Bballjunkie

When are Cole and Boogie gonna starting suiting up for Ballard?

When is Austin Sears going to be eligible? Since he left our region , I was just wondering … Best of luck to him and Montgomery county.

Basketball season is officially upon us. The 8th region teams hit the court running this past week. One thing is very clear---Simon Kenton is in a league of their own. They are talented and they are deep. I really think they will walk through the region very easily. Unfortunately, everyone is playing for second place this year. I am going out on a limb and say Simon Kenton will have a chance to cut down the nets in Rupp Arena come march. But for the 8th region as a whole, I am excited to see which teams will get into the top 10 each week. I expect a lot of moving and shaking throughout the year. let's get some popcorn and an ice cold diet coke and enjoy the season. 1. Simon Kenton- this week they beat two really good teams in Ryle and Mercy. The gap between Simon and the rest of the region is as wide as the Ohio River. This week they play West Jessamine and St. Henry 2. Anderson County- they went 2-0 beating North Oldham and Lincoln County… Simon and Anderson have been 1,2 for the last 20 years… I will keep them at 1,2 until someone proves me otherwise. This week they have Lex Catholic and South Oldham. 3. Woodford County- started the year off 3-0 with wins over Bryan Station, Harrison County, and University (Memphis). Can Woodford steal the crown from Anderson as the best team in the 30th District this year? They definitely have the talent to do so. This week they have Great Crossing Dec 9th 4. Walton Verona- went 2-1 in the opening week with wins over Conner and Trimble. They got beat by a really good Highlands team by 3. Walton has a great culture and tradition. It will be fun watching them this season. This week they will take on Lloyd Memorial and Gallatin County. 5. South Oldham- just like my preseason poll I had South Oldham outside the top 4 but everyone else had them at 2 or 3. They opened their season going 0-3 losing to Ryle, North Bullitt, and Dunbar. This week they have Gallatin, Ballard, Anderson , and Central Hardin. 6. Gallatin County- I had them outside my top 10 in my preseason poll because I didn’t know much about them. I am told they are a really solid team and I am a believer once I saw them beat a good Spencer County team this past week. This week they have South Oldham, Carroll County and Walton Verona. 7. Spencer County- Started the season 1-2 with a win vs Western Hill and loses to Gallatin and Butler. This is a very well coached team so I could see them getting better throughout the season. This week they play Eastern and Oldham County. 8. Owen County – Started the season off 1-1. They beat Lex Catholic and beat Western Hills. Owen and Gallatin will fight for first place in the District throughout the year. This week they have North Oldham and Eminence. 9. Trimble County- Was 1-1 last week. With a big win over Lex Chr and a loss to Walton by 6 points. The Lady Raiders are a team I want to watch because they could be a team that surprises some folks this season. They might ruin Owen and Gallatin’s party come tournament time. 10. Grant County- Even though started 0-3, I am going to keep them in the top 10. They lost to St. Henry, Dixie Heights and Scott. All 3 of those teams are very solid. This week they have Scott County.

