Knight Owl

The Northern Kentucky Basketball Coaches Association released their pre-season top 10. I think the top 4 are pretty clear, lots of guessing after that. What does everybody else think? Cov Cath Newport Ryle Beechwood Highlands Simon Kenton (8th Region) Campbell County (10th Region) Dixie Conner Lloyd

I was able to catch a couple of Wednesday’s All A Summer Preview tournament games at Walton. The biggest takeaway is that Newport was dominant and will be a serious contender (if not favorite) to win the 9th Region. While NCC and Beechwood hung around, Newport’s loaded roster was just too much. A few other observations – St. Henry didn’t play their best game against Lexington Christian, but they will be much improved in year 2 under Sullivan. Ludlow returns all their key contributors from last year and looked pretty good (at least on offense) against Beechwood. Beechwood looked pretty good with only half their roster and will be a top 5 team in the 9th Region. Topmiller may be one of the top scorers in the state next year (I think he had at least 40 against Ludlow). I don’t know if Lexington Christian will be able to compete with the top teams in the 11th region, but they will be much improved and should be the favorite the win the regional All A. Beechwood (1) beat Ludlow by 25 Newport beat NCC by about 20 Lexington Christian beat St. Henry by about 15 Walton beat Beechwood (2) by about 15 Lexington Christian beat Walton by about 15 Newport beat Beechwood (1) by about 10 Newport beat Lexington Christian in championship game

According to NKY High School Basketball Facebook page, All "A" Summer Preview games at Walton Verona this week (Mon-Wed). In the past they have had two days of games (round robin) and then tournament on final day.

I am not certain, but it looks like games are scheduled for Sunday (not a tournament bracket). I see that Louisville Male, Christian Academy of Louisville, and George Rogers Clark all have games Sunday morning.

I was able to catch a couple of games at Scott this week. Here are a few observations - The host Eagles struggled in their two games and looked to be missing a couple of players. They did play Boone County later in the day but I didn’t stick around to see how they did. Walton Verona doesn’t have a lot of size but they have a few kids that can really shoot the 3. Holy Cross has a lot of new faces and hung around before Campbell County pulled away in the last 8 minutes or so. The Indians were without their big man (Hunt), which hurt against the Camels size. Junior-to-be point guard Amir Henderson looked good for the Indians. Nicholas County is a much different team from last year without their big men who graduated. They do have some nice guards (Peyton Hatton, Ty Simons) who play hard and shoot it well. Beechwood was impressive with wins over three 10th region teams. The Tigers have a lot of size and are physical on defense. Junior-to-be point guard Dylan Topmiller can really score it – he made a bunch of 3s and had a couple of highlight dunks in every game. I was also impressed with Pendleton County, who I believe bring back almost all of their key contributors from last season. Seniors-to-be Kamden O’Hara and JaZi Grayson were impressive shooting the ball and both made several contested 3-pointers. I don’t think Campbell County played their best games (and they have may have been missing some key players), but the Camels are a handful inside – center Braden Elam and forward Austin Davie were both as advertised. Nicholas County beat Scott by about 20 Walton Verona beat Scott by about 20 Campbell County beat Holy Cross by about 15 Beechwood beat Pendleton County by about 15 Beechwood beat Nicholas County by about 20 Beechwood beat Campbell County by about 20

The teams/schedule are posted here https://basketball.exposureevents.com/269858/kabc-bluegrass-shootout/teams. I see that a couple of 9th region teams (Beechwood, Cov Cath, Newport, and Ryle) and a few other local teams (Campbell County, Pendleton County, Simon Kenton, and Walton) will be playing.

Things have been relatively quiet in the 9th region, but wanted to highlight a couple of players that made college decisions in recent weeks: · Anthony Blaackar (Lloyd) committed to Arizona Western College (JUCO) · Finn Louden (Conner) committed to Centre College (DIII) · EJ Walker (Lloyd) signed with Western Kentucky University (DI) · Drake Landrum (Boone County) committed to Mount Vernon Nazarene University (NAIA) · Donovan Bradshaw (Cov Cath) committed to East Mississippi Community College (JUCO) · AJ Davis (Ryle) committed to Capital University (DIII) There a several All-Conference basketball players from the 9th region who are also excelling in their respective spring sports: · Malachi Kennedy (Sophomore, Dayton, Track & Field) finished 2nd in High Jump (6’0) and 110 Hurdles in Class 1A Region 4. · Dylan Topmiller (Sophomore, Beechwood, Track & Field) finished 1st in High Jump (6’2) in Class 1A Region 4 and 5th at KHSAA 1A State Meet. · Julienne Knuckles (Junior, Cooper, Track & Field) finished 1st in High Jump (6’4) in Class 3A Region 4. · Tyler Detzel (Sophomore, St. Henry, Baseball) led St. Henry in hitting with a .322 average. · Brady Bushman (Senior, Conner, Baseball) leads Conner in hitting (.393) and pitching (1.50 ERA), committed to play baseball at Wallace Community College (AL). Conner plays Beechwood in Regional semi-final today (Tuesday). · Anthony Coppolla (Senior, Ryle, Baseball) leads Ryle in hitting (.369) and is committed to play baseball at George Washington University. Ryle plays Dixie in Regional semi-final today (Tuesday). Summer basketball begins this week, and I’m hoping to catch some of the games over the next month. I’ll look around for schedules on social media, but if anyone has schedules for their teams please post them.

