Adrian Woj Burner

Lol, will do.

Hamilton fouls out for Conner on a blocking call.

Both Sebastian for Lloyd and Hamilton for Conner have 4 fouls going into the extra quarter of basketball.

Israel drives in and loses the ball, Conner just misses the half-court shot at the buzzer.

Overtime!!!!

Lloyd ball, Conner hits 2 free throws to tie it up.

44 all with 9.4 seconds to go!

After doing some reading, live-streaming will not be allowed, just radio broadcasts only. @859Radio will be radio broadcasting the entire first round on 859 Sports Radio!

Does anyone have any knowledge on live-streams of the regional games? It will be a GREAT tournament, but I will be majorly busy with the 8th so won't be able to attend in person.

9th Region Week 13 Review By: Adrian Woj Burner A lot to keep up with this week! District Tournament Results, 9th Region Tournament Matchups/Preview. Region Tournament Week! District Tournament Results District 33 Tournament (At Cooper) Champion: Cooper Jaguars Runner-up: Conner Cougars (59-55) District 34 Tournament (At St. Henry) Champion: Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts Runner-up: St. Henry Crusaders (60-58) District 35 Tournament (At CovCath) Champion: CovCath Colonels Runner-up: Beechwood Tigers (61-53) District 36 Tournament (At Highlands) Champion: Newport Wildcats Runner-up: Highlands BlueBirds (72-61) Region Rankings (ROAD TO RUPP!!!) 1 - CovCath Colonels (District Champion) The Colonels come into the 9th region tournament the team to beat, and easily the favorites to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Led by Veteran Evan Ipsaro. However, the Colonels better hope Jr. Brady Hussey is good to go come game time. Any updates on his health? 2 - Conner Cougars (District Runner-up) The Cougars are heading into the Region Tournament after being upset by Cooper. Let's hope they can put that past them when moving forward in their postseason. This team is led by Sr. Landon Hamilton. They have also shown they can beat ANYONE. 3 - Newport Wildcats (District Champion) This young squad is so talented! They are coming off their District Championship win vs Highlands. Marquez Miller was named MVP of the tournament. This team is one to watch for, and could definitely pave their road to Rupp! 4 - Lloyd Juggernauts (District Champion) The Juggs are led by Sr. Jeremiah Israel, and big 2025 recruit E.J. Walker. They are coming off a district championship, where they fended off the St. Henry Crusaders. They are not the favorites, but they have the athleticism/talent to beat anyone. One of my personal sleepers…. 5 - Cooper Jaguars (District Champion) With the eligibility of Shaun Pouncey, Cooper has become a legit contender! In his only 2 games of the season, he is averaging 19.5 PPG, and 10 RPG. Also, bringing home a District Title, and upsetting the Conner Cougars. 6 - Highlands Bluebirds (District Runner-up) The BlueBirds have been trending in the wrong direction come postseason time. This is due to injuries, and the loss of Moeves for the rest of the season. However, look for the BlueBirds to figure things out. They may be the biggest threat to knock off a top team in this Tournament with their unreal 3pt shooting! 7 - St. Henry Crusaders (District Runner-up) The Crusaders have been competing well. They knocked off Holy Cross and Jacob Meyer last week, then they came into the District Tournament and almost knocked off the Juggs in the District Finals. They are definitely trending in the right direction after recovering some players from injuries. 8 - Beechwood Tigers (District Runner-up) The Tigers are coming into the Region after knocking Jacob Meyer and the Holy Cross Indians out of the District Tournament. Then, they competed with CovCath in the District FInals. Although I have them ranked last, they could come out and win some games at NKU! Region Matchups/Preview (At Truist Arena) Newport vs Beechwood (2/27, 6:30 pm) The young Wildcats face the Tigers. The Tigers are competing very well right now, and may be able to find a way to beat this inexperienced team. I got Newport in this one, but I think it will be a VERY close game. Lloyd vs Conner (2/27, 8:00 pm) Lloyd is coming off a District Championship win, right after the Conner Cougars got upset by Cooper. I got Lloyd in this one, as I think their size will give Conner fits. CovCath vs St. Henry (3/1, 6:30 pm) CovCath is looking to make another run to Rupp! St. Henry has been heating up recently. However, I got CovCath in this one, as I think Ipsaro´s star power will be a little too much for them to handle. (As long as Hussey is playing) Cooper vs Highlands (3/1, 8:00 pm) Considering Highlands is trending downhill, and Cooper uphill, I got the Jags in this one. Especially after gaining Shaun Pouncey back, and Highlands losing a starter. However, the Birds 3pt shooting can knock off anyone!

