Bballjunkie

It’s never too early to talk about basketball in the bluegrass. I am slowly learning more about girls basketball in the 8th region. What I have learned is this —- Simon Kenton and Anderson County have owned the region the last 18-20 years. Every now and then there is a surprise but it’s usually one of them cutting the nets down in March. Any thoughts on next year from anyone? Here is my Top 10 rankings for the region going into next year. 1. Simon Kenton- Coach Stowers can flat out coach and they always seem to have talent . I believe they will be the heavy favorites returning their top 5 scorers. 2. Anderson County- never count Coach Clay B. out. They did lose their top 2 scorers including the regional player of year. However, the culture is set and winning is expected. They have some young talent that will make a huge impact . 3. Woodford County- if they can keep the momentum going from this past year then the Yellowjackets will be able to beat anyone this coming season. They return their top 5 scorers . This is a team that won 18 game and only lost to Anderson by 1 point in their second matchup of the season. Gonna be interesting to see how good this group can be. 4. Walton Verona - they did lose two very talented seniors but return their leading scorer. For a team that won 20 games to return your leading scorer is something for their community to be excited about. A few younger girls will need to step up if they want to compete 5. South Oldham- I was going to put their in the 3rd or 4th spot but a little birdie told me their point guard has quit to focus on softball. That is a huge blow to the team. Madison Young will be the front runner for Regional Player of the year. Along with her, the Dragons will rely heavily on sharp shooter Brynn Brickley. 6. Spencer County- year in and year old one of the best coached teams in the region. They lost a few key pieces but have some talent coming back. They will be able to compete with anyone on any given night. 7. Grant County- Shawn West does a great job of getting his girls to play hard for 32 min. Not sure they will have the talent to compete with the top 3-4 teams but who knows. There is time to improve from now til Dec. 8. Owen County- they won 16 games last year and return their top two scorers. They will be the favorite to win their districts 9. Trimble County- they will be right behind Owen. They will be good enough to beat anyone in their district if the ball bounces right for them. 10. Oldham County- Coach Hook never won much at Henry and his first 2 years Oldham didn’t look great either. I am told by some Oldham friends that they have a group of young kids that can play. Maybe they can change the culture and have a winning season.

I agree 100%.

I agree. This kid can play.

Any news on where teams are playing this summer?

The Derby is over and the flowers are blooming. Most importantly we are 7 months away from the first high school basketball game. Never too early to start talking about the 8th Region and the thoughts/predictions for next season. I usually like to do TIERS... top TIERS, Middle TIERS, and BOTTOM TIERS... The tiers however we be very off balance up top. Because there is one team that is head and shoulders above everyone else and its not even close. Its NORTH OLDHAM region to lose next year. They are by far the best team. Basketball is a tournament sport, and anyone is beatable come tournament time however on paper they are unbeatable in the 8th region next season. Austin Sears could be the favorite to win Region Player of the Year next season as a Sophomore. He is talented and has the best basketball IQ I have ever seen at his age. Then you add Pierre Rondo to the mixed ... WOW, he will just be an 8th grader but he plays like a season vet. Those two will be young but will be the best back court in the region. Next years Junior class started playing together in 2nd grade and they are a group that hasn't lost much in their lives so they will help compliment the talented guards. Then you have the length and athleticism of Colin Daniels and Thomas Gregg. WOW, this team is LOADED. I feel that Spencer County and Collins are the next TIER that will be very good but just not as deep as North Oldham. Spencer and Collins are both well-coached by two of the best coaches around. So who knows how good they can get by tourney time. Surprise team of the region: Henry County- they have their returning top 4 scorers returning. They have a region of the year candidate. Henry County will be able to beat anyone next year on any given night. OH YEA--- the region is at their school. I can guarantee you that no one wants to draw them in the first round of the region. Just asked Spencer County. Took them 2 overtimes to beat them in the first round of regions last year. A Team I have questions about: Woodford County- most of the region has no idea about them year in and year out. They typically only play their district opponents and no one else is the region. They are capable of getting a transfer at the drop of a hat. So you just never know how good they will be. Top TIER Teams - North Oldham 2nd TIER Teams (teams that could possibly win the region) - Spencer County, Collins, Henry County 3rd TIER Teams (competitive teams but not quite talented enough to win in March) -Woodford County, Walton-Verona, Henry County, Oldham County, South Oldham, Owen County, Anderson County, Simon Kenton 4th TIER Teams (rebuilding years for teams or just not enough talent to compete) -Gallatin County, Grant County, Eminence, Trimble County, Shelby County, Carroll County, Cornerstone Chr., Williamstown TOP 10 TEAMS (in order) 1. North Oldham 2. Spencer County 3. Collins 4. Henry County 5. Woodford County 6. South Oldham 7. Simon Kenton 8. Oldham County 9. Walton-Verona 10. Owen County Players to Watch for 2025-26 (no order) 1. Austin Sears, North Oldham 2. Pierre Rondo, North Oldham 3. Thomas Gregg, North Oldham 4. Colin Daniels, North Oldham 5. Kolton Wuchterl, South Oldham 6. Braylon Bilton, Simon Kenton 7. Thurman Wade, Woodford County 8. Samuel Seawright, Spencer County 9. Chris Armstrong, Spencer County 10.Adam Gutman, Walton-Verona 11.Caden Gaither, Collins 12. Kade Goodin, Collins 13.Michael Smith , Owen County 14. Baylor Nolin , Henry County 15. Ty Bryant, Oldham County 16. Jakobi McRoberts, Oldham County 17. Noah Beasley, Anderson County

