Adrian Woj Burner

Rankings Well, life has taken over. I have not had any time to get this done this week, or maybe in the weeks ahead. This week will just be the rankings, with no actual review. Please note, the rankings were as of the end of last week. All records are as of this morning. 1 - North Oldham Mustangs (7-1) 2 - Woodford County Yellow Jackets (7-1) 3 - Spencer County Bears (4-4) 4 - Oldham County Colonels (4-4) 5 - Walton-Verona Bearcats (6-3) 6 - Williamstown Demons (7-1) 7 - Shelby County Rockets (5-2) 8 - Anderson County Bearcats (5-4) 9 - Gallatin County Wildcats (6-3) 10 - Grant County Braves (4-4) 11 - Simon Kenton Pioneers (2-6) 12 - Owen County Rebels (4-5) 13 - Collins Titans (5-5) 14 - South Oldham Dragons (2-5) 15 - Henry County Wildcats (6-3) 16 - Carroll County Panthers (3-4) 17 - Trimble County Raiders (2-6) 18 - Eminence Warriors (1-7)

Yes, Collins is down big time this year.

Thanks for the confirmation of Khroman returning. I was scratching my head to the score before, now it adds up a little more. Are the Pioneers back or have the Dragons fallen off the tracks? Something to look at in the coming weeks.

Yes, I think the majority would’ve had Oldham and Spencer neck and neck for the top contender. Just a few weeks into the season, North Oldham looks to be clear favorites as of now.

Only the 9th win against Grant County since the 1990’s for the Demons. The first win since 2017, where they won 2 straight. Before that their last win was back in 2005.