In many ways the 2025-2026 season played out as expected for the 9th Region, beginning with the total domination by Cov Cath. I don’t have the average margin of victory, but I’m guessing it was close to 30 per game with the closest game being against Dixie (18-point margin). The next two teams in my preseason rankings had good years, but not in the same league as the Colonels. Highlands was very good with 25 wins and Holy Cross, though maybe not as good as expected, did get 21 wins and advanced to the 9th Region tournament. What I didn’t see coming was the parity in the 9th Region after Cov Cath. It seemed that anyone ranked 2 through 12 could beat anyone else on a given night. I knew Ryle would be better than many expected, but I didn’t see them being the 2nd best team in the region and making it all the way to the regional final while winning 23 games. Lloyd and Newport were the two biggest surprise teams this season, with both winning more than 20 games after losing Division I – level players to graduation and transfer. Newport also won the Regional All A and advanced to the state semi-finals. Beechwood was another team that surprised with more than 20 wins, including beginning the season with ten straight wins. Conner and Dixie were two teams that were not quite as good as I expected, but still put together solid seasons with both advancing to the regional tournament and Conner making the regional semi-finals. The teams rounding out the top 12 were about as expected. Newport Catholic came on strong towards the end of the season after a slow start, getting wins against Newport and St. Henry and almost pulling off a few more upsets. St. Henry and Cooper both struggled as expected, but they also looked better down the stretch and will be much improved for 2026-2027 season. A Look Back at the Pre-Season Predictions (1) Covington Catholic [31W – 3L, Regional Champions, lost in 1st round of Sweet 16, Final Ranking 1] Pre-Season Prediction: With Cooper no longer being a threat and relying on their typical stellar defense and improved 3-pt shooting, Cov Cath does not lose a game within the region and wins the 9th region tournament, with the potential to make a nice run in the Sweet Sixteen in Lexington. (2) Holy Cross [21W – 10L, lost 1st round of regionals to Lloyd, Final Ranking 6] Prediction: Relying on their core group of seniors and some newcomers (keep an eye on sophomore Amir Henderson), Holy Cross wins the All “A” 9th region and makes a run at the All “A” state tournament. However, they fall just short of their first regional title since 1994, losing to Covington Catholic in the regional final. (3) Highlands [25W – 6L, lost 1st round of regionals to Conner, Final Ranking 4] Key Fact(s): The Bluebirds had no seniors on 2024-25 team; Freshman team won regional tournament Prediction: Led by their strong senior class and Lorenzon, who makes a last-minute decision to play basketball this season, coach Listerman and the Bluebirds cruise into the regional semifinals. (4) Ryle [23W – 9L, regional final to Cov Cath, Final Ranking 2] Prediction: Ryle will be the best team not named Cov Cath, Highlands, or Holy Cross in the region. But like the last two years, Ryle will fall just short of pulling off an upset in the first round of the regional tournament. (5) Conner [15W – 13L, lost in regional semi-final to Cov Cath, Final Ranking 8] Prediction: The Cougars beat Ryle in the 33rd District final and make a run to the regional semifinals where they fall to one of the top 3. (6) Dixie Heights [18W-13L, lost 1st round of regionals to Cov Cath, Final Ranking 9] Prediction: Dixie wins the 34th District but is unable to advance past the first round of the regional tournament. (7) Lloyd [23W – 5L, lost to Ryle in regional semi-finals, Final Ranking 3] Prediction: Lloyd makes it back to the regional tournament but is unable to make it out of the first round, despite the efforts of star Anthony Blaackar. (8) Beechwood [21W – 9L, lost in District to Holy Cross, Final Ranking 7] Prediction: Beechwood is in the unfortunate position of likely having to beat Holy Cross to win the 9th region All “A” or advance to the 9th region tournament. The Tigers will look to 2026-2027 to accomplish these goals. (9) Newport [21W – 10L, lost to Ryle in 1st round of regionals, Final Ranking 5] Key Fact(s): The Wildcats lost 6 of top 7 players to transfer or graduation Prediction: Though Newport will be better than expected and competitive on most nights, they will fall short in the 36th District final to Highlands and lose in the first round of the 9th region tournament. (10) St. Henry [12W – 17L, lost in District to Dixie, Final Ranking 12] Prediction: The Crusaders will be greatly improved from last season and surprise some people, but will ultimately fall short of the regional tournament. (11) Cooper [5W – 21L, lost in District to Conner, Final Ranking 11] Prediction: Holthaus