To me the difference maker in the first two matchups was the big guy down low for North (Daniels). They play a great tandem guard zone with matchup principles, but Daniels does not allow any layups. Both matchups he controlled the lane. Miles would beat everyone off the dribble but he couldn't score over Daniels and he got really mad blaming the refs on every miss shot. Then his anger would turn to his teammates yelling at them. Having officials from another regions could be the difference. Those plays that were not fouls the first two matchups could be fouls tonight. Julian has to keep his cool if South wants a chance at cutting the nets down. Even though North dominated South in the 2 previous matchups , I think this one will be close. I still think North will win. They play under control and never stop attacking you on offense and defense. South is up and down with their emotions and they shoot so many 3s that if they have a cold streak , North can go on a 8-0 in the blink of an eye. Should be a fun game.

To me what made the illegal screen call really bad is that it didn't effect the play. The ballhandler was going away from the bucket and wasnt even trying to score. Was Guttman moving? Maybe a little but a good official doesn't blow his whistle on that play because it didn't result in points.

I have Anderson winning. They are playing great ball

We are finally here. The most exciting time in KY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL. The regionals are a special place where boys around the state dream of playing in and hitting a big shot to help their team win. Will there be upsets? Who will step up and make the plays necessary to win late in the game? I have no idea, but I know it will be fun to watch. BRACKET: Where: THE ROY at Henry County High School Dates: Quarterfinals March 10/11, Semi Finals March 17, Championship March 18 First Round Matchups: North Oldham vs Gallatin County (19-11)- I am sure the Wildcats are not thrilled with drawing the Mustangs in the first round. The two teams did not match up in the regular season which always makes it fun when opponents play each other in the tourney for the first time. Gallatin had a great season winning 19 games. They are lead by 4 seniors who all avg in double figures-- Matthew Griffin 19ppg, Andrew Brinker 17ppg, Ian Wilson 12ppg and Landon Smith 12ppg . All 4 of these boys can shoot the ball well. It will be fun to see how they attack the zone of North Oldham. The Mustangs are the #1 team in the region and have been for the last month of the season. They are a well coached team that can defend and they can score. The team is ran by their backcourt. Austin Sears (16ppg) and Brooks Cargould (12ppg) are the best back court in the region and its not even close. Both of these dudes can create their own shot and they shoot the three ball at a high percentage. However, this team has some other guys that make them go. Colin Daniels is the glue to their defense. They play a great zone that is a little of a match up with a stagger guard up top. But when someone gets it down low Mr Daniels is a wall and doesn’t allow easy layups. A couple more key pieces are Tommy Gregg 9ppg and Gray Schmittel 9ppg, both of guys can make plays on both ends of the court to help their team. Obviously, everyone is going to pick North to win this game and I am not different. The only chance Gallatin has is to take care of the ball and the Seniors shoot lights out from deep. Anything can happen in March! Anderson County vs Walton Verona- This matchup will be a great one. Both teams have had moments this year that they looked like a true contender to cut the nets down. On the other hand they both have had games that shows they are not a top tier team. I feel that Anderson Is playing the best basketball as of today. Their Senior leaders Carson Sutherland and Treyton Hart are not ready to go home. Both are averaging in double figures this season although with freshman, Noah Beasley. Those three have to play big to beat Walton. Speaking of the team up north, Walton Verona has had a great season. They are led by region player of the year runner up, Aaron Gutman. Aaron is averaging 24ppg and has carried the team all season. He will need help and that help comes in the form of Aiden Kerns who has had some big games this season. If those two guys come to play they will be hard to beat. However I am going to give the edge to Anderson County in this game. They are going to slow the pace down and put two guys on