DragonFire

Why would you even speak this?!?

I can’t believe they called that a foul either.

Just once, I’d like them to make it easy on us.

We’re even for the baseline call.

Shepard is killing it!!

Three straight terrible possessions on both sides of the floor.

I want to believe, I want to believe….

Yeah, really frustrating.

It’s their first trip to the region final since 1979, per their team Twitter.

43 more attempts by Clark coming into tonight, and they were both at 162 makes coming in. He shot almost 44% that season, while she’s at 39.3%. I was going to say that she was asked to do more other than just shoot threes compared to him, but he actually attempted more twos (to this point) than she has.

I wish Kentucky would win - it would be big for SEC seeding and big for momentum - but I simply don’t see it happening. They can, but I just don’t believe they will.

The Dragons scored the first 11 points of the game in just 2:39 of gametime, but languished for most of the rest of the first half, settling in for the same 11 point margin at 29-18 at the break - 18 points apiece over the last 13:21 of the half. But the traits that would bring it home were already on display. Central was speeding the Cougars up, and forcing turnover after turnover. The shots just weren't falling yet, but they did in a big way in the second half. Central was 17/25 from the floor in the second half, including 6/9 from three, and that was that. Central had 31 points off turnovers and 40 points in the paint. They outscored Logan County 20-1 on fast breaks. Demolition. They'll face a Glasgow team that was due to face them in January, but it was wiped out by snow. These two teams have not met since 12/6/21. But they have had a history of very close matchups in the region tournament. Two of their last three meetings there went into overtime, and the one that didn't was just a five point margin. But all were won by Central, which is 6-1 in the postseason against the Scotties.

The game I expected to be the best of the first round lived up to that hype. Two teams, hungry for wins after a long time of not having any of the tournament, throwing haymakers at each other all night long. Both teams came out scorching hot, trading leads before Metcalfe County settled in for a 20-18 lead after one. Glasgow got the better of things in the second quarter, going 6/13 from the field and 1/2 from three, while holding Metcalfe County to 3/15 shooting during the quarter - their only quarter of regulation where they shot below 60%. That allowed the Scotties to get out to a 4 point halftime lead, and they maintained that margin by the end of the third, despite only going 4/14 during the quarter. But they just never could shake Metcalfe all the way, as the Hornets came up with clutch shot after clutch shot to hang tough. The Hornets pulled ahead on a couple of occasions late in the fourth, but couldn't seal the deal in regulation. And it was the Scotties who had a shot to win it, but a jumper in the lane wouldn't go, and we were off to overtime. It was the fourth overtime game for Glasgow in their last seven games in the region tournament. Metcalfe County hit a three on their first possession, but Glasgow had the answer from the wing, and they never trailed again. But it wasn't until Jerrick Martin hit a driving finger roll with just under 8 seconds left that Glasgow got the winning shot. Metcalfe County had a three for the win at the buzzer, but the shot was an air ball, off line and long. Glasgow survived and advanced for the first time in 12 years, while Metcalfe County suffered their third loss of two points in their last four games in the region tournament. Two of those losses came in overtime.

I thought I’d have to go back longer than 7 years to find the last Danville win, but the reality is that neither program gains anything from the game. Maybe once (if?) Danville can regain their footing it can get back on the schedule.

I agree, and the proof is definitely on display. Only three teams from our final top 10 were in the region tournament (could have had up to 8 as some teams did have to play each other). Metcalfe County, Logan County, and Russellville were not ranked in the top ten a single week the entire season, but they won when they needed to.

That 1990 win was also their only win at region since 1981. While competitively I thought it might be better for Barren County to advance, I could not help but root for the Panthers. I always love when teams that haven't gotten to experience success recently get to advance (so long as it isn't at the expense of my team). That's why I'm so excited about Glasgow/Metcalfe County tonight, because they haven't had anything recent. The fact that this tournament is lumbering towards a predictable final and likely winner does not detract from the fun that we have gotten to see some real chaos in this region.

Touché. Of course, that assumes she hits the same amount of shot percentage on all those shots. But it's a very fair point and one I had not considered. Also worth noting that 27 games in to her JUNIOR year (emphasis from the Tweet) would have been 89 games, six more than Pete played in his career. There's no ninja math anyone is going to be able to come up with to get around the fact that Pete scored a significant amount per game than Caitlyn, and there's really no circumstance that realistically that isn't going to be true. Props to her, I just really hate when they constantly compare the women's game to the men's game. They're not the same, and they will never be the same.

The opener of the 4th Region tournament was an entertaining back and forth affair. The Panthers led most of the first half, before Barren County pulled in front at the end of the third, leading 38-34 after three. But Cumberland County responded with a 12-0 run, and the Trojans could not run them back down.

As expected, the game was never in doubt, and the Purples never trailed. Russellville did put up a solid fight, but they simply could not slow down the Purples in the first half, trailing 54-32 at the half. From that point, Bowling Green pretty much eased their way through everything. Even so, the Purples equaled their highest region tournament score of the last half century. They advance to take on Cumberland County, who they last met in a triple overtime classic back in the 2009 Region Quarterfinals, a 64-63 Bowling Green victory.

This has been a bad year for my predictions.

A shame Ryle never really got their shot up, but I also love that Newport fouled up three.

Go for the win.

Go for the win.

I love the helmet communication, I don't mind the tablets. I don't want a two minute warning. AT ALL.