B-Ball-fan

BluegrassPreps.com 9th Region Week 5 Review and Rankings: Happy New Year 2022 everyone!!! With another week of holiday classics behind us, Week 5 in the 9th Region has wrapped up with more in-region games on tap, and an All 'A' Classic on the horizon starting Jan 10. Noteworthy tid bits from Week 5: Covington Catholic nicely represented the 9th Region in their annual trip to the Villages in Florida going 2-1, losing only to 41st ranked team in the country Orlando Christian Prep (FL) 61-58. Highlands hosted a very exciting Carespring Holiday Classic that included Cooper, Cincinnati Christain Hills Academy, and a very tough Vestavia team out of Alabama. Vestavia won both of their games first against Highlands 78-74, then 80-75 in an overtime thriller with Cooper. Both of Cooper's games went into overtime where they first took down Cincinnati Christian Hills Academy 66-63 before losing the heartbreaker against Vestavia. Both nights were full of some awesome basketball! Conner and Holy Cross both partook in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern, both faring well with Conner taking home the big prize as classic champs! Lloyd and Beechwood both played in the Central Bank Jim Rose Classic at Lexington Christian with Lloyd making it to the finals only to lose to #12 ranked McCracken County out of Region 1, 48-28. Ryle made it to the finals of the Dan Swartz Classic hosted by Bath County out of Region 16, losing only to the hosts 73-41. Boone County went 2-0 in their visit to Region 10's Nicholas County's Holiday Classic. Let's take a look at the rankings: 1). Covington Catholic - (12-2) The Colonels made the trip to Florida for their annual visit for the prestigious classic at the Villages, and went 2-1 losing only to the 41st ranked team in the country Orlando Christian Prep (FL) 61-58. Their first game scheduled against Barlow (FL) was cancelled due to Covid, so they played Roswell (GA) instead, and comfortably took care of them 75-56. Their 3rd games was against The Villages Charter (FL) where again they won commandingly 81-60. The Colonels get to chill much of this coming week having only one game at home against neighbor rivals Beechwood on Jan. 7. 2). Highlands - (8-4) The Birds hosted the very exciting 2 night Carespring Holiday Classic that included Cooper, Cincinnati Christian Hills Academy, and a very tough Vestavia team out of Alabama. Highlands lost their first game in a thriller against Vestavia 78-74, and then shot the lights out the next night against a pretty good Cincinnati Christian Hills Academy team 91-56. The Bluebirds have a busy week ahead first hosting the Jacob Meyer led Holy Cross Indians on Jan. 3, travelling to Newport on Jan. 6 for a 36th district seeding game, then hitting the road on Jan. 8th play a very tough top of the 16th Region team Ashland Blazer who just won their own prestigious Invitational. 3). Cooper - (10-3) The Cooper Jaguars are having quite an impressive season after last season's dismal one. Very nice bounce back for a Coach Sully team traditionally known to be in the thick of things in the 9th Region. The Jags played two nailbiting overtime games in the Caresping Holiday Classic at Highlands, first taking down Cincinnati Christian Hills Academy 66-63, then losing a heartbreaker to a tough Vestavia team out of Alabama 80-75. As a team I believe that they grew leaps and bounds by playing in this awesome classic proving to themselves to never never quit. In their game against CCHA they were down twice in the game by 11 but kept fighting back to ultimately win. The same never quit ethos was in full effect against Vestavia, and though they lost, it certainly had to be a moral victory for them as they had aboslutely nothing to hang their heads about in this loss. This coming week sees them travelling to the Hill at Newport Central Catholic on Jan. 5, and then on Jan. 8 they travel to 10th Region's George Rogers Clark to partake in the Tim Short Automotive Classic with a game against the David Henley coached Eastern Eagles. 4). Dixie Heights - (8-3) The Red Colonels hosted the Hurricane Tigers out of West Virginia, and lost in a close one 55-52, then comfortably took down a struggling Scott High Eagles who have started their season 1-11, 57-29. This coming week sees Dixie in a 34th District seeding game against St. Henry on Jan. 4 which very well could be a decent game, then on Jan. 7 they travel to Union, Ky to take on the Ryle Raiders in a game that could tell us alot about how close these two teams are as well as the level of parity in the 9th this season. 