Aaron at all times. Simon Kenton vs South Oldham This should be the best matchup of the quarterfinals. Simon Kenton is hungry to get to Rupp Arena, but South Oldham is also hungry to do the same. South Oldham is led by region player of the year Julian Miles (23ppg), but he is not the only dragon that can score Jake Fithian (14ppg) has been filling it up as of lately and they will need a big game from him. Julian Miles has been scoring alot of points all season but he doesn't mind setting his teammates up for buckets. The X factor for the Dragons is getting a great game from William Burnside (11ppg). He is a player that is up and down at times. Simon Kenton has been pretty consistent all season. They are just a good solid team that knows how to play. They can play a lot of different styles but their key is their team defense vs South Oldham. Their goal will be to keep the ball out of Julian‘s hands. Simon Kenton is a team led by Seniors that are ready to cut down the nets. Jay Bilton(12ppg) could be the most underrated kid in the region. The kid is a winner. He will do whatever it takes to win on both ends of the court. Coach Steiner has been in Henry Countys gym alot and he wants to win this year more than any other year. He will need big games from Jordan Bach, Bode Stone and Bryalon Polly. Those are all guys capable of scoring in double figures. This is going to be an AWESOME game. I’m going to give the edge to the Pioneers from Simon Kenton in this game that could really go either way. Henry County vs Spencer County The last game of the quarterfinals is the hometown team Henry County. The Wildcats are still on a high from winning their district championship but their reward for winning is drawing the reigning regional champs. Obviously, Henley Henry County has a kid that can put the ball in the hole with high frequency. Baylor Nolin is averaging 25ppg and has had a great season. The Wildcats will need him to score over 30 to have a chance. Also, Traevon Wright (13ppg) will need to step up if the Wildcats are thinking about an upset. They will need to play the best game of their season in order to advance. Spencer County has been there before and they have a coach who is confident and is knowledgeable on how to win in March. It will be a tough game for the home team . Jack Armstong (14ppg) and Samuel Seawright (13) loved the feeling they had last year at the ROY. And they want to experience it again. They have overachieved this year in my opinion and I mean that as a compliment. I will have Spencer County winning this game and advancing to the Semi-Finals Rankings 1) North Oldham 2) Simon Kenton 3) South Oldham 4) Spencer County 5) Walton Verona 6) Anderson County 7) Henry County ? Gallatin

Simon vs South is going to be a great battle. North will walk to the championship in my opinion My Predictions : first round winners- North , Anderson, Simon and Spencer semi final winners- North and Simon championship winner- North

The draw is this morning at 10am . Going to be some nervous coaches waiting to see who they have. I hope the Roy is packed and a great atmosphere for all teams

North wins!!!!

End of 3 North Oldham 42 South Oldham 29

Halftime North Oldham 30 South Oldham 22 South cut is to 5 at one point. North is too good and very poised

After 1 quarter , North 19 and South 4. The Mustangs are dominating all aspects of the game

Yes it’s hard to predict who will develop over the next year or two to be the best player . Oldham County has a 6’5 8th grader that started all season and had a solid year. there is definitely some young talent out there . Will be fun to see how they all develop

Wow wow wow… Congrats to Spencer County. Very well coached team. Woodford underachieved with the talent they have.

Sunday is a huge day. I have always believed that basketball comes down to matchups. Basketball is a funny sport. Team A sometimes can beat Team B but struggle with Team C whose record is not great but it’s just a bad matchup for them. Tournament basketball is so fun because of that.

It will be fun to see how it plays out. Solid predictions

Thank you for info. Glad he is healthy. Woodford could definitely make a run

Big semi-final game in the 32nd District... Does anyone know if this game is being streamed anywhere?

Gallatin is really good. I have had them ranked ahead of Henry the last month of the season . I just went out on a limb going with Henry in the 31st. It will be fun to watch it play out but Henry better focus on Owen first.