Thank you! @brooksville is on it, his website/social media is legit!

I agree with all of your reasonings, but history also has a little part in it as well. These Oldham County players have these type of atmospheres in every district-seeding and district tournament game, and they also have more experience than every player on Simon Kenton.

I don't believe North Oldham is in the top 6, but I am not 100% sure.

I have posted this before, with every teams size in the region and how much success they have had. The 2nd largest school (Oldham County) is by far the most succesful school in region history. They have been nothing short of dominant in their district and the region. I do not have all of the numbers in front of me, but they are at home on my desk. If I am not mistaken, almost every regional title came from the top-6 biggest schools in the region. I will add up the numbers later tonight.

In the 8th Region they are yet to win a title. Made it to the championship all 3 of the first years they were in it, but never won it despite being the largest school in the region.

I mean normally that is how upsets happen isn't it?

It might be, I am not 100% sure. Not sure why I said ankle to be honest lol, just knew that it was his leg.

Why don't we transfer this conversation over to the Regional Tournament Preview

8th Region Tournament Preview By: Adrian Woj Burner And then there were 8…. And it’s about the exact 8 teams that we expected coming into the season. After a season full of upsets, close games, and surprising blowouts it seems that things equaled out and the exact 8 teams that I projected in the tournament are about to play for a regional title the next week and a half. Tradition As I mentioned before, it is a region full of traditions. It all starts off on Sunday after district week, when everyone gets together at Henry County High School for the regional draw. We are only 1 of 2 regions to still draw on Sunday, as everyone else does it now on Saturday. In some years (not this year), this can make Sunday chaos for many coaches and players. The draw is right after lunch, after they figure out their first-round opponent some would have only 30ish hours to prepare for the quarterfinals. However, with the boy’s state tournament coming after the girls this year they will have some more time to prepare, with the first round not starting until Wednesday. The next tradition, Roy L. Winchester Gymnasium. You have probably seen me refer to “The Roy” throughout the year. The gymnasium constructed at Henry County High School in 1962 holds over 5,000 people and has been the regional host for over 60 years in a row. There is nothing in the state like it, stands are packed, popcorn is popping, student sections are rocking, and players are playing with their careers on the line. Bracket After the draw earlier today, here is the official bracket of the 2023 8th Region Tournament. Players to Look For I am going to name a few players to look for in the tournament coming up. We have all become familiar with the big names on each team playing, but let’s look into some other options on the teams that have been hot as of late. Jack Fischer (North Oldham): Has picked up a lot bigger of a role on the squad after the injury to sharpshooter Jack Scales. Scales returned to the lineup for districts, but Fischer was still tied for being the leading scorer, putting in 13 points and going a perfect 7/7 from the field. Isiah Cochran (Collins): The young forward has grown tremendously over the last two season and has been a huge piece to their success all season. In the semifinals of the 30th District Tournament he scored 12 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Micah Willis (Grant County): The guy controlling the paint for the Braves will need to play to his full potential this week if they want to make a run. In the district semifinals, he scored 20 points and was 10/14 from the field. Micah Shelton (Owen County): Shelton is the Rebels 3rd scoring option, and if he can score the ball consistently this week, he can help Owen County pull off some upsets and make a run. In the semifinals he scored 15 points and was 5/8 from the field. Luke Amburgey (Oldham County): The forward is a huge piece to the Colonels both offensively and defensively. If he can make his presence felt, he will be a key role in Oldham County pulling off any upsets. Matthew Griffin (Gallatin County): Both him and Kellen Dossett have been major scorers all year, but Griffin had a phenomenal week. Averaging 27 ppg in two contests, and hitting the shot heard around the world in the district tournament. Streaming: Just like many, many years before, PSN-Pegasus Sports Network will be broadcasting this year’s regional tournament on