has a reputation of being a very good coach, so the Jaguars will be competitive on most nights. However, I don’t expect them to make it past Ryle or Conner in the 33rd District. (12) Newport Central Catholic [12W – 18L, lost in District to Newport] Prediction: While I expect the Thoroughbreds to struggle, coach Luhn’s teams always play hard and they will find a way to surprise and win a few games against teams ranked higher than them during the season, though still fall short of the 9th region tournament. Way-to-Early 9th Region Top 12 Rankings (2026-2027) 1. Covington Catholic (31-3) 2. Ryle (23-9) 3. Beechwood (21-9) 4. Newport (21-10) 5. Highlands (25-6) 6. Lloyd (23-5) 7. Dixie Heights (18-13) 8. Holy Cross (21-10) 9. Conner (15-13) 10. Cooper (5-21) 11. St. Henry (12-17) 12. Newport Catholic (12-18) Way to Early Rankings Breakdown I’m sure it happens many years, but this year it seems that several teams are losing core groups of seniors that have been their main contributors for the past few years. By my count the region loses at least seven 1,000-point scorers (and almost eight, with Bradshaw falling just short). Between Cov Cath, Highlands, Holy Cross, and Conner, I think only five total players return that started games regularly throughout the season, meaning that there will be a lot new faces making contributions. I didn’t catch many freshman games this year, but it is likely there a couple of sophomores-to-be that seemingly come out of nowhere to make an impact. It is also almost certain that there will be player movement that could shake up the rankings, similar to what we saw this past year with Cov Cath adding Myrick from Mason County. Newport is one team to watch as there are rumors of a key player returning for his senior year. While Cov Cath (#1) loses a ton to graduation and will not be nearly as dominant, I expect the Blue Colonels to be the best team in the region again. The Colonels are loaded with young talent, not to mention bringing back All-Region 1st teamer and potential 9th Region Player of the Year Braeden Myrick and defensive stopper Teegan Stava from the starting lineup. After Cov Cath, I think there a few teams that will separate themselves as potential regional contenders, beginning with Ryle (#2). The Raiders bring back three starters including leading scorer and potential 9th Regional Player of the Year Holden Smith, the always-improving big man Grace Nsuti, and defensive player of the year Blake Broz. Next up is Beechwood (#3), who returns Kingston Brockett and Dylan Topmiller, who is another candidate for 9th Regional Player of the Year. In the four spot I have another team with a Player of the Year candidate (Amontae Lowe) in Newport (#4). The Wildcats will certainly move up in the rankings if rumors hold true of an impact player returning after a year away at prep school. I have Highlands (#5) at five with their heavy losses to graduation, though this also could be too low as the Bluebirds may return Lorenzen and have a ton of young talent, including freshman-to-be Amil Wimzie. I don’t really have a good handle on how to rank teams 6 through 12 and they could probably appear in any order. Lloyd (#6) loses star Anthony Blaackar and the under-rated Isaiah Golsby to graduation, but brings back a nice young group that performed better than expected. Dixie (#7) is another team that I may have ranked too low. They lost their leading two scorers in Max Rubemeyer and Tyson Metzger, but again will be one of the bigger teams in the region with Parks Vondehaar and Hunter Seng returning. Holy Cross (#8) will be interesting to watch. They lose a ton, including a couple of 3-year starters (Luke Arlinghaus, Brady Gabbard, Note Rominger), but bring back some nice young talent that won the regional JV championship. I have Cooper in the #9 spot. The Jaguars return two key players Julienne Knuckles and Cole Stanton, with their freshman team falling just short to a dominate Cov Cath group in the freshman regional final. At #10 I have Conner. It will be interesting to see how the Cougars look without star Finn Louden, though they do bring back multi-year starter Tyler Warner and few other young players that played key roles this past season. Coach Sullivan’s St. Henry (#11) squad will look to improve in year 2, bringing back four starters including leading scorer Tyler Detzel. Rounding out the top 12 I have Newport Catholic, who loses a few key players to graduation but does bring back two starters. Way-to-Early 9th Region Top 12 Players 2026-2027 1. Braeden Myrick, Sr (Cov Cath) 2. Dylan Topmiller, Jr (Beechwood) 3. Amontae Lowe, Sr (Newport) 4. Holden Smith, Sr (Ryle) 5. Julienne Knuckles, Sr (Cooper) 6. Tayden Lorenzen, Sr (Highlands) 7. Tyler Warner, Sr (Conner) 8. Grace Nsuti, Sr (Ryle) 9. Kingston Brockett, Sr (Beechwood) 10. Teegan Stava, Sr (Cov Cath) 11. Hunter Seng, Sr (Dixie) 12. Tyler Detzel, Jr (St. Henry)