Well the regular season is over and it was a GREAT one. Looking back , here is how I rated the top 10 in the preseason 1. Woodford County 2. South Oldham 3. Simon Kenton 4. North Oldham 5. Anderson County 6. Collins 7. Walton Verona 8. Spencer County 9. Oldham County 10. Gallatin County This is how The Cat’s Pause Magazine Ranked the teams in the Preseason 1. Woodford County 2. South Oldham 3. North Oldham 4. Simon Kenton 5. Oldham County 6. Walton Verona 7. Anderson County 8. Collins 9. Spencer County 10. Gallatin County Both in my humble prediction and in The Cat.s Pause prediction had Woodford as the best team in the region. That did not play out at all in the Reg Season. But then again, basketball is a tournament sport. Can the yellowjackets cut down the nets? Also, I didn’t give much respect to North Oldham for being a top tiered team and they have proven me wrong. They are an elite team that can beat anyone in the state. Its going to be fun to see how the district tourney plays out. Week 14 Rankings: ( little movement from last week) 1. North Oldham - let me start by saying Coach Letvich is a heck of a coach. The last three years his reason is (19-7 this year, 26-6 last year , 25-6 in 2022-23). This years team has a mixture of upper classmen and under classmen. Will they be ready for the big stage? It will be fun to see if they can make it to Rupp. 2. Simon Kenton- Coach Steiner has done a great job with this group. They don’t have someone to go get 25 points typically but they are a group that plays well together. This team is hungry to get to Rupp. If they continue to play great defense and unselfish offense the sky is the limit for this team . 3. South Oldham- Very intrigued by this team. I feel the Dragons are waiting in the shadows for their chance to show the region how good they are. They have a dangerous first round game vs Oldham County but they should win by double digits if they play their game. The rematch with North will be a great game . 4. Walton Verona - Can Aaron Gutman led this team to Rupp? I know he is probably motivated to show he should have gotten the region player of the year. 5. Spencer County - Back to back is never easy. However ,Coach Burns knows what needs to be done and how to motivate his guys. Would be very cool to see this group repeat. 6. Woodford County - Similar to South, I feel the Yellowjackets are just waiting for the right time to show everyone what they have. The time is NOW. I can’t get confirmation on whether Boone is hurt or not. If he is healthy they definitely have a chance to cut down the nuts. If he is not playing I don’t think they have enough to compete. 7. Oldham County- Jakobi McRoberts has made this Colonels team much more of a complete team since joining them a month ago. Can OC beat their Rivals on Tuesday? It would be a huge upset if it happens that is for sure. Coach Renner has won a lot of big games in his career. Can he add another to his resume. ? 8. Collins- after losing 6 in a row the Titans finished off their reg season with a win over North Hardin. They finish the season with a .500 record but they are a much better team than their record shows. Their strength of schedule was crazy hard. Now they need to have their minds focus on winning in the toughest district in the region . 9. Gallatin County - Coach Sullivan’s group finished the ref season 18-10. I think they are playing the best basketball in district 31. I hope they meet up with Henry in the finals because it will be a great battle. 10. Anderson County- I had them preseason 5th in the region. They have had some huge wins but just haven’t been consistent enough to be ranked higher than 10th. They are looking for a big win in the district to get to the regionals. 11. Owens County -They finished the season losing two in a row but they were against 2 of the best teams in the region (Spencer and Simon). Owen is playing some good basketball. They want to ruin Gallatin’s and Henry’s plan of meeting up in the finals. 12. Henry County – I am going to keep them in front of Shelby even though they just lost to them. They have had a great year but I am going to penalize them for losing to a 4-22 team. However, I am not going to drop them too far down because their record keeps them ahead of Shelby. They need to regroup and go try to win a district championship for their school. 13. Shelby County- Winning only 4 games was not what they wanted but they started playing better basketball late in the season. They will be eliminated in the first round of the districts and I know the boys will work hard over the offseason to make next season a successful one. 14. Grant County – Bosse was a stud all year but just didn’t have much help. They want to upset Walton-Verona in the first round of the districts to shock the entire region. 15. Eminence – great season winning 15 games. Their season will come to an end in the semifinals of the region but they have a lot to be proud of this season. 16. Carroll County - They want to beat Eminence in the quarterfinals of the district. If they do it will be a successful post season run. 17. Cornerstone Chr- not participating in the post season this year but some great wins in the regular season. 