their free website. Rankings The road to Rupp Arena ends here, so let’s look at our playing field… 1 – North Oldham Mustangs (24-5) North Oldham isn’t considered a “blue blood”, but the last 2 years they have dominated the region. They are the reigning region champions and are returning to Henry County this year with their entire core of last year’s team. The Mustangs are coming off their 3rd District Championship in school history, and it was in dominating fashion. They faced Oldham County in the 29th District Championship and controlled the game from the tip, winning 71-50. Being on the tougher side of the bracket, the North Oldham will have to win 2 very tough contests to get back into the championship game. I am sure that their goal is nothing short of winning their second consecutive regional title. 2 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets (17-12) Last year, the Yellow Jackets being led by star guard Jasper Johnson made a run to the regional championship, losing to North Oldham. This year we expected nothing less, but after dealing with many different injuries we saw many rough games and started forming some doubts. However, after being a wild card all season, Woodford County is officially back. As mentioned above, they have had many injuries all season, one being John McCrear whom had not touched the floor all season with a torn ACL last summer. McCrear played in the district championship but was limited. In McCrear’s return, they knocked off #17 in the state Collins to win their second District Title since joining the 30th District in the 2019-20 season. With this squad being back to fully healthy, they are once again a front-runner for this year’s tournament. If they are to win their first game, they would have a chance at redemption against North Oldham in the semi-finals. This is as long as North Oldham and Woodford County can both win their quarterfinal matchups. I would picture that the Yellow Jackets have one goal: a regional title. They are looking to mark their names in the history books quick in the 8th Region by winning their first title within their first 5 years of being in the region. 3 – Collins Titans (24-7) One of the top-20 teams in the state for majority of the year, they are 0-3 against the two teams ranked above them this week. Collins is 0-2 against Woodford County, and 0-1 against North Oldham. Minus their struggles against the 2 teams above them, they have been one of the more dominant teams in the region this year and are still a front-runner for the championship. The Titans returned majority of their core from last season, where their season ended in the regional semifinals by North Oldham, who went on to win the tournament. Collins has yet to miss the region since their school was established in 2010, but that was in major jeopardy this season. However, they controlled their own destiny, and won both the quarterfinal game against Shelby County, and their semifinal game against Spencer County to advance to the 30th District Championship and grabbed a regional tournament bid. With their draw, the Titans seem to have the easiest path of the front-runners to the championship game. 4 – Grant County Braves (25-7) What a season by the Braves, and they aren’t done yet. They started off on fire, and then seemed to have slowed down during the middle of the season when they played some tougher competition. However, they learned their lesson and in the final 10 days of the season they knocked off multiple top-10 teams in the state. Grant County played in a classic of a game against Walton-Verona in the 32nd District Semifinals and squeezed one out 80-76. They went on to lose to Simon Kenton in the championship. The Braves proved later in the season that they can compete with the best and will have to do that yet again in their first matchup of the regional tournament. If they are to knock off North Oldham in their first matchup, watch out for them to make a run. 5 – Owen County Rebels (24-8) Two words for this team; Teagan Moore. The 2x 8th Region Player of the Year has had nothing short of a spectacular career at Owen County. Following former Mr. Basketball Carson Williams, no one pictured that anyone to ever come out of their school again would get close to him at all statistically, and Moore did that and even more. Last week he broke the 8th Region All-Time Scoring Record, something that hasn’t been touched since 1973. It was almost without a doubt that Owen County would be in the regional tournament, not losing a district game in 2 years. This stayed the same in the semifinals, defeating Trimble County, but had their streak come to an end in the championship. They shockingly lost to Gallatin County, thanks to a shot from beyond half-court at