8th Region Week 2 Review By: Adrian Woj Burner Game of the Week This week is full of some great games, but none other than North Oldham vs Spencer County could be chosen for this. Two of the top teams in the region are facing off against each other. Spencer County being the favorite to win the region, and North Oldham being somewhat of a surprise this year. I’d expect this to be a great game! Player of the Week This week’s player of the week is a name not mentioned much in the region. Walton-Verona guard Zach Smith had a great week! In the Bearcats 3 games this week Smith averaged 27.7 ppg, including a massive 43-point performance against Gallatin County. Rankings After a bonkers first two weeks of the regular season, it is apparent that this region is wide open. Going into the season I felt the top 5 or so teams were solid, and boy has that changed. You could make a case for about every team ranked 3-15 that they should be in a higher or lower slot. In my short experience doing these reviews, I am not sure that I have had a harder time ranking the 8th Region. So, here is what we have for this week. I would expect them to fluctuate more each week, and no rankings will be solid for a few more weeks as I get around the region to watch each team. 1 – Spencer County Bears (2-2) You might be surprised to see a team sitting on the top of the region with just a .500 winning percentage, but it is not with a lack of opponents. The Bears had one game this week against a tough DeSales team at the BODYARMOR Showcase, losing 59-66. Spencer County had a rough night shooting, coming in at just 33% from the field and 27% from deep. Their dynamic duo led the way with Luke Erhardt scoring 19 and Camden Cox with 15. They will ramp it up this week with 3 games, one being a huge matchup against North Oldham to close out the week. This Week: 12/11 vs Jeffersontown (6:30 Start) | 12/12 at Western | 12/15 at North Oldham 2 – Oldham County Colonels (3-2) Coach John Leslie seems to have a solid squad this year, and they continued to progress this week picking up two wins in back-to-back nights. They traveled to Western Friday night, picking up a 72-55 win. Max Green led the way with 30 points. As a team they were 41% from deep on just 12 attempts. On Saturday they faced CAL at Henry County. After a tightly contested battle the Colonels came out on top with a 66-65 win. Green did not have the greatest night, scoring 16 points on 6/20 from the field, but Cameron Roush picked up his slack scoring 22. This Week: 12/12 vs Grant County | 12/15 at Highlands 3 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (3-1) As mentioned in weeks before, this team was a wild card. After a couple weeks, they have solidified that they are still competitors in the 8th this year. Just like last year, they are a week or so behind on stats. Going back on last week it appears their scoring is pretty spread out. Santonio Wade led them in game 1, and Omari Jointer in game 2. They began the week at Paris, blowing them out 85-45. The next day Woodford County would lose to Frederick Douglass, a top-5 team in the state on multiple rankings by just 1 point. While they lost, this is a big statement that even without Jasper Johnson this WOFO team is legit. Stats are not posted for either game from the last week. This Week: 12/11 at Anderson County | 12/15 vs Bryan Station 4 – North Oldham Mustangs (5-0) Coach David Levitch really had the pressure put on him this year. With almost all his talent he had to excel as a coach graduating last May, Levitch needed to pull off some of his best coaching yet to produce another successful basketball season. It looks like he might be doing so, with North Oldham starting off the season on a 5-game winning streak. They are the only team left in the region that is undefeated. The Mustangs began the week hosting Simon Kenton. They would blow them out by a score of 72-46. Grant Neal was the 1 player on the team in double digits with 25. Despite the score, they only shot 23% from behind the arc. Following the win, they would play Bullitt East in the BODY ARMOR Showcase at Henry County, getting yet another blowout win. The ‘Stangs had 3 players in double digits this game, with Ryan Howard leading (18), followed by Neal (16) and Gray Schmittel (11). North Oldham has their hands full this week with two of the top teams in the region. If they can win at least one of their next two, they are a legitimate contender. This Week: 12/13 at Walton-Verona | 12/15 vs Spencer County 5 – Walton-Verona Bearcats (5-1) The Bearcats are dropping two slots this week, but it is not due to anything that they have done performance wise. They began the week at Gallatin County, winning 73-64. There was a massive game, 43 points scored on 6/10 shooting from deep. Most of you would expect it to be either Aaron Gutman or Julian Dixon, but it was neither. Zach Smith put on an absolute clinic. Not only was he 6/10 from deep, but he was also a perfect 7/7 on 2-point attempts. A couple nights later they would travel to South Oldham, winning another single-digit ballgame, final score being 70-62. Gutman was back on top with 28 points and 10 rebounds, but