Basketball is off and running in the Bluegrass State. And wow, what a great first week of 8th region of basketball action. I really hate to move teams up or down after 1 week but I feel I have to by the way the games turned out this week. First of all, Oldham County seems to be much better than I expected, and Anderson County is much better than I expected. I really missed it on those two teams, however, its only been one week. Henry County disappointed me a bit by the way they started because I was really high on them. I did hear they might have a player or two out, so obviously that will impact a team. With that said, I tried my best to be fair after one week of action. 1. North Oldham- went 2-0 last week beating Ballard and Waggner. This week they have Simon Kenton, Huntington Prep, and CAL. The Mustangs will be my number 1 all season until someone else proves otherwise 2. Woodford County – went 1-0 last week beating Tates Creek. This week they have Jeannette,PA and Henry Clay this week…. I am excited about seeing this team in person. 3. South Oldham- went 2-1 last week beating Ryle and Bardstown but lost to Eastern in overtime. I watched them play vs Eastern and I was very expressed. They were missing Kolton W, arguably their best player and still are a great team. This week they have Collns, Walton- Verona and Pulaski County. 4. Collins- went 3-0 last week beating LaRue, Franklin County and Walton-Verona. This week they have South Oldham, Shelby County and Gallatin County. Happy to hear Coach Gaither is back on the bench after dealing with a crazy, parent accusation situation. 5. Oldham County – went 2-0 last week beating Spencer County and Henry County. Both of their wins were against teams that were preseason ahead of them. This week they have Simon Kenton, Scott County, and 2 games in a Classic looks like in Scott County. Are the Colonels for real? I was not expecting them to start 2-0. 6. Simon Kenton- went 0-2 last week getting beat by Lloyd Memorial and Connor. Both of these teams are REALLY good so that is why I am putting them 6th and not dropping them further down. This week they have Oldham County and North Oldham. 7. Anderson County- went 3-0 this week beat Henry County, Washington County, and John Hardin. They are similar to Oldham County, they look A LOT better than I thought they would be. This week they have Grant County, Bluegrass United, Menifee County. They might crack the top 5 next week. 8. Spencer County- went 0-2 this week getting beat by Oldham County and Butler. I understand the Butler loss but the Oldham County loss shocked me. It is still early so Coach Burns will get the boys going. I see them getting closer to the top 5 in the coming weeks. This week they have Eastern, Evangal, and WEB DuBois 9. Henry County – went 0-2 this week losing to Anderson and Oldham County. I was really disappointed in these outcomes. I had lost all hope in the Wildcats this early in the season lol. Then I found out they are missing a couple players. I hope everyone gets healthy and eligible. I love rooting for the smaller county teams. This week they have Bullitt East , Trimble Couty and Henry Clay. 10. Walton Verona- went 1-2 this week losing to Dixie Heights and Collins and beating Newport Central . Even though they lost 2 games I am keeping them in the top 10 because they only lost by 2 to Collins. That shows that they are a pretty good team. This week – Gallatin County , South Oldham and Newport 11. Owen County- went 1-1 this week beating Mercer County and falling short to Western Hills. I haven’t seen them in person but am excited to see if they are good enough to knock off Henry County in district play. This week they have Shelby County, Eminence, and Grant County. 12. Eminence -went 0-2 losing to Heritage and Berea. They averaged 70 points in the two loses so this team has a chance of being a solid ball club. This week they take on Carroll County and Owen County. 13. Shelby County- went 1-0 last week beating Waggener. The Rockets are a team I really want to see play because this first game has my head scratching. They beat Waggener who only lost to North Oldham by 6 points. Hmmmmmmm??? Is Coach Leslie going to turn things around this fast at Shelby? This week they have Owen County, and Collins. Both teams are ranked ahead of them. They will have a chance to make a move. 14. Grant County- went 2-0 this week beating East Jessamine and Harrison County. Great start by the Braves. This week they have Bishop Brossart, Anderson County and Owen County. 15. Carroll County- they went 1-1 this week beating Cornerstone Christian and losing to Ludlow by 3. This week they have Eminence and Gallatin. 16. Gallatin County- they went 1-3 this week. Opening the season playing 4 games in the first week sounds exhausting. They only scored 15 points vs Beechwood which will get your attention. They have Walton-Verona , Carroll County and Collins this week. 17. Trimble County – went 0-2 this week losing to Highlands Latin ad Calvary Christian. Neither are a powerhouse to say the least. Could be another long year for the boys from Bedford. This week Franfort Christian, Dayton, and Trimble County. 18. Williamstown- went 0-2 this week to Dayton and Villa Madonna and neither game was close. This week they have Villia Madonna again, and Bellevue 19. Cornerstone Christian- went 1-2 this week beating Community Christian and losing to Trinity (Whitesville) and Carroll County. Can they get out of last place? I think they have a great chance to. This week they have River City, Highlands Latin, and Woodford County. Games of the week: Dec 9- South Oldham vs Collins- This game will let the region know if Collins can compete with the top 3 teams. Coach Gaither is hungry to compete against any and all teams in the 8th. However, Coach Simpson probably didn’t retire after last year because he knew he was going to be good again. They are better than expected. BBALLJUNKIE pick- South by 10 Dec 9: Oldham County vs Simon Kenton- This game will show us how for real the Oldham County bunch is. They came out of the gates hot scoring a lot of points. But that was at home. Can they do it on the road? Simon Kenton has been tested early so they will be ready. BBALLJUNKIE pick- Simon Kenton by 5 Dec 12: Owen County vs Eminence - Since they are ranked next to each other I think this will be a great game. Can either compete in District 31 where Henry County is a heavy favorite? BBALLJUNKIE pick- Owen County by 10 Dec 12: Shelby County vs Collins: The Rockets haven’t beaten their cross town rivals in a LONG time. Can Coach Leslie turn things around this quick in Shelbyville? There will be a lot of emotion in this big rival game. I am excited to watch it. BBALLJUNKIE pick- Collins by 15

Wow .. back to back nights my predictions were wrong . Going to a fun year in Region 8.

That style is coming to an end soon when they get all the shot clocks hooked up

This really surprises me. I am still high on Henry County but 38 points for the game . Wow!!! Great win for Anderson !

David vs Goliath

Cool . Glad they have a good coach in waiting for the boys that is ready to step up . Anytime something like this happens I just think about the players and what they are going through.

Connor beats Simon.

Eastern beats South in OT.

So the assistant will be the acting coach.? Anyone know if he has any head coaching experience ?

Eastern coach didn’t draw up very good play to try to win it in regulations . You have a 6’10 kid for goodness sake and you don’t get it to him near the rim

North beats Ballard by 20plus and Pierre Rondo put on a show.

