QueenoftheSouth

I’ll take Boyle by 10+. With a limited Fraley (based on what I’ve heard), Boyle’s athleticism prevails in the end. The equalizer would be if Pulaski can/will play zone. If they do that effectively, it could be a close game.

I’ll take Mercer by 7, with Ellis having a strong performance.

I really could see that happening as well. Mercer doesn’t get much attention but they have Ellis and are really well coached. And they could very well defeat DCA. They have good size and strength.

I never blamed the officials. Never said that Boyle “got the calls.” It wasn’t one-sided and it was consistent. But anyone that doesn’t think that the refs allowed a much more physical style of play than in their past 2 meetings just isn’t paying attention. Would it have been more acceptable to you if I had said that Boyle could’ve won all 3 meetings if they had been officiated like last night? I think it’s pretty well established that different teams benefit depending on how games are called. Watch the SEC on a weekly basis. And I think that game was officiated less closely than many of the 12th region games I saw this year. But allowing more physicality is not atypical of postseason games. And it isn’t an excuse. It’s just an observation. And yes, Boyle did take it to them defensively and DCA didn’t like it. So back to my original analysis. I think there are two teams that have the best chance of winning it, and that’s DCA & Boyle. DCA because they’re the most talented, 1 thru 5, and the fact they went 24-6 and 17-1 in the region, including beating Boyle 2/3. Boyle not because of what they’ve accomplished (15-15 & 10-8 in the region), but because I think that they’re the second most talented team in the region. And I do think DCA benefits the most from a more closely called tournament, and that Boyle benefits the most from one in which they let more things go. And anyone that watches basketball understands there can be a world of difference in refs, and especially with refs from other regions doing the officiating. And THAT can be the deciding factor in who wins a game between two talented teams.

Other than Somerset’s first game, I think it’s a pretty balanced bracket. I wouldn’t be surprised if DCA, Mercer, Pulaski, Somerset or Boyle wins it. I do think DCA is still the favorite, depending on how the games are officiated. If they are officiated like their game last night, they are vulnerable. If it’s called more normal or even tight, they’re going to be hard to beat. What they have in size in the interior, they lack in strength. On the flip, if it’s allowed to be a very physical regional, Boyle’s strength, athleticism & physicality make them the favorite. I think Mercer, Somerset and Pulaski have less overall talent than those two BUT have very good coaches that will make adjustments to put their teams in a position to win. Plus, Somerset has two very good guards & Mercer the best overall player in the region (IMO).

Yes, their strength was the single biggest factor in the win. You could tell which roster was made up of football players!

They actually have played some zone. And against Boyle, that should’ve been a no brainer given their roster. .

Very balanced attack tonight by Boyle. Seneca Driver played very well as did Lyndon Smith. Quisenberry was good as well. As for DCA, they laid an egg. They came out early with questionable shot selection and dug a hole that cost them all night. Not the disciplined team I’ve seen play throughout this year. More importantly, I can’t believe they didn’t play 2/3. That’s just insane to me. Zone has been Boyle’s cryptonite all year. Add DCA’s length to the mix and it makes even less sense.

Yep, what a reward for winning!

DCA 50-42.

That backcourt duo is a good one! Looks like Somerset is playing well again. Why was Comer out? Will he be back for regional play?

There was a significant talent discrepancy last night. I can’t speak to the talent levels on their respective JV teams. I said previously that this was also a really bad matchup for Lincoln. They would’ve had to shoot around 50% from deep to beat Boyle. As was said by 24Rocks, when you play this Boyle team, you better have guards that can attack, that can handle the pressure of Quisenberry & Brown. Particularly in the halfcourt. If you don’t, they smell blood, and it’s going to be a long night. But, if you have strong guard play, that pressure can actually work in your favor. I expect to see that tonight against DCA. Everyone talks about DCA’s size and athleticism on the interior. BUT, if they didn’t have strong guard play, it wouldn’t matter against Boyle. Boyle can’t exploit their guards and so has to find a different way to beat them. And that’s where Boyle has struggled all year - against teams with guards they can’t make uncomfortbale. Boyle will be on the flip side tonight as they will be the team that has to torch the nets from deep in order to get the win. It’s all about matchups, especially with this Boyle team. It just wasn’t a good one for Lincoln this year.