Smith had another impressive night with 16 points. Dixon also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. WV closed out the week with a blowout win over Carroll County. Smith again led in scoring with 24, and Gutman was right behind him with 23. Dixon had another double-double with 16 & 10. This Week: 12/11 at Scott | 12/13 vs North Oldham | 12/16 vs Collins (2:30) 6 – South Oldham Dragons (1-3) The Dragons got off to an ugly start but picked up their first win this week. I would expect this team to only improve throughout the year with more experience. Steve Simpson’s squad began the week hosting Walton-Verona, losing 62-70. Jake Fithian and Christian Veirs both had 15 points. Despite the loss, South Oldham was a solid 13/31 (42%) from behind the arc. Later in the week they would defeat Western 72-57 in the Donate Life Classic. A new name for the dragons in Kolton Wuchterl would give the Dragons a great boost, scoring 26 points and going 8/12 from deep. Julian Miles assisted with 18 of his own. This Week: 12/12 vs CAL | 12/15 vs Simon Kenton 7 – Gallatin County Wildcats (3-2) After a 1-2 start to the season, the Cats have won 2 in a row and are looking to hit their stride going into Christmas. They began the week hosting rival Walton-Verona, losing 64-73. Matthew Griffin led the team in scoring with 28 points, despite going just 2/8 from deep. A few nights later they would travel to Eminence, winning 68-28. Their scoring was extremely spread out this game, Kasen Baker leading with 17 and Landon Smith following with 15 of his own. On Saturday Gallatin County traveled to Henry County to face a struggling Collins squad. They would win the game 67-45 thanks to Kasen Baker’s 23 points on 5 three pointers. They will kick off district play this week, where they should be favored in each game. This Week: 12/12 vs Owen County | 12/15 vs Trimble County | 12/16 at Shelby County (2:30) 8 – Williamstown Demons (4-1) Coach Cheeseman had high hopes for his squad this year, and they seem to be clicking early in the season. The Demons currently hold a 4-game winning streak. Williamstown began the week hosting Trimble County, blowing them out by 44. Colton Feagan scored 29 points, and Honore Yangoua was right behind with 25. They would go on to defeat Holmes 61-56 on Friday night, stats are not posted for this game. The Demons will start off this week with a huge game for the 32nd District seeding situation. This Week: 12/14 vs Grant County | 12/16 vs Carroll County 9 – Anderson County Bearcats (3-1) Coach Hyatt seems to have things figured out down in Anderson County, kicking off another year successfully. The Bearcats only had one game this week, it being a 50-47 win over Grant County in OT. Stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/11 vs Woodford County | 12/15 at Bellevue | 12/16 at Augusta 10 – Shelby County Rockets (2-1) One thing that is almost unheard of these days is a Shelby County win over Collins. However, this year it has happened. On Friday night the Rockets took advantage of their rival school in the county struggling to defeat 51-59. Dillon Ritchey led the Rockets, scoring 23 points on 5/12 shooting from 3. Michael Jones also helped the Rockets in the win with 18 points. This Week: 12/12 vs Waggener | 12/15 vs Western Hills | 12/16 vs Gallatin County (2:30) I was in a time crunch this week, so the rest of the reviews will be very brief. 11 – Grant County Braves (2-2) The Braves went 0-2 this week, with a surprising loss to Owen County. This Week: 12/12 at Oldham County | 12/14 at Williamstown | 12/16 at Pendleton County 12 – Owen County Rebels (2-3) Owen County had an okay week with a good win over Grant County. However, they picked up 2 bad losses in Collins and Henry County This Week: 12/12 at Gallatin County | 12/15 at Carroll County | 12/16 vs Trinity Christian (At Rowan County 12 PM) 13 – Henry County Wildcats (4-2) The Cats are on a 4-game winning streak, picking up 3 wins this week over Highlands Latin, Owen County, and KCD. This Week: 12/12 vs Carroll County | 12/15 vs Eminence 14 – Collins Titans (2-4) The Titans continue to struggle, despite picking up a win over Owen County they dropped their 2 other games against Shelby County and Gallatin County. This Week: 12/12 vs Central | 12/15 vs Scott County | 12/16 at Walton-Verona (2:30) 15 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (0-4) The ‘Neers continue to struggle, dropping both games last week against Mason County and North Oldham. This Week: 12/12 vs Cooper | 12/15 at South Oldham | 12/16 vs Raceland (3:30) 16 – Carroll County Panthers (3-1) The Panthers split their 2 games last week, with a win over Trimble County and a loss to Walton-Verona. This Week: 12/12 at Henry County | 12/15 vs Owen County | 12/16 at Williamstown 17 – Trimble County Raiders (1-4) Trimble County continues to struggle, dropping their 2 games this week to Williamstown and Carroll County. This Week: 12/12 vs Eminence | 12/15 at Gallatin County 18 – Eminence Warriors (1-5) After losses to Valley and Gallatin County, the Warriors are now on a 5-game losing streak. This Week: 12/12 at Trimble County | 12/15 at Henry County