I was late posting a regional tournament recap and late to the party for the Cov Cath - St. Xavier discussion. Making my final 9th region post here (before we get into the 2026-2027 off-season discussion). Kentucky 9th Region basketball is officially over for the 2025-2026 season. St. Xavier 75 – Cov Cath 61 I didn’t see this coming. After a fast start (leading 28-17 early in 2nd quarter), Cov Cath was dominated by a more athletic, physical St. Xavier team. Early in the game it looked like Cov Cath might run away with it, forcing turnovers and getting easy buckets in transition like they have all season. But St. Xavier responded, forcing several turnovers of their own and knocking down one 3-point basket after another. St. Xavier senior Chief Cameron was a menace, finishing with 4 steals and forcing several Cov Cath turnovers. The biggest factor in the game was St. Xavier’s shooting. They finished the game better than 60% from the field, and a blistering 12-18 from the 3-point line. Cov Cath did not shoot the ball as well as it usually does (47% FG and 8-22 3FG), which had a lot do with St. Xavier’s long, athletic defenders. That being said, I feel confident saying that no one in Kentucky (and not many teams across the country) are beating St. Xavier if they make 12 3-pointers on 18 attempts. I really do think these are the best two teams in the state and it will be interesting to see if anyone can challenge St. Xavier the rest of the way. Myrick led Cov Cath with 19 points on 6-16 shooting, while Athens McGillis finished with 11 points on 5-15 from the field. Dylan Gaiser and Teegan Stava were also in double figures for the Colonels. Donovan Bradshaw dominated inside early and finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. Cash Harney left the game early with an injury and finished with 3 points. 9th Region Tournament Finals Review Cov Cath 82 – Ryle 51 As expected, Cov Cath cruised to a regional championship over the Ryle Raiders. Cov Cath’s dominant run through the 9th Region included wins by 30, 51, and 31 points. Cash Harney was named the MVP, with Athens McGillis and Donovan Bradshaw joining him on the All-Tournament Team. 9th Region All-Tournament Team: Cash Harney (MVP), Donovan Bradshaw, Athens McGillis (CCH); Holden Smith, Anthony Coppolla (Ryle); Finn Louden, Tyler Warner (Conner); Isiah Golsby, Anthony Blaackar (Lloyd); Amil Wimzie (Highlands); Hunter Seng (Dixie); Brady Gabbard (Holy Cross); Amontae Lowe (Newport) Final 9th Region Top 10 (2025-2026) 1. Covington Catholic (31-2) [last week 1; preseason 1] Returning starters: 2 (Braeden Myrick, Teegan Stava) 2. Ryle (23-9) [last week 2; preseason 4 (+2)] Returning starters: 3 (Holden Smith, Grace Nsuti, Blake Broz) 3. Lloyd (23-5) [last week 3; preseason 7 (+4)] Returning starters: 2 (Isiah Coleman, Jason Kabeya) 4. Highlands (25-6) [last week 4; preseason 3 (-1)] Returning starters: 1 (Tayden Lorenzen) 5. Newport (21-10) [last week 5; preseason 9 (+4)] Returning starters: 3 (Amontae Lowe, Davae Andrews-Glover, Sean Hurry) 6. Holy Cross (21-10) [last week 6; preseason 2 (-4)] Returning starters: 1 (Amir Henderson) 7. Beechwood (21-9) [last week 7; preseason 8 (+1)] Returning starters: 2 (Dylan Topmiller, Kingston Brockett) 8. Conner (15-13) [last week 8; preseason 5 (-3)] Returning starters: 1 (Tyler Warner) 9. Dixie Heights (18-13) [last week 9; preseason 6 (-3)] Returning starters: 2 (Hunter Seng, Parks Vondehaar) 10. Newport Catholic (12-18) [last week 10; preseason 13 (+3)] Returning starters: 2 (Gabe Waggoner, Andrew Verst)

