coachb110

Not so irrational, I'd say. You know how the saying goes: "When you're hot you're hot"! If the concept holds, it looks like we may see a match-up of Warren Central vs Frederick Douglass! That would make a pretty high-powered final.

Definitely Male!! They're rolling right now!

Yes DeSales people are sick! It was one of those things where you can see it coming but can't seem to avoid it. Possible explanation: there were actually 3 turnovers from the 1:20 mark & J-Town capitalized on all of them. Plus, DeSales Will Gibson had turned an ankle after being fouled earlier, and returned after being taped up at around the 1:20 mark. His pain hampered him and he was not able to pull down a couple of crucial defensive rebounds that he normally would have gotten. Tough break! We couldn't buy a D-rebound when we really needed it. You can see a replay on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VenUkRH-7gU

Credit to J-Town for capitalizing on DeSales mistakes & fighting for all they were worth to get the win. In my opinion, several things hurt DeSales in this game & in several other games this year. The biggest flaw in their game was free-throw shooting. That plus poor defense against the 3 & ill advised passes which led to unforced turnovers killed them in this game and several other games this season. I can't for the life of me understand why so many basketball players at all levels are content to be such poor free-throw shooters. Even some college & pro players have this unnecessary deficiency in their game. Free-throw shooting is a repetitive motion skill. It's like serving in tennis, or putting in golf, or shooting penalty kicks in soccer. If you study proper technique, have someone point out your flawed motions (film even), and then practice until you master the proper technique, your performance will improve greatly. I think kids spend way too much time trying to dunk, and neglect to practice good free-throw shooting technique, and coaches let them get away with poor habits. When I was coaching tennis, I would show players the proper motion of the serve. Their answer was "I can't do it that way." And sure enough they couldn't serve very well. DeSales as a team averaged about 50% from the line all year long. Only a few players used proper technique consistently. If they hope to get to Rupp someday, they had better learn how to shoot properly & then Practice!!

One more comment about DeSales. I realize that they have a tough task in front of them on Monday. J-Town is going to be tough to beat. I do think that if DeSales' guards have a good night they will be successful. Their record may not look impressive to some with 11 losses, but all but two of their losses were to highly rated teams. Ballard (by 2), Trinity twice (by 5 & 7), Moravian Prep (ranked #1 in North Carolina by 5), Warren Central (by 6), Butler twice (by 20 & 8), North Oldham (by 12), and Covington Catholic (by 6). In their two most disappointing losses (Calloway County and South Oldham) the Colts' shooting guards had a hard time getting in their usual groove. The blowout by Butler still befuddles me. How will they do against J-Town? My wish (and my prediction) is that they will continue their hot streak and win the school's 2nd Regional championship by defeating the Chargers in a hard-fought game. I hope I didn't just jinx them!

I gotta agree with Falcon Pride! You have done a hell of a good job all season long. I'm a rookie at this forum thing, but I really appreciate your helpful analysis and commentary! Thank you for all your hard work!

I'm not really familiar with the Massey Ratings. Do you consider them to be a reliable predictor of a team's ability? Their "Rating" of the top 10 teams seems to me to be pretty accurate.

Their inconsistency has bothered me too, but I think they are getting themselves more focused lately. If so, they are very capable! I like to see it when they play with a "chip on their shoulder".

DeSales grabs an early lead and held on to win 52 - 48 in spite of a furious rally and bold effort from Evangel. The Colts move on to face J-Town in the Final, after J-Town upset Butler 52-49 in the earlier game.

As a DeSales supporter I can't be completely objective, but I see this semi-final game to be on of the most intriguing match-ups of the 6th Region tournament. I'm sure most everyone expects Evangel Christian (enrollment 134) to win their game with DeSales (enrollment 325), but I don't think the Colts can be ruled out that easily. The starting lineups match up pretty well. Evangel's Cyr Malonga (6'10'') will battle against DeSales' Crew Gibson (6' 8"). Evangel's Christian Doerr will match up with the Colts' Will Gibson, both capable of scoring big numbers. The Eagles' other big scorer and arguably their best player is Kyran Tilley will be matched up with DeSales Tyler Klein (or possibly Julian Bunton or Brady Cummins). The Eagles may be a little deeper but some of the Colts come off the bench and perform really well also. I agree that Evangel should be the favorite, but the Colts have pulled off a couple of big upsets lately. Few gave the Colts a chance against Western, or PRP, but DeSales rose to the occasion. Can the Colts pull off a 3rd big upset? I sure hope so!!

Wow! That was a close one!!

Just goes to show you that you can't take your opponent lightly entering a game, especially in the post-season! Nice come-back by the Bruins & nice try by the Yellowjackets.

Big Win tonight against PRP. 62-58 - I can’t wait to see the full stats for this game! According to a post on Twitter, the Colts shot 64% FG (25/39), 61% 3pfg (8/13), 17 assists to just 7 turnovers. The Colts advance to take on Evangel Christian on Saturday in the Sixth Region semifinal. Both teams started slowly, scoring wise, but the Colts heated up in the 2nd Quarter. Lots of good performances from the Colts, but I think the superlative play by Tyler Klein & Brady Cummins really gave the Colts a big spark. Tyler played like his hair was on fire & Brady plaid like he had ice water in his veins! Our bigs really stymied the PRP inside game! Great win but we need to keep up the intensity when we play against Evangel on Saturday!

Nice report! That Regional looks like a big slug-fest!! Hard to pick a winner, but I'll guess Douglas in a thriller.