Welcome back! OC will need some help yes, but appears they found something with a nice win over Grant County on Saturday.

It would be a combination of two things. The first being Holmes is no longer filled with talent that they had to earn the “traditional rich hoop” title, and Williamstown is more talented than years past.

Per scoreboard. Out of a few shocking scores tonight, this is probably least expected. Collins was expected to take a step backwards this season, but a loss to Shelby County has not occurred often.

Per livestream Wow, statement win for the Cats in this young season. Game winning free throw drained with around 10 seconds left on the clock.

Per Scoreboard Yet another win for the Mustangs. North Oldham is looking better and better…. And SK is looking worse and worse…

Great defense by W’Town to hold Horn to 19 points, who was unreal statistically week 1.

Little closer than I expected, we have us a wide open region this year!

Great win for Anderson County. These 3-12 teams in the 8th are TIGHT!

8th Region Week 1 Review By: Adrian Woj Burner What a Week! Just when we imagined the talent level around the region to be lower than last year, the players made us eat our words! Multiple players scoring over 30, a few over 40, even one with 50! With these first week performances, I am looking forward to some certain matchups within the next few weeks. Rankings These are slightly difficult to master this early in the season, especially Week 1. It is very hard to judge the talent that teams are facing, and the majority of games were out of region in this first week. Inter-region play begins to ramp up in the weeks ahead, so look forward to more accurate rankings. 1 – Spencer County Bears (2-1) In their first week, the Bears had a successful 2-1 start to the season including a huge overtime win against Oldham County. They began their season hosting Seneca, winning 81-66 where Luke Erhardt led them in scoring with 26. Alongside were 4 other players scoring double digits. Spencer County was also a stunning 14/16 (88%) from the line. Next, they would battle #2 in the region Oldham County in a thrilling overtime game and would win 90-78. Erhardt again led in scoring with 35, Camden Cox would follow with 26. Their final matchup of the week was against Taylor County in the 5th vs. 8th Region Showcase. The Bears lost the game 81-83, stats are not posted yet. With a busy week to start the year, Spencer County will slow it down a little this week with just 1 game on the schedule. This Week: 12/9 vs DeSales at Henry County (4:30 PM) 2 – Oldham County Colonels (1-2) The Colonels season did not get off to the greatest start to begin the year losing 2 of their first 3 but taking the #1 team in the region to overtime proves that you are in contention so far. Oldham County began their season hosting North Hardin where they would win 89-76. Max Green’s senior year debut was one for the ages, putting up 48 points to break the school record. He was 19/29 from the field. Green also was 6/12 from behind the arc. Next, they would face-off against Spencer County. This was a true test for both teams early in the season, but The Bears would defeat them 78-90 in OT. Green again had an unreal performance scoring 36 points, but Henry Marcum assisted him with 17 of his own while grabbing 14 rebounds. To finish off Week 1 they traveled to Marion County to play Central Hardin, losing 66-77. Green Led with 27, and Louis Nava scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. This Week: 12/8 at Western 12/9 vs CAL at Henry County (Time TBD) 3 – Walton-Verona Bearcats (2-1) As many expected, the Bearcats pulled off a nice 2-1 record to start their season. They started the year against #6 in the state Evangel Christian. WV led at halftime but ran out of gas losing 60-81. Aaron Gutman led the squad with 23 points and was helped by Julian Dixon with 17 and Zach Smith with 15. A few days later they would host Eminence, blowing them out 76-26. Gutman again led with 27 points, and Sawyer Webster assisted with 16. On Saturday they would travel to Marion County and would win 67-36. Stats are not posted for the game. The Bearcats will face 3 teams in the 8th Region this week, all 3 in which they should expect to win. This Week: 12/5 at Gallatin County 12/7 at South Oldham 12/9 vs Carroll County (3:30 PM) 4 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (2-0) Coming into the season as a little bit of a wild card, the Yellow Jackets began their season with 2 wins. To kick off their season they traveled to Danville Christian, picking up a 46-41 win. Next, they would travel to North Laurel and grab a 52-51 win. Stats are not posted for either game. I am excited to watch this squad and see what a post Jasper Johnson “WOFO” team will look like. I will know more about them once stats are posted. This Week: 12/5 at Paris 12/6 vs Frederick Douglass at Georgetown 12/8 at Anderson County 5 – North Oldham Mustangs (3-0) Just when I expected the ‘Stangs to have a rough start after losing the majority of their contributors to graduation, they get off to a hot start. Beginning the year 3-0 North Oldham is looking to make a name for themselves again. To kick off the year they traveled to Central Hardin winning 78-65. Ryan Howard led with 22 and Grant Neal was right behind with 21 of his own. Next, they would travel to Shelby County, getting a convincing 21-point win. Jack Fischer found his groove scoring 27 and getting a double-double with 11 rebounds. Neal was 2nd in scoring with 15. To cap off their first week they went to Indiana to face Charlestown, winning 69-45. Neal led this game with 28, and Fischer with 13. There have been 3 games this year, all of them having different leading scorers. If the ‘Stangs can keep that up, they could very well be competitors. This Week: 12/8 vs Simon Kenton 12/9 vs Bullitt East at Henry County (3 PM) 6 – Grant County Braves (2-0) Well, looks like Coach Joseph Utter has worked his magic again. As mentioned before, I expected the Braves to take a step backwards this season, but I am looking wrong after 1 week. They began the season with a convincing 78-58 win over Beechwood. Spencer Breeden led the way with 31 points going 4/5 from deep. Benjamin Bosse scored 22 as well. To end the week, they traveled to South Oldham where they would win 91-85 in overtime. Stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/5 at Anderson County 12/9 vs Owen County 7 – Collins Titans (1-2) I don’t recall Collins being this low in the rankings in a while, but they have a lot of