9th Region Quarterfinals / Semi-Finals Review Conner 79 – Highlands 76 For the second time in a few weeks Conner was able to beat the Bluebirds. Louden had a monster game with 36 points on 10/17 shooting, including 6/8 from 3 and 10/14 from the foul line. Bushman, Warner, and Rondon were also in double figures for the Cougars. Highlands had five players in double figures, led by 8th grader Wimizie’s 19 and Lorenzen’s 18. A lot of fouls and free throws in this game – Conner finished 16/27 and Highlands 14/21. Covington Catholic 71 -- Dixie 41 Dixie was able to keep it reasonably close in the 1st half before the Colonels went on one of their huge runs to blow the game open. Cov Cath did not shoot the ball well, going 5/28 from 3. Harney led the Blue Colonels with 20, while McGillis finished with 15. Senior Max Rubemeyer had 13 to lead the Red Colonels Lloyd 63 -- Holy Cross 50 Lloyd was able to jump on Holy Cross early and weather a few Indian rallies to win by a comfortable margin. Blaackar finished with 26 to lead the Juggs on 8/16 shooting (including 3/3 from 3-point range). Lloyd’s overall shooting numbers were not great (40% FG), but they were 6/10 overall from 3 and 17/20 from the foul line. Jason Kabeya and Isiah Coleman were also in double figures for Lloyd. Holy Cross was led by senior Brady Gabbard’s 24 points (on 7/14 shooting) kept Holy Cross in the game, but the rest of the Indians were ice cold from the field (which had a lot do with Lloyd’s stellar defense), going 8/31 from the field, though the Indians did go 16/17 from the foul line. Ryle 56 – Newport 46 This game was back and forth in the 1st half before Ryle had a nice run in the 3rd quarter to put some distance between them and the Wildcats. Newport made a few runs to keep it interesting but Ryle was able to hold them off and win by 10. Ryle was led by senior Anthony Coppola’s 16 points, while AJ Davis and Holden Smith had 12 points each, and Grace Nsuti grabbed 13 rebounds. Ryle’s defense was very good, holding Newport to 36% shooting, including keeping star Amontae Lowe scoreless in the 1st half (Lowe finished with 11 on 4/13 shooting). Irvan Nichols and Davae Andrews-Glover were also in double figures for the Wildcats. Semi-Finals Cov Cath 92 -- Conner 41 This game was never close. Cov Cath jumped out to an early 15-2 lead and never looked back. The Colonels had four players in double figures led by Athens McGillis (24) and Cash Harney (18). Donovan Bradshaw dominated the paint with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Louden closed out his brilliant high school career with 12 points on 5/15 shooting. Ryle 64 – Lloyd 37 After a close 1st quarter, Ryle took control in the 2nd quarter and built a double figure lead heading into halftime and led by 15 at the end of 3. Lloyd was unable to get any closer and the Raiders extended the lead to more than 20 in the 4th. The Ryle defense was suffocating and Lloyd could not get anything to go. Ryle shot better than 60% from the field as Holden Smith (18 points) and Anthony Coppola (12) were both able to get past Lloyd’s pressure defense, get to the rim, and finish. Grace Nsuti (12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks) and AJ Davis (10 points, 7 rebounds) dominated the paint. Anthony Blaackar closed out his fantastic Lloyd career with 16 points (on 6/16 shooting), while fellow senior Isiah Golsby finished with 14. Finals Preview Cov Cath vs. Ryle Cov Cath gets a chance to close out their dominant run through the 9th region against Ryle. Ryle has been the 2nd best team in the region since their slow start to the season, winning 18 of their last 20 games thanks in large part to a tough, physical defensive style. The Raiders were dominant in their semi-final win over Lloyd and will have to play even better if they want any chance of knocking off the Colonels. If Ryle can limit their turnovers and keep Cov Cath from getting easy transition buckets, they might be able to keep the game close. My prediction is that Cov Cath will be too much and after a competitive first half, the Colonels will pull away and win by 15 or more.

