BasketballNeverRests

Where in the world is the 10th Region headed???

This past Saturday, Bishop Brossart beat Campbell County by 12. I was at the game, and to be honest, it did not even feel that close. GRC is the reigning regional champs with the presumptive best player in the region in Kennedy Igo. They are the kings of the region until someone knocks them out. Campbell Co hosted GRC last night and came out with an extremely impressive 7pt win.

So if you believe in the the standard equation here... On paper... Brossart (13-1) handled the team (CC, 9-4) who beat GRC (7-5). Does that make Brossart in the driver's seat for Region 10? Is this region simply a 3-team race? Can small school, Paris (12-1), actually contend for the region? Others?

From my angle, the loss of their top shooter and 2nd leading scorer, Lily Cropenbaker, from Brossart, to an ACL injury, is MAJOR NEWS. I could be wrong, but I firmly believe that this loss will catch up to Brossart.

Scott High has played an extremely difficult schedule thus far. But they are yet to rack up enough Ws to look like a contender. The loss of their star player, Mya Meredith (ACL), is not an easy pill to swallow, especially with the brutal schedule they have. But they have the athleticism to break out at any moment. Coincidentally, they host Bishop Brossart tomorrow night. With an upset win, they could flip the narrative on their whole season.

Paris High has answered nearly every challenge they have faced. They are currently 2nd in the RPI rankings with impressive wins over Nicholas County, Pendleton County, MoCo, and Mason. Their only L came on the road by 10 vs Bourbon Co. Needless to say, they have not faced the premier teams in the 10th, but again, they stand at 12-1, not to be taken lightly.

I. Love. It. The 10th Region honestly feels WIDE open. To me, it feels like there are three teams at the top, but roughly 6 or so who could actually take it all given the right run.

Love to hear your thoughts!

Are the girls from Newport still playing for Scott?

Mya Meredith from Scott (formerly Newport) sustained an ACL tear in the first quarter of the Highlands game.

ACL tear. She's done for the season. Which is unfortunate, she was having a great season.

Wow. Heartbreaking to hear.

The Lady Stangs with a dominate defensive performance hold Campbell co to a season low in points and gain a leg up in district seeding.

With the win Brossart swept the varsity Crosstown shot out this year and also brought home the trophy for the food out for a second year in a row. Great job by both schools on helping out the less fortunate!

Let’s keep it rolling ladies and stay focused on the next game.

Very nice win for the lady Stangs! I might be late to the news here, but I noticed Lily Cropenbaker has been out of the box score the last few games. Any word on what's up there?

They seem to be a young team.

From my understanding, the Lady Eagles didn't have a senior touch the floor that night. They have one in the program, Alyeah Howard, and she sat out due to a rolled ankle.

As the 2019 calendar year comes to a close, how do y'all see the 10th shaking out?

Obviously, the biggest earthquake was Mya Meredith from Scott (probably the best player in the region) going down to an ACL tear. But after a rocky first few weeks against a ridiculous opening schedule for the Lady Eagles, they seem to have started righting the ship with a 4th quarter battle with 8th region contender, Anderson County, followed by two nice victories.

GRC has also been through a gauntlet of a schedule, but still boast several weapons and the pedestal of being the reigning champs. Campbell, Brossart, Paris, Nicholas and Bourbon have all posted very impressive records against respectable competition. By default I would still peg GRC as the team to beat, but with 8 weeks to go, this region seems fairly up for grabs.

I haven't gotten to see everyone play yet, but we should learn quite a bit in the next 2-3 weeks about this region, particularly the hierarchy of the daunting 37th district. Starting to heat up!!

Ryle still has the highest ceiling, but I agree -- Connor and Dixie have looked far better than I anticipated, especially without Reinhart and without a 100% Lawson. When Lawson gets back to 100% cardio, Dixie could be a real tough out.

On a really really Dark Horse level... I don't think it'll be this year, but I don't think Boone County is as far back in the pack as some might think. I don't see them as a contender this year, but I think they're continuing to make strides and with only one Senior this year... they could be primed for a big 2020/21 season.

I think if everyone is healthy at the end of the year, the region ends the same as last year: Ryle over Dixie. But health could play a big factor over the next 8 weeks or so...

I don’t think it’s that anyone is against SK on here, but it’s unfortunate that two big wins that showed how good SK is this year (Ryle and Dixie) were when the teams had good players out or playing half the game. It’s given everyone the “but so and so was out” caveat. They will win the Traditional Bank tourney in Lexington and that should firmly set them in the top 5 teams in Kentucky.

Personally, I think they're nicest win was against top 10 GRC. No excuses on that one, and GRC at full strength is much better than Ryle without Scherr or Dixie.

I guess at some point SK will get full credit for a W

I don't think that's much of an issue. Nobody seems to be diminishing their ability this year.

I'd add junior Grace Bezold from Holy Cross.

Grace Bezold is a nice player. I dont know about top 10 in the area, but she's a nice player.

Wow. Very impressive second half.

Wow. Anyone with any details here?

I think this game would have looked a little different if Maddie Lawson was in full game shape. At this point she can only go 2-3 minutes at a time before getting gassed.

But even still, she would not have made a 34 point difference. This SK is for real.

@BasketballNeverRests great post. They punched GRC in the mouth early and often. A very physical team.