9 wins is huge for this program. 18. Williamstown – 5-24 was not what they were hoping for this season. Their season will come to an end tomorrow night vs Simon Kenton. 19. Trimble County- Rough season for the Raiders. But they played hard and represented their community well this season. DISTRICT PREVIEW: 29th District: - First round match up of Oldham County vs South Oldham should be a great one. South is clearly the better team but when the gym is packed and the bands are rocking anything can happen. OCHS had 4 kids avg double figures Henry Marcum 14ppg, Ty Bryant 12ppg, Jeromy Harmon 12ppg and Jakobi McRoberts 10ppg. If all 4 of those guys are own, then it will be a great game. The big question is how is OC going to slow up Julian Miles. The regional player of the year lit them up in the reg season scoring 37points. He is not the only guy that the Dragons have that can score ---Jake Fithian, William Burnside, and Brooks Bee are all avg double digits as well. This game will be at South Oldham so even though I love to see a big upset , I believe that the Dragons will win this one by 12 points. - In the championship game, South Oldham will be hungry for revenge. North Oldham dominated them and Julian Miles had his worse game of the year vs the Mustangs when they met in January. I have a feeling this game will be different even though Austin Sears and Brooks Cargould are the best back court in the region. The Dragons will win this game by 5 points. I have a feeling these two teams by might meet again in the regions. CHAMPION: South Oldham 30th District: - Best district by far in the region. These two semi final games are going to be EPIC. All 4 teams want to get to Henry County for the regionals but only two can go. - Spencer vs Woodford: WOW, what a semifinal game for the districts. Both teams are good enough to win the whole thing. Spencer has 4 guys avg in double figures – Jack Armstrong 14ppg, Sam Seawright 14ppg, Jackson Combs 13ppg . Even though Woodford by have more talent , I believe Spencer plays better team defense. Rumors of Boone being injured has me worried for this group. He is the most talented player in the region and he will have a great career at WKU. However, if his 20ppg is not on the floor I don’t give the Yellowjackets much of a chance. I am going with Spencer in this one. - Collins vs Anderson: The district is being played at Anderson so that is a huge advantage for them. This is going to be a great game. Both teams are fine with playing a slow down control pace. I believe Gaither will try to speed this game up. Even though its at Anderson I am going to go with the Titans behind their two headed monsters in Caden Gaither and Cole Harbin. - Championship game: Two of the best coaches in the region will go at it and I believe the Collins Titans will come out on top. They played some great basketball in the middle of the season then went on a huge losing streak vs top ranked teams. I believe everything is going to come together at the right time for them. CHAMPIONS: Collins 31st District : Even though it’s the weakest district in the region it will have the most exciting tournament of them all. I don’t have a bracket so I am not sure who will match up with each other but the semifinals will have Owen, Gallatin, Henry in it. The question is who matches up with who. I really hope that Gallatin and Henry matchup in the championship game because I think it could go down as one of the best games of the season. Obviously Henry is led by Baylor Nolin who has scored 664 points this season. WOW. He leads the region in scoring. However, the key for the team is how well will Traevon Wright play. He has had some great games this season with this 13ppg. He will need to come up big for the Wildcats to move on. Gallatin is a better team than Henry top to bottom. They have 4 guys averaging in double figures Matthew Griffin 19ppg, Andrew Brinker 17ppg, Ian Wilson 12ppg, and Landon Smith 12ppg. Gallatin is not very deep so foul trouble could come into play if one of those guys go out and a very inexperience kid comes into a championship game. With that said I am going with Henry County to win the districts. I think its their time. CHAMPION: Henry County 32nd District - The district up north will come down to Simon vs Walton. Unless something crazy happens. I have a feeling that Steiner will come up with a junk defense for Aaron Gutman. If they slow him down they should win easily. Its crazy when you look at Simons stats they have one kid avg double figures in scoring . Jay Bilton 12ppg is the heart and soul of the team. However, they have a few more upperclassmen that will do whatever it takes to get to Rupp. I have tried to be unbias all year but I am rooting for this group the most. I hope they cut down the nets at Henry County and represent Region 8 in Lexington in a few weeks. CHAMPIONS: Simon Kenton

Julian Myles wins Region Player of the Year. The kid has had a great senior season in football and basketball. A great athlete !

Really ?!?! From a reliable source ?