Given all the chaos with everyone beating everyone else (outside of CCH) during the regular season, it was a pretty quiet week with no big upsets in the 9th region. The only team ranked in the top 8 that didn’t make it to the regional was Beechwood, but we knew that one really good team was going to be left out of one of the toughest districts in the state. All the favorites won their respective districts, setting up a regional tournament where Ryle, Newport, Holy Cross, and Lloyd all have a legitimate shot to play Cov Cath for a regional championship (sorry Dixie, Highlands). 33rd District Preview (at Ryle) Mon, 2/23 at 5:30PM Boone County 68 - Heritage 39 Wed, 2/25 at 5:30PM Ryle 79 - Boone Co 33 Wed, 2/25 at 7:30PM Conner 65 - Cooper 51 Fri, 2/27 at 7:00PM Ryle 70 – Conner 58 No upsets in the 33rd. Conner took care of business against Cooper while Ryle cruised to a district championship. Ryle’s Holden Smith was named the Tournament MVP. 34th District Preview (at Lloyd) Mon, 2/23 at 7:45PM Ludlow 72 - Villa 63 Wed, 2/25 at 6PM Lloyd 74 – Ludlow 45 Wed, 2/25 at 7:45PM Dixie 52 - St. Henry 37 Fri, 2/27 at 7:00PM Lloyd 66 – Dixie 45 Dixie was able to get by upset-minded St. Henry to advance to the regional tournament. Lloyd continued their domination of the 34th, but did get a bit of scare against Ludlow (who led at the half). Lloyd dominated Dixie in the final and earned their 4th straight district title. Anthony Blaackar from Lloyd was named the Tournament MVP. 35th District Preview (at Holy Cross) Wed, 2/25 at 5:30PM Cov Cath 101 - Holmes 43 Wed, 2/25 at 7:30PM Holy Cross 45 – Beechwood 31 Fri, 2/27 at 7:30PM Cov Cath 74 – Holy Cross 44 Cov Cath won their district tournament games by 58 and 30 over Holmes and Holy Cross. In one of the best district semi-final matchups, Holy Cross survived a bloodbath against Beechwood to advance to the regional tournament. Luke Arlinghaus left the Cov Cath game early with an injury, let’s hope he’s OK. Cov Cath’s Athens McGillis was the Tournament MVP. 36th District Preview (at Bellevue) Mon, 2/23 at 6PM Bellevue 66 – Dayton 64 Wed, 2/25 at 6PM Highlands 89 – Bellevue 32 Wed, 2/25 at 7:45PM Newport 49 - Newport Catholic 47 Fri, 2/27 at 7PM Highlands 60 - Newport 50 Newport survived against a scrappy New Cath squad in the district semi-final, but Highlands was too much in the district final as the Bluebirds finally got a district title after a few years of Newport dominance. Nathan Rickard from Highlands was named Tournament MVP. 9th Region Tournament Preview Sat, 3/7 at 1PM Highlands vs. Conner These two teams played a few weeks ago and Conner was able to pull off the upset (thanks to a big game from star Finn Louden). While it wouldn’t surprise me to see Louden go crazy in this game and put up huge numbers, I think Highlands wins this game. Expect a very high scoring game that will be competitive until Highlands pulls away in the fourth quarter for a 10-point win. Sat, 3/7 at 2:30PM Covington Catholic vs. Dixie These two teams also played a few weeks ago, with Dixie playing the Blue Colonels closer than any team in the 9th region this year. I don’t expect that to happen in this game, as Cov Cath will not let Dixie hang around and will win in blowout fashion by 30 plus. Sat, 3/7 at 6:30PM Lloyd vs. Holy Cross I think this will be the best game of the day. Holy Cross has had a solid season but has not quite lived up to their lofty preseason expectations, while Lloyd has overachieved and been one of the better teams in the 9th region (and also ranked in the state). Lloyd beat up Holy Cross pretty good on the Indians home floor earlier in the year, but I think this game will be much different. I expect a low scoring, back and forth game, with Lloyd eventually escaping with a win by a few points. Sat, 3/7 at 8PM Ryle vs. Newport I also expect the nightcap to be a tightly-contested game. Ryle has been very good over the last 2 months of the season while Newport has greatly exceeded expectations with more than 20 wins. In what will also be a very low scoring game, the Raiders will use their strength and physicality to pull away from Newport in the 2nd half and win by 10 points. Semi-Finals Sun, 3/8 at 6:30PM (Predicted) Cov Cath vs. Highlands This game will be a fun one to watch, as Cov Cath may reach 100 points in the contest. If Highlands can get hot from 3 this game could get interesting. However, Cov Cath is just too good and Highlands won’t be able to eclipse the 80-point mark and the Colonels will roll into the regional final. Sun, 3/8 at 8PM (Predicted) Lloyd vs. Ryle If this game happens I think it may be the best one to watch in the whole regional tournament. They played twice during the season with each picking up a win. Both these teams have made pretty good arguments to be considered the 2nd best team in the region and the winner will earn the right to see if they can hang with (or even) beat the mighty Colonels. I predict Ryle will win this by 2 in a close, low-scoring game. Finals Tues, 3/10 at 7PM