the buzzer! The Rebels have the best player in the region, and one of the best in the state. With this, they are never counted out of a game. They are looking to pull off a couple upsets and make a run. 6 – Simon Kenton Pioneers (21-10) The Pioneers were a slight question mark going into the season, having a good bit of talent last season, and losing in the first round of the district tournament. They have found a dominant 2-3 defense with 7+ footer Gabe Dynes dominating the paint. Last week, Simon Kenton won their 11th District title since joining the 8th Region in the 2005-06 season. Dominating Williamstown in the semi-finals and defeating Grant County in the championship. They got a decent draw, and if they can find some scoring, they can make a run. 7 – Oldham County Colonels (16-15) When you think of the 8th Region Tournament, the first team that you think of is the Colonels of Oldham County. They have been the most dominant force in the regional for the last 20+ years. Since 2000, they have accounted for 8 regional titles in 20 appearances and have won over 35 games in the tournament. This year hasn’t been one of their best in years past, but they have just as much, if not more experience in these atmospheres than any other team in the region. Oldham County has won some good games, lost some bad ones, and competed with some of the best talent in the state. They are somewhat of a wildcard going into the tournament, but we will see if their experience can-will them to a first round win and look to make some noise in the region once again. 8 – Gallatin County Wildcats (13-17) Being the 3rd smallest school in the region, Gallatin County sure makes an appearance to “The Roy” almost annually. Since they were taken out of the Oldham County district 17 years ago, they have now appeared in 13 regional tournaments. They make it here almost every year and make some noise often when here. Being such a small school, they surprisingly have had 8 wins since 2000, but are yet to make an appearance at Rupp Arena. They are coming off possibly the biggest upset in 31st District history. Gallatin County faced Owen County in the district championship and were practically counted out of the game before tip-off even occurred. However, they kept it close the entire game, tying it up with just 10 seconds left in the game. After a Teagan Moore turnover with 5 seconds remaining, sophomore Matthew Griffin hit one of the greatest shots in 8th Region history. Throwing up a prayer with 1 second on the clock from beyond half-court and banking it off the backboard and going through the net as the buzzer sounded. The Wildcats are coming into the tournament on a high note, but them even advancing to the semifinals isn’t necessarily expected. If they were to make a run this year in the tournament, it would be the definition of a Cinderella run. Preview Now it is time to truly dive into the 4 quarterfinal matchups. North Oldham vs Grant County (3/1, 6:30 pm) What a great game to kick off the regional tournament. 2 of the best teams in the region all year, and both currently being ranked top-20 in the state. The 2 schools have only met 4 times ever, with North Oldham winning 3 out of 4. The 2 teams met late this season at Grant County, with North Oldham winning the tight contest 53-47. North Oldham in my opinion has 3 of the best 4 players in the game. Dallas Roberts, Ian Higdon, and Luke Anderson all were selected to the all-region team, and it is well deserved. All 3 players make a huge impact on every game and show up almost every night. Grant County is led by one of the best players in the region, senior forward Dylan Hammonds. The never-ending motor in Hammonds has him averaging 26 ppg while grabbing 13.3 rpg. One issue with Hammonds game and Grant County is that they struggle against teams with good height. North Oldham has plenty of height and use it very well. Unless Grant County shoots better than they have for much of the season, I see North Oldham winning this one by 10-15. Woodford County vs Owen County (3/1, 8:00 pm) There is no doubt that the first night of the region is the better of the 2 quarterfinal nights. Along with the game before, this is another good one. This game is by far going to have the most talent on the floor in the tournament. With John McCrear back, there will be 3 D1 basketball players on the court with McCrear, Jasper Johnson, and Teagan Moore. This will be the 3rd time ever that the 2 schools have met each other, and the 1st time since 2017. They have split the 2 games. Woodford County has found their groove as of late, and thanks with the return of McCrear they defeated Collins to win the 30th District Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are led by Jasper Johnson, averaging 21.7 ppg and shooting over 40% from 3. Owen County is led by region POTY Teagan Moore. He has had one of the best high school careers in regional history. This year he is averaging 31.7 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and is shooting 63.1% from the field, 41.1% from 3, and 83.5% from the line. I see Owen County struggling against all of Woodford’s athleticism in this game. Give me the Yellow Jackets by 10 or so. Simon Kenton vs Oldham County (3/2, 6:30 pm) This is a tale of old teams. 