5). Conner - (10-3) The Cougars by merit of winning the City of Middletown Holiday Classic at Eastern that also included Holy Cross, get bumped up a spot to Number 5. Junior guard Landen Hamilton continues to woo and lead Conner in scoring with about a 20 ppg average, but the Cougars are not just a one trick pony having a dependable supporting cast of junior hot hand Ayden Lohr, and Daniel Campbell to help with the offensive output. As the Cougars just finally edged a hair over Holy Cross in the rankings, we get to see just who's boss between the two as they face off with each other on Jan. 4 in Hebron. On Jan. 7 sees the Cougars in a 33rd District seeding game at Boone. Co. 6). Holy Cross - (9-3) The rankings are getting so awfully crowded that I reluctently over the last couple of weeks have dropped the Indians from Number 4 to Number 6 without much justification. They continue to improve and impress as they're beginning to find more offense from players not named Jacob Meyer. They went 2-1 in the City of MIddletown Holiday Classic where they lost to the hosts Eastern, the same team that Conner beat. For those keeping track, Meyer is presently holding an impressive 41.5 ppg average that's probably tops in the state, and close to Robertson County's Justin Becker. The Indians really get the chance to show just what they're made of this coming week as they travel to Highlands to take on the Birds Jan. 3, then to Conner to take on the Cougars Jan. 4. 7). Ryle - (8-5) The sharp shooting Donovan Robinson led Ryle Raiders are proving to be a team to be reckoned with as they impressively landed themselves into the finals of the Dan Swartz Holiday Classic hosted by 16th Region's Bath County. They first beat West Carter 89-65, then Region 14's Estill County 94-61, to then losing to the hosts Bath County 73-41. They've a tough week ahead as they host the 2nd best team in the 10th Region, the Mason County Royals on Jan. 4, then another home game against the ever tough Dixie Heights Colonels on Jan. 7. 8). Boone County - (8-4) The Rebels continue to impress as they went 2-0 in the 10th Region's Nicholas County Holiday Classic first beating Region 8's Anderson County 61-51, then Region 11's Franklin County 71-46. They then lost a close one with East Central (IN) 58-54 in the East Central Indiana Invitational, then on the same day beat Holmes 68-47. They've two home games this coming week, first with Ludlow on Jan. 5, and then a 33rd Disctrict seeding game with Conner on Jan. 7. 9). Beechwood - (5-5) The Tigers are struggling a bit to find themselves, but while they went 1-2 in the Central Bank JIm Rose Classic at Lexington Christian, they are gelling and beginning to improve as a team. They first lost to McCracken County 69-55, then to hosts Lexington Christian 66-48, then finally a commanding win against East Jessamine 77-49. They've a busy week ahead first at Lloyd on Jan. 4, a neighborhood rival game at Covington Catholic on Jan. 7, then on Jan. 8 a home game against Region 8's North Oldham. Of the 3 Oldham teams in the 8th, North Oldham has the best record at 8-5. 10). Lloyd - (10-1) OK...Where do I begin? I wanted so much to believe the rumors that the Juggs this season were going to be tough. While this is partially true, and hard to argue with when they began their season 10-0, and making it to the finals of the Central Bank Jim Rose Classic at Lexington Christian losing only to 12th ranked McCracken County 48-28, I'm still not sold on them. To make matters worse they just lost their one and only 3 point threat in senior Ryan Davis who is out with a meniscus knee injury. They do have quality players in Hanover College commit senior Garrett Vogelpohl, eyecatching big guy Freshman E.J. Walker and so on, but while watching their loss against McCracken County I couldn't but help to think that they have a long way to go to be considered a great team. Even though McCracken is ranked 12th in the state, they dramactically exposed Lloyd's horrendous passing game, forcing turnover after turnover and limiting them to only 8, I repeat 8 second half points. It was not a pretty sight. It was just downright frustrating. In the coming weeks they finally begin to play some tough 9th Region teams, and it's then that I expect to see the real Lloyd Juggernauts stand up, and be exposed. This week sees them with a home game against Beechwood on Jan. 4th, and while the Tigers too are struggling a bit, I'm betting that they get the win in this one as they appear to be more disciplined than the Juggs. Lloyd then goes to Dayton on Jan. 7. 11). St. Henry - (5-5) 12). Holmes - (4-10) 13). Newport Central Catholic - (3-7) 14). Newport - (3-8) 15). Villa Madonna - (3-7) 16). Ludlow - (6-4) 17). Dayton - (4-4) 18). Heritage Academy - (3-6) 19). Bellevue - (2-10) 20). Covington Latin - (0-7)

The announcer was worth that one.