I see a lot of agreement with my All-Region teams to the NKBBCA All-Division Teams, though one player I think I overlooked was Tyler Detzel from St. Henry, who at least is worthy of an Honorable Mention. To repeat a post from the NKBBCA thread, I think Blaackar was deserving as Co-Player of the Year in the 9th Region. Blaackar led Lloyd to a 20-4 record while putting up insane numbers (25.1 ppg, >60%FG, >50%3FG, >80%FT). Does anybody have any info on how he is being recruited? Seems to me he should be playing high-level college ball somewhere.

Congratulations to all the players on these lists! I don't have any disagreements and are pretty much in line with how I have seen things this year. Though the more I look at Blaackar's numbers (and the success that Lloyd had this year), the more I think he should have at least been 9th Region Co-Player of the Year with McGillis. The only omission I see is Teegan Stava from Cov Cath, easily my defensive player of the year (no disrespect to Blake Broz from Ryle, who is also deserving).

9th Region: Final Rankings & Post-Season Preview Only one thing remained the same throughout the season – Cov Cath is the best team in the region and one of the best in the state, though they did prove they are not invincible with a tough loss at Madison Central (also one of the best teams in the state). Congratulations to Dixie senior Max Rubemeyer who hit the 1,000 point mark this week and also to Beechwood sophomore Dylan Topmiller who broke Beechwood’s single season 3-point record (with 89 3-pointers made), which was held by Scotty Draud. With the regular season officially coming to a close, I would say that while the region may be down overall compared to previous years, Lloyd, Newport, and Holy Cross all won their 20th game of the season this week (joining Cov Cath, Highlands, and Beechwood), meaning the top seven teams in the region will have 20 or more wins (Ryle will get their 20th win this week). If you would have asked me before the season no way I would have believed Beechwood, Lloyd, and Newport would all win 20 games this year. Also, I don’t know 9th region history all that well, but I would think that there haven’t been too many years where seven or more teams reached the 20-win mark. Compared to the preseason rankings, Lloyd and Newport made the biggest moves up the rankings (Lloyd 7 to 3; Newport 9 to 5). Holy Cross, Dixie, and Conner saw the biggest declines (Holy Cross 2 to 7; Dixie 6 to 9; Conner 5 to 8). New Cath, St. Henry, and Cooper didn’t get many wins over teams ranked ahead of them, but were competitive in most games and can’t be overlooked to make some noise in the postseason. Will we see some upsets in the district tournaments (New Cath vs. Newport; Cooper vs. Conner; St. Henry vs. Dixie)? Who survives in the 35th between Holy Cross and Beechwood? Can anyone compete with Cov Cath in the Regional Tournament? Tier 1: The Favorite 1. Covington Catholic (26-2) [last week 1; preseason 1] The Colonels beat Moeller by 12 but lost at Madison Central by 10. The Madison Central game was the first one all year where Cov Cath seem to get rattled and force up some bad shots, though they also missed some open shots they usually make. Athens McGillis (22.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Braeden Myrick (18.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Donovan Bradshaw (12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpb) led Cov Cath this season. McGillis was named 9th Region KABC and NKBBCA Division I Player of the Year and finished the season as the 3rd leading scorer in the 9th Region (tied for 25th highest in the state of KY). Colonels junior Braeden Myrick led the 9th Region in 3-pointers per game (3.3, 19th in state of KY) and made 3-pointers (91), while shooting 46.9%. Tier 2: Not Cov Cath 2. Ryle (19-8) [last week 4; preseason 4 (+2)] Ryle went 2-1 on the week, falling on the road to Great Crossing. The Raiders were led this season by junior Holden Smith (17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and seniors AJ Davis (11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Anthony Coppola (11.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg). 3. Lloyd (20-4) [last week 3; preseason 7 (+4)] Lloyd beat Conner this week in a matchup of two of the region’s best players. Lloyd was led this season by seniors Anthony Blaackar (25.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Isaiah Golsby (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and sophomore Jason Kabeya (9.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg). Blaackar was named NKABC Division II Player of the Year and finished the season as the leading scorer in the 9th Region (tied for 11th highest in the state of KY), the leading 3-point % (54.4%) in the 9th Region (and probably in the state), and 4th in free-throw percentage (80.3%, 42nd in state of KY). 4. Highlands (23-5) [last week 2; preseason 3 (-1)] Highlands went 1-1 on the week against Simon Kenton and Beechwood. Highlands finished the regular season with five players nearly in double figures including seniors Finn Bouldin (12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Nathan Rickard (10.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Owen Ebert (11.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Vincent Listerman (9.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg), and junior Tayden Lorenzen (13.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg). 5. Newport (20-8) [last week 7; preseason 9 (+4)] Newport went 3-0 on the week, including a nice home win over Beechwood to move up to #5 in the final rankings. The Wildcats were led this season by juniors Amontae Lowe (21.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Davae Andrews-Glover (8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and senior Keegan Farrell (8.