Brown & Quisenberry controlled the game on both ends. Just such a bad matchup for Lincoln. They just didn’t have the talent to hang with the Rebels. Nuckols left it all on the floor for Lincoln. Played a great game. They finished 16-13 & 10-5 in region. As I’ve said before, that was a great job by Coach Jackson.

I like Somerset in a close one.

Yes, the cupboard has more in it now than in the past few years. But I would not have predicted their record to be what it was (over .500). Overall, I was just making the point that it seems that their coach has the program headed in the right direction, regardless of last night’s outcome. One more thing. Even if they had been full strength and lost last night, it’’d still be crazy to talk about him losing his job. Anything can happen on a given night. The body of work for the season (as a whole) generally tells the most accurate story. And I know it wasn’t you thinking he should be fired, just making the point for the overall discussion.

The issues had nothing to do with the coach/sraff. Were completely out of their control.

A coaching change? Their records the last 3 years are: 4-26; 9-21 & then 17-14 this year, with two wins over West and a 10-7 record in regional play. They had two players suspended last night, one of which was a key player. I’ve not been able to ascertain who the second player was, so they might have been as well. It wasn’t how they should've ended their season but there were certainly contributing factors. They don’t have a ton of talent yet they were relevant in the region this year for the first time in forever. And given their positive trends YOY, I think this staff has done very well. Perhaps overachieved. There are certainly other coaches in this region that have done less with a lot more to work with. And to me, that’s what high school coaching is all about. You are a dealt a hand, so what do you do with it. Are they better or worse than expected? That’s the measure of whether a coach is doing a good job. And in this case I would argue they made them better than expected.

Didn’t East have a couple of players out?

In most years, that number is 5 to 6 teams, but this year I think it’s 10 teams that can do that. There are 9 teams with winning records in regional play. And though Boyle is below .500, they clearly have enough talent to do so as well.

I don’t agree with this statement about talent level. While I can’t say they’ve come close to living up to their potential, I’d say most coaches in the 12th would love to have Boyle’s roster in this year’s 12th Region. Quisenberry and Brown aren’t football players playing basketball (as said above), they’re just better at football. But they’re also basketball players and are better than most. Turner is a very skilled player, and Seneca Driver is impactful on the boards and protecting the paint. I think that that’s a pretty nice group compared to other teams in the region. And if the team would’ve stayed in tact by keeping Hager and Bixler, their overall talent level would rival DCA. I think they have plenty of talent for this region this year. But I also think they’re the most underachieving team in the 12th on the season.

I can aee them really struggling to score against a good match-up zone. And I’m sure it also served to slow their pace.

Looking at the score (39 points for Boyle), I’m guessing Somerset was able to force Boyle to have to score in the halfcourt?

This result is about what I expected. They’re going to have to have a really off night to be taken down in district or regional play.

With just a week left until district play, I think DCA has really separated themsleves. This is a well coached team. They’re 14-0 in region play. Their dominating win at North Oldham has to be their best in program history. They just got their newest player eligible and he could very well be their best one. He put up 16 & 10 in that win at North Oldham. I honestly think that Mercer deserves to be 2nd. They’re 11-2 in region play. Since they’ve gotten Drakeford back, they’ve beaten Rockcastle and Lincoln by 15+. They did lose a close one at Scott County, but they were missing both Drakeford and their PG (Tatum). They too are a very well coached team. Their coach is just in his first year there but he has them playing like his resume would suggest he would. While not as talented overall as a DCA or Boyle, they do have the best player in the region in Ellis. Wayne at 12-2 in region play can make an argument for being right there as well. They can be lethal from deep and Dumphord has made a big difference. But I still think they will struggle on the perimeter with the athleticism of a Boyle or DCA. Relative to the rest of the region, I think Boyle has the second most talent. That’s why I keep bringing them up as a contender. Their athleticism alone makes them a threat to win most games. But to date, their resume doesn’t support them being in the conversation. They’re currently tied for 10th best record in regional play at just 7-7. While there are several other teams that can beat any of the above, it’s hard for me to make a case that they could win 3 in a row and cut down the nets.

Oh wow. That’s a statement by DCA.