It's been brought to my attention that both Holy Cross and Conner will not be playing in Middletown, Oh, rather Middletown, Ky at Eastern High School at the Middletown Holiday Classic Dec. 27-29.

BluegrassPreps.com 9th Region Week 4 Review and Rankings: Week 4 saw many teams playing in holiday classics all across the state with great results for the 9th Region. Covington Catholic won the prestigeous King of the Bluegrass held at 6th Region's Fairdale south of the Louisville Metropolitan Area in 4 games beating Trinity, the hosts Fairdale, Male, and ultimately the Reed Sheppard led North Laurel. Cooper won the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge at 13th Region's South Laurel beating 12th Region's Rockcastle County, South Laurel, and ultimately taking down another 9th region foe in a tight one 42-40 over Dixie Heights. The Swauger Holiday Classic at Bellevue saw Jacob Meyer of Holy Cross go on a tear scoring 58 against Robertson County, and 54 points against Bracken Co. only fattening up his season scoring average. In both of those game, Justin Becker of Robertson Co. scored 48 points, and Blake Reed of Bracken County scored 42 points. It certainly was a shooters classic, and in a field of 16 many 9th Region teams faired well against visting closeby regions, mostly from the 8th & 10th Regions. Let's look at the Rankings: 1). Covington Catholic - (9-1) The Colonels made the 9th Region proud winning the pretegeous King of the Bluegrass held at Fairdale in 4 games beating Trinity 68-51, Fairdale 82-50, Male 68-56, and ultimately the Reed Sheppard led North Laurel 79-67. Evan Ispsaro had an incredible run throughout the tournament, but the awards committee saw fit to award Reed Sheppard of North Laurel the tournament MVP much to many Colonel faithful's chagrin. The Colonels will travel this week to the Villages of Florida as they do annually to play in their pretegeous 3 day tourney Dec 27-29, first playing Bartow, Fl in the 1st game on Dec. 27. 2). Highlands - (7-3) The Bluebirds lost to a very touch Huntington St. Joseph prep from Huntington, WV 89-61, then beat Cincinnati Taft 76-69. This coming week see the Birds hosting their own holiday classic, the Carespring Holiday Classic playing Vestavia from Alabama on Dec. 28, then Cincinnati Christain Hills Academy on Dec. 29 3). Cooper - (9-2) The Jaguars of Cooper are showing their worth by consistenly winning over other 9th Region teams with a balanced attack with multiple players contributing to being high scorer on any given night. After beating Dixie Heights in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challence this past week I had no other choice than to bump Cooper to the Number 3 spots in this week's rankings. They lost to the then undefeated Lincoln County Patriots out of the 12th Region 46-39, then beat Rockcastle County also out of Region 12 60-49, took down classic hosts South Laurel 45-39, and the ultimately winning the classic beating other 9th Region foe The Dixie Heights Colonels who was rated last week in the 9th Region rankings at number 2. This week Cooper will play in the Highlands hosted Carespring Holiday Classic facing first Cincinnati Christian Hills Academy on the Dec. 28, and then Vestavia from Alabama on Dec. 29. 4). Dixie Heights - (7-2) While I'm dropping Dixie to the 4th spot, they really didn't do much to deserve it but to lose to the new number 3 Cooper Jagsuars by 2 in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge at South Laurel 42-40. They're still pretty even in strengths, with both still on par with the Highlands Bluebirds. They will host Hurricane, WV on Dec. 28, then host Scott on Dec. 30th 5) Holy Cross - (7-2) The Indians really didn't do anything wrong this week to deserve slipping a spot in the rankings, but it's just because spots 2-5 has gotten rather crowded, and we can only rank things accordingly to satisfy trying to be as accurate as possible. The Jacob Meyer led Holy Cross Indians went on a tear this past week at the Swauger Holiday Classic at Bellevue beating first the Justin Becker led Robertson County Black Devils out of the 10th Region 111-74 seeing Meyer net and amazing classic record 58 points with Javier Ward also chipping in his 32 points. Ward is proving to be a very reliable 2nd scoring option for the Indians when Meyer is or isn't scoring 50+ points. In a running clock game they took down Carroll Co. 61-22, and against Bracken County Meyer again came to life scoring 54 points. In the Robertson Co. games Justin Becker of Robertson scored 48 points, and in the Bracken Couny win Black Reed scored 42 points. The Swauger sure was a shooters classic. This coming week see more holiday action games as the Indians travel to Middletown, OH to partake in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic Dec. 27-29 first facing Atherton out of the 7th Region. 6). Conner - (7-3) The Cougars beat Batavia, OH commandingly in their first game of the Scott Winter Classic 83-54, lost to Simon Kenton in a close one51-49, then lost to Oldham Co. in another close one 56-53. This week also sees the Cougars joining the Holy Cross Indians in the City of Middletown Holiday Classic Dec. 27-29 facing Seneca on Dec. 27 out of the 7th Region. 7). Lloyd Memorial - (7-0) The Juggernauts remain undefeated after winning 3 games in the Swauger Holiday Classic at Bellevue beating Williamstown 57-43, then Bishop Brossart 58-43, then Grant County 60-54. This coming week they travel to 11th Region's Lexington Christian to play in their Central Bank Jim Rose Classic Dec. 28-30 first facing off with Western Hills of Cincinnati, OH on Dec. 28th. On Dec. 31 the Juggs will host the Holmes Bulldogs which could tell us alot about the Lloyd. 8). Ryle - (6-4) Ryle beat Beechwood at Beechwood 65-61. This coming week sees the Raiders travelling to Region 16 to play in the Dan Swartz Classic at Bath County on Dec. 28-30 first matching up with West Carter from the 16th Region. 9). Boone County - (5-3) Boone County has jumped to the 9th position in the rankings this week by merit of win over Whitefield Academy 85-25, and a commanding victory over Newport Central Catholic 80-52. This week sees them travel to the Region 10 Nicholas County Holiday Classic on Dec. 27-28 facing Region 8's Anderson County on the 27th, then 11th Region's Franklin County on the 28th. Then on the 29th they travel to St. Leon, IN to take on Eastern Central. 10). Beechwood - (4-3) Beechwood lost to Ryle at home 65-61. The Tigers will travel to Lexington Christian to be in the 11th Region's Central Bank Jim Rose Classic facing McCracken County from the 1st Region. The field also included the Lloyd Juggernauts. 11). St. Henry - (4-5) 12). Holmes - (4-7) 13). Newport Central Catholic - (2-5) 14). Newport - (2-6) 15). Villa Madonna - (3-6) 16). Ludlow - (5-2) 17). Dayton - (4-4) 18). Heritage Academy - (3-6) 19). Bellevue - (2-10) 20). Covington Latin - (0-7)