I agree with "Hoopstars" analysis. One thing I might add is that the Butler players (not coaches) need to guard against "looking ahead" and not mentally preparing for Fairdale. In the past, I've seen teams who thought that they were a lock to advance get upset in the first round to a team that they didn't take seriously. I also agree that DeSales is the hardest to predict. I've watched quite a few of their games this year & you just never know which team is going to show up. They have left me head-scratching several times this year. Lots of good teams in this Regional. It should be fun to watch. I should also add a quick Thank You to "Basketball Jones" for doing a great job sharing his analysis of the 6th Region! Thanks!

I agree! This could end up being one of those games where the District winner overlooks their rival, because they are so happy that they didn't have to face the 2 "big dogs"! Could be a "trap game" for Trinity. St. X is not the kind of team you want to take for granted. They are darned good.

I taught for 37 years at DeSales High School in Louisville. It's an all-boys Catholic school with an enrollment of about 325-335. Sometime in the '80s our Chemistry teacher who played in a local rock band named RUOK started a pep band with the students & he called it "The World's Most Dangerous Pep Band". They played classic rock at all the basketball games. They packed their drum kit & several guitars into one corner of the gym near the visitor's bench (I don't think the Fire Marshall would approve these days). I believe it has been inactive since Covid, but they really rocked. An offshoot of that for the non-musically inclined students was a Pep Club who organized pep rally's and encouraged the students to come to games and sit in a student only section that they dubbed "The Danger Zone". The Danger Zone still exists, but without music. You can see a couple of examples on YouTube. If I am allowed to post the URL you can see some examples. From 2014 And from early last year:

Another slow start for the Colts, caused them to try to play catch-up all game long. DeSales was able to close the gap a couple of times, but never could get over the hump. You've got to give Butler credit though; their guards were quick, aggressive & good shooters. The Colts matched up well enough with their big guys, but could not contain their guards. #1 Jerome Clark & #24 Terry Walker gave the Colts fits all night. They were quick, fast in transition, aggressive on both offense and defense, shot the ball well & caused DeSales to turn the ball over frequently. The DeSales fans, especially the student section, felt like the Refs didn't do the Colts too many favors tonight, but it didn't help that several times after questionable calls, some of DeSales' players stood and complained while Butler was sprinting down the floor for easy shots. I've never seen a Ref stop the game and say, ok you are right, I'll change my call. Just doesn't happen. Players need to concentrate on things they can control instead. I didn't see any stats, but it appeared to me the Colts had too many turnovers, missed too many free-throws, and took way too many ill-advised off-balance shots. Now the Colts & Bears will move on the the Regional. DeSales will have to face a District Winner (either J-Town, Evangel, or PRP or Fairdale who play their District Final on Friday. Butler will face either Moore, Fern Creek or the loser of the PRP-Fairdale final. I think the 6th Region Draw is on Tuesday.

Big win for the Colts!! Both teams were a little bit edgy at first. Jitters I guess. Western was the first to settle down and began to extend their lead. The Colts made a small run at the end of the 1st quarter and pulled to within 4 at the end of 1 quarter. At the half Western was leading 33-31 but DeSales big man Crew Gibson had been limited by foul trouble in the 2nd Quarter. Gibson managed to last out the game without fouling out. The Colts are glad he did because near the end when the score was going back and forth, Gibson made a couple of crucial blocks and rebounds & the Colts guards began to find their range from outside. Western played a great game. Their pressure defense was very good. Their bigs matched up with the Colts bigs inch for inch & their guards were pesky and quick. The Colts will face the winner of Iroquois & Butler on Thursday. I know the odds are against them, but DeSales is going to make an interesting "dark horse" in the Regional.

In the 22 District, DeSales plays Western (whom the Colts defeated at home by 22 points on Jan 24), but Western has won the last 6 in a row including wins over Seneca 71-53, Butler 84-76, Fern Creek 71-49, and PRP 57-51 on Feb. 17th. They are hot right now. The Colts have come out of a 3-game slump to get 3 season-closing wins against Fern Creek 59-55, St. X 65-57, and Bullitt East 67-56. Even if DeSales can pull off another win against a Western team that is bent on revenge, their next opponent would most likely be Butler (if they can handle Iroquois) and Butler gave the Colts fits in their last meeting at Butler, handing the Colts a 68-48 loss. Then the winner would most likely have to face either PRP or Evangel Christian in the Regional. Whew! Whoever wins tomorrow's game will still have quite a tough row to hoe in order to make it to Rupp! I'm pulling for the Colts, but they really have a lot of work to do. If they can improve their 3-point shooting & free throw shooting, then I think they have a puncher's chance. Should be fun to watch.

Hard fought game as the Tigers visited DeSales tonight. Close throughout, but the Colts prevailed in the end 65-57. Unofficially, the Colts shot 60% from the field, and 67% from the free-throw line, with 11 assists and 6 turnovers. DeSales will play their final regular season game at Bullitt East on Tuesday.

It was a close contest but DeSales got a close win on the road against Fern Creek. The Colts did a good job of dealing with heavy defensive pressure this time. The Colts will host St. X on Friday. Another tough opponent!!

South out-hustled DeSales in the 2nd half, got scrappy on D and shot their 3pointers well. Once the Dragons seized the momentum they didn't let up. DeSales continued their penchant for making stupid passes and playing in a disorganized fashioned. They have a lot of mental things to straighten out before the district tournament. Hats off to the South coach! His defensive changes worked like a charm. The Colts have two more tough games this week. Fern Creek on Wednesday & St. X on Friday. They need to right the ship quickly.

This score surprised me a bit, until I realized that Madison Central has played a tougher schedule. They're probably still a pretty good team. It would be interesting to know if EC had all their "regulars" available. The last loss for EC was Breathitt Co. but EC was missing Kyran Tilley, one of their best players. I wonder if they had a similar problem tonight.