questions to answer. With all their key contributors gone, the question was who would step up and lead them. It seems they struggled to find that in Week 1, dropping 2 of their first 3. They began the season at Madison Southern, losing 56-79. Cole Harbin led the way with 23 points. Collins would go on to lose 63-88 against LaRue County and defeat Beth Haven 59-48. Stats are not posted for either game. This Week: 12/5 vs Owen County 12/8 vs Shelby County 12/9 vs Gallatin County at Henry County (Time TBD) 8 – South Oldham Dragons (0-2) Well, with high hopes for this season the Dragons hit a slight bump in the road this early season, dropping both games in Week 1. They traveled north to face Ryle to begin the year, losing 71-81. The Dragons were led by Jake Fithian and Christian Veirs both with 14. The team shot 35 threes’ making 11 of them. South Oldham would go on to host Grant County, losing 85-91 in OT. The scoring picked up this game, with Veirs leading the team again with 26. Julian Miles found his rhythm and picked up 22 of his own. This Week: 12/7 vs Walton-Verona 12/9 vs Western at St. Xavier (5:30 PM) 9 – Gallatin County Wildcats (1-1) Coach Sullivan’s squad had a decent start to the year, splitting their 2 games in the first week. They began the season hosting Williamstown, a matchup expected to be tight. The Cats won by 12 points and put up an impressive 95 on the scoreboard. Kellen Dossett led the way scoring 39 points going 9/13 from deep. Following was Matthew Griffin with 31 of his own. On Saturday they faced Ryle, losing 50-78. Stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/5 vs Walton-Verona 12/8 at Eminence 12/9 vs Collins at Henry County (Time TBD) 10 – Williamstown Demons (2-1) The Demons got off to a good start winning 2 of their first 3, although I’m sure Coach Cheeseman would’ve liked to win all 3. They began the season with an 83-95 loss at Gallatin County. Colton Feagan had a great game, scoring 43 points. Behind him was Honore Yangoua with 23. A few days later they would defeat Powell County 70-69 thanks to a late 3-pointer by Feagan, who had another great game with 38 points. Yangoua scored 22 this game, and joined the 1,000 points club. Williamstown would cap off Week 1 with a 73-38 win over Eminence. Stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/5 vs Trimble County 12/8 at Holmes 11 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (0-2) Well, with the loss of Travis Krohman this team will need to find their identity. They struggled to do that in the first week, losing both of their contests. They’d travel to Cov-Cath to start the season, losing 38-57. Jay Bilton led the way in scoring with 14. Friday night the ‘Neers would host inter-county rival Dixie Heights. SK lost the game 44-62. Bilton led again with 10. It seems this team is struggling to score the ball, just as they did last year. I picture them climbing the rankings again here soon once Krohman returns to the court, but for now they will be in the 11 slot. This Week: 12/5 vs Mason County 12/8 at North Oldham 12 – Anderson County Bearcats (2-1) The Bearcats are back, and started this year just as they did last year. They began the season at Henry County, winning 67-53. They would go on to defeat Burgin 48-35, and then finished the week losing to Green County 57-77. Stats are not posted for any games. This Week: 12/5 vs Grant County 13 – Owen County Rebels (1-1) The Rebels are still a wild card, not too sure what to expect with them. They began the year with a 51-55 loss at Western Hills. Brax Ward led the way for the Rebels, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. They would go on to play in the first round of the Kentucky 2A Tournament, defeating Bourbon County 44-38. Ward again led Owen County with 17 points. He had some more help this game, with Ashton Moore scoring 11 and Micah Shelton 10. This Week: 12/5 at Collins 12/8 vs Henry County 12/9 at Grant County 14 – Shelby County Rockets (1-1) Coach Traylor is still in the process of trying to rebuild this program to the powerhouse that it once was, but it will not come easy. They began their campaign with a blowout win vs Eminence, 82-45. Dillon Ritchey led with 25 points, going 7/11 from deep. The Rockets also had 3 others in double figures. Later in the week they would lose 60-81 to North Oldham, stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/8 at Collins 15 – Carroll County Panthers (1-0) Well, there was one thing for certain about the Panthers going into the year, it couldn’t get any worse. That was the case, as the Panthers picked up win number 1 in their first game this year, defeating Valley 39-33. Landon Groves led Carroll County with 11 points. This Week: 12/4 at Cornerstone Christian 12/7 vs Trimble County 12/9 at Walton-Verona 16 – Trimble County Raiders It sure looks like a one-man wrecking crew in Bedford, and he goes by the name of Ethan Horn. Despite his incredible stats, the Raiders dropped 2 of their first 3 games. They began the year at Highlands Latin, losing 59-67. Horn had 39 points going 5/10 from deep. Two days later they would go on to defeat Ludlow, where Horn would break Trimble County’s single-game scoring record with 54. In this game he drained 23 out of his 28 free throws. To cap out week 1 they would lose 59-66 to Switzerland County, IN. Stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/5 at Williamstown 12/7 at Carroll County 17 – Henry County Wildcats (1-2) After a brutal stretch to start last year, the Wildcats picked up a win in their first week this season. They started off with a 54-67 loss to Anderson County. Baylor Nolin led them with 16 points, and Quynten Hardy assisted with 12. Henry County would go on to lose to Nicholas County 60-74, where Nolin led again with 21 points. In their last game of the week they would defeat Thomas Nelson 63=59. Stats are not posted for this game. This Week: 12/5 vs Highlands Latin 12/8 at Owen County 12/9 vs KCD (6 PM) 18 – Eminence Warriors (1-4) After a few years of being competitive in the 31st District, this might be a rebuilding year for the Warriors. Eminence’s year started off against Cornerstone Christian, winning 51-32. Adrian Martinez scored 14, and Brady White was right behind with 13. The next night they would travel to Shelby County, losing 45-82. Avery Holland would lead the Warriors this game with 13 points. To end the first week, the Warriors lost 26-76 to Walton-Verona and 38-73 to Williamstown. Stats are not posted for either game. This Week: 12/8 vs Gallatin County 12/9 at Valley (1:30 PM)