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg). Lowe finished the season as the 4th leading scorer in the 9th Region (tied for 46th highest in the state of KY). 6. Beechwood (21-8) [last week 5; preseason 8 (+2)] Beechwood closed out their regular season with a loss to Newport and win against Highlands. The Tigers were led this season by sophomore Dylan Topmiller (20.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg), senior Owen McCormick (12.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg), and junior Kingston Brockett (7.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Topmiller was runner-up for Division II Player of the Year and finished the season as the 5th leading scorer in the 9th Region (tied for 48th highest in the state of KY), 2nd in 3-pointers per game (3.1, tied for 22nd in state of KY) and made 3-pointers (89 at 42.8%) behind Braeden Myrick, and 3rd in free-throw percentage (81.0%, 37th in state of KY) 7. Holy Cross (20-8) [last week 6; preseason 2 (-5)] Holy Cross beat rivals New Cath and St. Henry this week. The Indians were led by seniors Luke Arlinghaus (16.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Nate Rominger (13.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Brady Gabbard (13.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg). Arlinghaus finished 2nd in the 9th Region in free-throw percentage (82.1%, 30th in state of KY). 8. Conner (13-11) [last week 7; preseason 5 (-3)] Conner beat Elder but lost to Lloyd in the final week of the regular season. The Cougars were led by senior Finn Louden (24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and junior Tyler Warner (13.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Louden finished the season as the 2nd leading scorer in the 9th Region (19th highest in the state of KY) and leader in free-throw percentage (82.4%, 29th in state of KY) 9. Dixie Heights (17-11) [last week 9; preseason 6 (-3)] Dixie lost to Tates Creek and was upset by Cooper, before salvaging a win against Bluegrass United in their finale. Dixie was led this season by seniors Max Rubemeyer (15.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Tyson Metzger (11.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and junior Hunter Seng (10.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg). 10. Newport Catholic (11-18) [last week 11; preseason 13 (+3)] NewCath lost a close one to rivals Holy Cross, while blowing out Ludlow and Brossart. The Breds were led this season by senior John Luhn (14.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg). 11. St. Henry (12-16) [last week 12; preseason 10 (-1)] The Crusaders went 0-2 in the closing week, falling on the road to Holy Cross and Campbell County. This season the Crusaders were led by sophomore Tyler Detzel (10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and senior Caden Kunstak (8.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg). 12. Cooper (5-20) [last week 10; preseason 11 (-1)] Cooper went 2-0 on the week, finally getting a good region win by beating Dixie on the road. The Jaguars were led this season by juniors Julienne Knuckles (12.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Cole Stanton (11.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and senior Elijah Philpot (9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). The Rest 13. Holmes (12-16) The Bulldogs finished their regular season with losses to Cooper and Harrison County. The Bulldogs were led this season by seniors Mark McCutchen Jr. (18.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg), Rashad Whitfield (13.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg), and sophomore Michael Chames (10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg). 14. Ludlow (13-15) The Panthers finished their regular season with wins against Augusta and Williamstown and loss to New Cath. The Panthers were led this season by sophomore Logan Day (17.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and juniors Jayden Stone (14.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Gage Grider (10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg). 15. Dayton (17-10) The Greendevils finished their regular season with a win over Boone County and loss to Newport. Dayton was led this season by sophomores Malachi Kennedy (18.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Mykah Foster (11.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and junior Anthony Hull (11.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg). 16. Boone Co (6-23) The Rebels finished their regular season with losses to Gallatin County and Dayton. The Rebels were led this season by sophomore Joel Montanya Brown (9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg). 17. Bellevue (9-16) The Tigers finished their regular season with a win against Bracken County and a loss to New Cath. The Tigers were led this season by seniors Adam Kues (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Arion Stuckey (9.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and sophomore Jordan Watson (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg). 18. Villa Madonna (6-23) The Vikings finished their regular season with a loss to Newport and wins over Robertson County and Heritage. The Vikings were led by senior Michael Popham (14.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg). 19. Heritage (7-21) The Eagles finished their regular season with losses to Brown and Villa and a win against Landmark Christian. The Eagles were led this season by Trent Stone (17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Oscar Kawanishi (13.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg).

Thanks all! I'd love to hear others thoughts on who I may have overlooked.