the price of admission is steep. There will just be fewer people in the gym when they go nuts. Also, how is the summer a good training grounds on "what's acceptable" if there are no consequences to horrible behavior? A lack of punishment is basically condoning the behavior.

She plays for E'town.

E'town

Does the KHSAA have rules and penalties for unacceptable behavior at these showcases? My reason for asking: I just heard that a kid was punched today at a showcase game. The kid that threw the punch was ejected from the game. The same kid shoved a girl in the face / was T'd up in a showcase game last week. Does she or the coach face any disciplinary penalty?

The first and last games of the day intrigue me the most. I love the Male - SH matchup. Both are athletic, fundamentally sound teams. But they couldn't be more different in what they want to do. Even though Male should dominate the glass and in the paint... I'm putting my faith in Donna Moir and the shooting ability of the SH sophomores (39% from 3 on the season). I think they'll get hot and coach Moir will be able to make someone other than Green or Sexton score. And... since I'm making crazy predictions... we're gonna see at least 2 technical fouls called on Male's players/bench. Bullitt East is playing really, really well right now. That being said, Butler is more talented and they've been there before. There will also be plenty of motivation since they lost to BE in the regional tourney last year. I think Butler wins in a close one.

Couldn't have said it any better myself! But I have a question, how in the world do they put those three officials in that game? This had to be one of the most competitive district finals in the state. Can't you bring out the "A- team" of officials for a game like that? Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that they favored one team over the other. They were fair, just not good.

I think these games are great for both teams. Everybody should understand that you're gonna get bad calls when you travel out of town. But... you're also going to prepare your team for the big games to come.

8th region: I'll take Walton-Verona thinking that the Ison kid takes over. But, that's strictly a guess since I've only seen 2 teams play this year. 7th: I'll go team by team-- Male has the best overall player (Green) in the region and is the most physically imposing team in the state. But I can't give them the nod. Their lack of self control when things get tough will be their undoing. Manual just doesn't shoot it well enough. Johnson has been much better this year than I thought but she's the only real outside threat(IMO). They're tough to handle in the post, but just don't see them getting past this bunch. Eastern has a boat-load of talent. But there's something about them that I can't figure out -- why don't they have a post presence? Porter is a heck of a player, and kid, for that matter. But she roams around the perimeter of the paint and never looks to attack. And, they really need a post player to take the load off their shooters. If they get something inside from someone, they have a chance. Sacred Heart gets my vote. I'm going out on a limb here but I'm putting my faith in Donna Moir and the shooting ability of the sophomores. As with many others, they have absolutely NO inside presence. But, they have several kids who shoot it very well (38% from 3 on the season). I think they'll get hot and coach Moir will be able to scheme against the other teams weaknesses. I'll also say that if they play Male in the regional final, there will be at least 2 technicals on the Male players/bench. 6th: Bullitt East is hard to predict. It looks like Duvall has recovered very nicely from her surgery. Actually, from last night's result, it looks like she is right back where she left off. In many cases where you bring a player back late in the season, you wonder what happens to team synergy. I don't think it matters in this case. She is a completely different player than anyone on this roster. She can play every position on the floor and will fit in with whoever you have out there. They were playing well without her so... they have a heck of a chance. Mercy can beat anybody. They seem to always play well defensively. In big games, their coaching staff almost always comes up with a scheme that they believe will beat their opponent. And usually, the kids do a great job of executing the plan (see eastern, butler and e'town). Their problem's arrive on the offensive end of the floor. At times, they dribble around the perimeter and take too many threes without looking to the post. They may win the 6th but if not... look at the box score and you'll see a ton of missed threes. Butler has to be my pick to win the 6th, and the sweet 16 for that matter. They have it all-- shooters, post presence, athletes, depth and a great coach. Oh, and most of them have been there before (won it all the year before last).

Did Johnson and McCune both got into early foul trouble? Seems like the most likely explanation to me.

Would it be correct to say that your system rewards teams for not scheduling terrible teams? I know that's harsh and I don't mean to imply that teams from one area are bad and can't compete with another area. I ask because I noticed that Mason County is one spot behind Henry Clay. At first glance, it doesn't look like Henry Clay has played more "top 25" teams than Mason. Furthermore, I think Scott County is the only top 25 team that they've actually defeated. Mason definitely has more wins against top 25 teams. But... they also have played more teams that had no chance of defeating them. To be clear, I have no vested interest in the answer. Just trying to clear things up.

Gotcha. I was just going by what I saw on espn. You know everything you read on the Internet is true...

Can't think of two teams that contrast as much as these. It ought to be a great game to watch. So, who wins?

According to the C-J, Mercy out rebounded Eastern 47-24! I don't care how much talent you have, you can't get doubled up on the boards and expect to have a chance.

Mercy is a real head-scratcher. You can rank them at any spot from 5-25 and someone would be able to point to a reason why you're wrong. They can beat... or be beaten by anybody on this list. On a side note, their schedule is ridiculously difficult. Eastern and Sacred Heart are both really good. Difficult to separate at this point. The LIT will make this conversation a little easier next week. Looks like LIT games on Wednesday will probably be: Mercy vs. Eastern, Bullitt East vs. Male, North Bullitt vs Butler and Sacred Heart vs Manual.