Happy 80th Birthday Coach Shields! They'll never be another like you, you're a jolly good fellow that nobody can deny. I have great memories of attending your baseball as basketball clinics as a kid, and learned so much from you because of. I've enjoyed watching your sucesses over the years. Such a treasure you have been for Norhtern Kentucky sports.

Nice Writeup...enjoyed reading it, and glad the Birds pulled it off.

You guys do such a great job calling the games. I apprreciate your efforts bringing all of the Holy Cross Indians action our way.

Yep, I agree that if you don't read the fine print you don't realize that they'll continue to charge you monthly. In my case I knew, and unclicked the "Monthly charge" box. Double checked to make sure that it took...which it did, and then behind my back they bumped me back in without my knowledge. That there makes me a little nervous about ever subscribing again, and the only thing I use it for is the Sweet 16.

After Highlands won the Sweet 16 on April 3, 2021 I promptly cancelled my subscription so that they would not charge my credit card monthtly. I've been doing it this way for about the last 5 years, and it's important to cancel out so that you don't get monthy charges, and especially if all you care to watch is the Sweet 16. Well, this time I cancelled, double checked to make sure that it took, then about 4 months later I noticed when looking closer at my online statement that they had contintued to keep charging me monthly. I filed a complaint with my credit card company and won, and was reimbursed. Not saying they run a shady operation, but something was terribly wrong with their software to have bumped me back in again without my knowledge.