Hey I say what I see buddy.

First off -- disclaimer, I'm not an SK guy... But SK looked like one of the most physical HS teams I've seen in a long time. Their top 6 aren't wildly athletic or particularly quick-footed (outside of perhaps Maggi Jones) but they are so are extremely powerful. Tonight they pulled offensive rebound after offensive rebound, and bucket in the paint after bucket in the paint. Jones hit at least five 3pt shots from the perimeter which helped open the middle quite a bit.

Don't get it twisted, GRC didn't look "bad" by any stretch. They just didn't have the firepower or the physicality to matchup with the SKLPs. From my angle, there are only three types of teams who have a shot against SK... 1) An extremely athletic, high tempo team who can neutralize SK's backcourt. Something like a Scott High (when healthy -- I know Mya Meredith's injury could change things). 2) An extremely big, powerful team who can even the odds in the frontcourt. Something like Connor (although to be honest, I don't think Connor's backcourt can handle SK's backcourt of Jones and Schawe). 3) An extremely balanced team who can just beat SK straight up, like a Sacred Heart.

Just my two cents.

Big win!!

Not sure what you mean. I definitely do not think Scherr is laughable when it comes to impacting a game. I do think she’s the best player in ky. Would she have made a 30pt difference? No player makes that big a difference in my opinion. That was my point. Would the game be closer, of course. But that goes to show how good SK is this year.

I think people outside of playing and coaching can easily dimish the value of one great player. The fact is, in today's game, yes, one great player can make a 30 point different when you factor in production and the psychology of their teammates. And make no mistake, Maddie Scherr is likely the best player in the Commonwealth. And disclaimer... I am not at Ryle fan at all. I just respect and understand top level basketball players.

But 73-6? I mean there are blowouts, and there's 73-6? At some point, don't you pull the ball out and work on ball movement? Granted, I wasn't there, and I didnt see it and maybe Newport just quit on the game.

Even playing without Laci Reinhart (recently torn ACL) and Maddie Lawson (nearly recovered ACL), Dixie looked like world-beaters last night vs GC. I don't have the final count, but the hit a bare minimum of 12 three's on the evening (maybe closer to 15). Most of them were very well contested on GC defenders, but the shots fell anyway.

I would be shocked to see them shoot the ball that well all year, but last night, they looked very very good. Sydney Lockard is worth the price of admission, but several players benefitted from her playmaking and distributing ability.

The Lady Camels will not be an easy first match up. We have some shooters and excellent players this year. Holbrook was a leading scorer for all northern Kentucky last year. She won’t be easy for Ryle to stop.

 

Ryle with the win, but Mallory and Jayln won’t make it easy for them.

Holbrook is a very nice player. But she was not the leading scorer in NKY by a long shot last year...

Last year:

Mya Meredith, Scott - 25.2ppg

Zoie Barth, Highlands - 19.3ppg

Lauren Schwartz, Ryle - 19.2ppg

Courtney Hurst, Connor - 18.0ppg

Mallory Holbrook, Campbell Co - 17.5ppg

The loss of Reinhart is REALLY unfortunate for Dixie. It’s enough for them to no longer challenge for the 9th title in my opinion. She was easily the most underrated player they had and the loss is huge. Wish her the best

I couldn't say it any better. Certainly one of the most underrated rated players in the region.

Absolutely heartbreaking news for Dixie Heights. Junior Guard, Laci Reinhart, will undergo surgery in a couple weeks to repair a torn ACL and meniscus.

An extremely hard worker, a dynamic player, and a great kid. Very hard to see for any player and program to go through. Prayers for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery.

Yes...I'm on the record stating that Paris will knock off GRC nxt year...All of Paris' girls are born and raised in Paris...some schools add players here and there and that's the nature of the beast...we develope within and our seeds will sprout in due time.

Wow, bold prediction! What about this year?

I hope Lawson is back and healthy. If so, even with the loss of their very good center from last year, Dixie will have a very good starting 5. The 9th region should be very entertaining with Dixie, NDA, and Highlands fielding very talented teams to take on Ryle. I know Cooper has a lot of talent coming in as well. Should be another great year.

The 9th and the 10th should be great to watch this year! Great players, plenty of competition, and obviously great storylines!!

You might know more about Dixie than me... until Lawson comes back, they're probably looking at a starting 5 of Lockard, Reinhart, Pelfrey and ??

It's exciting that the season is here, we will see how things pan out. I don't know of a team that started 2 sophomore, 1 freshman and 2 eighth graders last year, and were able to compete, the Ladyhounds weren't too shabby for what they were working with. Bodies are developing and so is the knowledge of the game. 3 of the 5 starters for Paris play all summer long and have had multiple D1 interests, so who knows, at the end of the season, you and I will be having an intersting convo I am sure. As to that GRC second string jargon....have you ever seen the Ladyhounds play, and seen what GRC has left after their starting 4?? And yes I said 4. Ok message me later and we will discuss lol.

Just for clarification, would you suggest that Paris could knock off GRC in the next year or two? I know you're referring to GRC's lack of depth after their "top 4," but if Paris has a high quality top 7-8 players, they should be able to overcome a team who only has 4 quality players.

Full disclosure, I love seeing small schools shocking the region. I hope Paris makes a ton of noise this year and Zoe pans out as the high level player that some people obviously think.