Well it’s here ladies and gentleman. Basketball season officially tips off tonight .The hardwood will heat up right out of the gate. The 8th region had some news over the weekend that might shake up some things but in my opinion will not affect it much. Austin Sears is heading east to play for Montgomery County. North has a ton of weapons to replace his scoring however. Here we go buckle up and let’s enjoy the ride. Highlighted games for the week Monday night: North Oldham vs Ballard- I am hearing Boogie Cook and Cole Edelen will not be playing. With that news I say North wins this game by 20pts South Oldham at Eastern- interesting matchup. South will shoot a ton of threes but Eastern is huge. Since it’s at Eastern I will give them a slight edge by 5 Conner vs Simon Kenton- a great NKY game to start the season. Exciting matchup between Bray Bilton and Finn Louden. Two outstanding players. I am a bit bias so I am going to go with a region 8 team and say Simon by 3 Tuesday: Anderson County at Henry County - a great 8th region matchup. Anderson has a great player in Noah Beasley but Henry is at home and they are deep with a lot of talent. I have Henry County by 10 in this one Larue County at Collins- the boys at Collins have had to deal with some adversity with their coach. Happy to hear the admin made the right decision and put Gaither back on the sideline. Collins wins this one by 8 Wednesday: Gallatin at Beechwood: I am hearing a lot about Beechwood football not playing basketball this season. That will be good news for a young Gallatin team. But I think Beechwood will be too much still. Beechwood by 5 Thursday: Spencer County vs Oldham County: Another great 8th region game to start the season . I am hearing Oldham looked good in their scrimmages scoring a lot of points but Spencer has the coaching and culture as of late that translates into wins. I like Spencer in a really close game through . Bears by 2 Carroll County vs Cornerstone Chr: Two teams at the bottom of region will battle it out in the first week of the season. It will be a great game. Give me Carroll by 8 Friday Henry County vs Oldham County: back to back nights of tough games for Oldham. Not sure they planned on starting 0-2 but that is my prediction. Henry by 5 Saturday Spencer County vs Butler- be interesting to see if Spencer can hang with Butlers athletes. I have Butler by 12 Collins vs Walton Verona- Walton lost their best player last year so I will go with the Titans by 8 Rankings for opening week: (same as preseason) North Oldham - best team in the region by a wide margin. Woodford County- never know much about them but they are always talented enough to win in March South Oldham - winning culture is huge for the Dragons. Can they go back to back? Henry County - could be the best Henry team this century. Spencer County - great winning culture over the last few years. Can they advance in region play this season? Collins - great coach and some young talent and some veteran leadership Simon Kenton - great culture and a great coach. Anything is possible Oldham County - a lot of unknowns but a lot of good things I am hearing about this group. Walton Verona - losing the best player in the region to graduation is tough but they should still get to region come March. Owen County- they want to get to the region badly and I think they have a shot Anderson County- lost a ton of players to graduation but has one of the top players in the region on their team. Eminence - goal is to surprise everyone and be a top 10 team in the region. Shelby County- new coach and some new energy in Shelbyville Grant County- Tough district makes it hard for them to get to the region. Gallatin County- looking to get in the top 12 this year in the region. Trimble County- taking strides to be better and goal is to get to the region Carroll County- working hard to jump Trimble Williamstown - roster is a good group of guys just low on talent right now. Cornerstone Christian- each year they are adding more and more games. They will make huge improvements this season. Sent from my iPhone

When is the last time CAL had a competitive game in 3A? I don’t keep up with football much but seems like they have a running clock every game.

I think in basketball as crazy as it sounds you can loose a really talent player and be just as good as long as the player filling in for him has a skill set. north’s junior class went years without losing when they were 4th to 8th graders. They are really really really deep at north. Their second five could compete for the region this year. So just because Sears is gone they can still be just as good. Eli Green is probably the best shooter on the team. He gets more shots now, Gregg gets more touches now, Rondo gets to run the show more now. I have heard from a couple of folks connected to the North program and they say that Rondo is the best player on the team as an 8th grader. That is scary!!!!

I have only been keeping up with KY high school basketball for a few years now. But the amount of big names going to different schools is amazing to me. Has it always been like this in the Louisville area?

I don’t think it will change much as far as North being the favorite to win the region. Eli Green is a phenomenal players. He will slide into the starting position now and North will be just as good.

I haven’t been too high on the Colonels. Maybe I should have ranked them higher. Time will tell. Thanks for the write up on the scrimmage games.

Anderson County has one of the best cultures in the state of Kentucky for girls basketball. They have a standard of excellence so even after graduating talented seniors they just reload and get back to work.... Region 8 champion will once again go through Simon and Anderson like it has the last 20 years. Woodford and South might have something to say about it but I doubt it. I still believe Simon and Anderson are in a league of their own.

Simon Kenton just figures out each and every year how to win. They have a great program and culture .

I have said from day 1 to watch out for Henry County. Could be a very special year for those boys

Thank you for posting.

Any more updates on scrimmage games ?