2 teams that seem to always be in contention for the region and 2 of the biggest schools in the region as well. However, their actual success in the regional tournament is extremely different. We have talked about it many times, so I won’t go in depth, but Oldham County is the most successful basketball program in the region, and Simon Kenton while being the biggest school in the region, seems to come up short year after year, and are yet to ever win the 8th Region Tournament. These teams have met 20 times, with Oldham County winning 13 of them. Oldham County had also won 8-straight contests against Simon Kenton. That streak came to an end this year with Simon Kenton defeating them 62-50 in Buckner. Simon Kenton is led by senior guard Travis Krohman. On the year he is averaging 15.7 ppg and shooting 42.2% from 3 and 78.6% from the line. The Colonels are led by one of the best players in the region, Max Green. The junior guard has taken his game to another level this season, averaging 23.6 ppg, shooting 38.5% from 3 and #1 in the state in free throw %, coming in at 91.1%. The big question mark of this game will be the health of Colonel forward Luke Amburgey. He injured his ankle in the district semifinals. If he is 100%, I like the Colonels to pull off the upset, but if he is not then I will take Simon Kenton. Either way, I am expecting a tight contest. Gallatin County vs Collins (3/2, 8:00 pm) This is probably the least anticipated game of the first round but has a slight possibility of being interesting. If Gallatin Count had lost their district championship and Collins had won theirs, I wouldn’t be saying this, but this win for the young Gallatin County squad might give them the confidence to make this one interesting. These teams have met 14 times, with Collins winning 12 of them. They have been nothing short of dominant in the series, and have currently won 4 straight, including a 36-point win at the beginning of this season. Collins is led by senior guard Kenyon Goodin, averaging 18.9 ppg, shooting 55.2% from the field, 41.1% from 3, and 82.5% from the line. Gallatin County is led by junior guard Kellen Dossett. He is scoring 18.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Dossett is shooting 35.9% from 3 and 73.6% from the line. I do not see this one very close, I would imagine Collins wins this one by 15+. But like I said before I wouldn’t be super surprised to see the Wildcats play them a little closer than expected. This will be a great week of basketball, and I look forward to making the trip to Henry County each night! If anyone would like to meet up and chat for a few minutes during halftime or in between games, shoot me a message and we can set it up! I am excited to see how this year’s tournament pans out, and the top-notch talent that will be on the floor each and every night!

Working on the preview right now. Should be out later tonight.

FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS March 1 North Oldham vs Grant County, 6:30 Woodford County vs Owen County, 8:00 March 2 Simon Kenton vs Oldham County, 6:30 Gallatin County vs Collins, 8:00

I am already getting a head start on this weeks review/preview, but it will not be posted until a little after the draw so that I can write up some things for the 1st round games. This week is going to be HECTIC!

The region of traditions. Every Sunday before the tournament at Henry County for the draw, and then you spend the week after at Henry County for the tournament. A tradition that has been going on for more than 60 years, the longest tenure for a regional host in the state!

They will surely have an answer to that. SK and Gallatin County have met 3 times in the regional tournament, Gallatin winning all 3 contests by an average of 2.6 points!

The draw will be tomorrow at 2pm. District Champions: North Oldham Woodford County Gallatin County Simon Kenton District Runner-Ups: Oldham County Collins Owen County Grant County Is it fair to say that the runner-ups might be stronger than the champions? I believe that if you look at success throughout the entire season it is a fair statement. However, with the return of John McCrear for Woodford County it might give the champions a little boost in strength.