BluegrassPreps.com 9th Region Week 3 Review and Rankings: 3 weeks into the season we're starting to get a feeling for whose got game, who is struggling, and who is beginning to gel as a team. There are many teams that have similar strengths, so on any given night they can beat up on each other and come out with a different result depending on the night. As of now I'm fairly confident that the Top 10 rankings are close to accurate, but my gut says that this could easily change from week to week as we see more games played. Some of the more interesting developments in Week 3 are as follows: While Jacob Meyer is showing why he might be the best player in the 9th Region with his 38 points per game, Covington Catholic totally dismantled the Indians in their 35th District seeding game 87-45 limiting Meyer to a season low of 11 points. The Highlands Bluebirds consistently keep finding ways to win, and are now running with a 5 game winning streak, but two weeks in a row they've had close competitive games maybe with teams they were expected mostly to fair better than, but were in questionable games deep into the 4th period. One good example is that the Holmes Bulldogs who have mostly struggled so far this season went to Ft. Thomas with the intent to give the Birds a game, and indeed they did, keeping things interesting well into the 4th quarter until Highlands began pulling away winning 71-59. Holy Cross beat number 8 in the rankings Ryle 87-83, suggesting lots of parity within the 9th Region this season. The Cooper Jaguars keep rolling and getting it done. After a win against Ryle 64-55, they now hold a 3-0 record in the 33rd district seedings, and 6-1 overall. They have an edge over Conner, Ryle, and Boone Co. with those 3 mentioned teams playing each other very close. Last week I gave a shout out to the then 4-0 Ludlow Panthers, but this past week saw them going 1-2, losing firstly to the Villa Madonna Vikings in a 34th district squeaker 54-53 where they entered the 4th period down 14, went on a 19-4 run in the first 3:30 minutes of the 4th, winning that period 24-11 forcing turnover after turnover, and cashing in on it, having a 10 point run to start the quarter, then a 9 point run connecting on 3 3's in 30 seconds. Villa connected on a last second shot by Henry Thole, and a rough way for the Pathers to lose their first game after charging back so strongly. They followed up that game with another loss to Bracken County 75-65 where they were mostly in the game until Bracken pulled away in the 4th. After those two losses they commandingly beat the Dayton Greendevils 84-62. The Panthers are led by a fantastic freshman, Matthew Griffin who has an incredible basketball IQ for his age, and averaging 20 ppg. They are a fun fiesty bunch to watch where they rely heavy, but not entirely on the 3 point shot. With the benefit of them broadcasting their home games on youtube, and their first 7 games all being home games, I've enjoyed watching a team that has no real chance playing with the big boys of the 9th Region, but still playing their guts out, and having generally favorable results, and again led by a freshman. Their next game is at St. Henry in a 34th district seeding game on Dec. 28th, and it'll be interesting to see how the fair against the Crusaders. Ok...Now onto the rankings: 1). Covington Catholic - (6-1) The Colonels emphatically established just how far above they are against this season's 9th Region powerhouses by completley dismantling the Jacob Meyer led Holy Cross Indians 87-45, and limiting Meyer who has a 38 ppg average to only 11 points. Now they've made it to the quarterfinals of the King of the Bluegrass @ Fairdale by beating Trinity 68-51, will play Fairdale in the quarterfinals at 6:00 on Sunday in a quarterfinal field that consists of North Laurel, North Oldham, George Rogers Clark, Ashland Blazer, Male, and Dorman(Roebuck) SC. 2). Dixie Heights - (5-1) The Red Colonels took care of business again this week beating NewCath 75-57, then Newport 65-37. They are lead by Keirnan Geraci averaging 22 ppg, and Billy Wogenstahl avergaing 20 ppg. They also have a powerful and reliable supporting cast of Logan Landers, Jay Flynn, and the fantastic sopomore Hudson Blank. Dixie will play Dec. 21st-23rd in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge at South Laurel in a field of 10 that includes Cooper, with their first game against Harlan on Dec. 21st. 3). Highlands - (6-2) The 3rd Week of play saw the Bluebirds beating the Camels of Campbell Co. 59-54, and then the Holmes Bulldogs 71-59. They've consistently been led by Zac Barth, and Will Herald who with 7 games stats to go on both are averaging 18 ppg. They also have a reliabe supporting cast with Oliver Harris, Leyton Read, and Cole Kocher. 4). Holy Cross - (4-2) The Indians suffered a severe spanking this past week in a 35th District seeding game against the almighy Covington Catholic Colonels 87-45, where they held Jacob Meyer (38ppg) to only 11 points. They followed up that loss with a close win againts the Ryle Raider 87-83 seeing Meyer lead all scorers with 43 points. Javier Ward is proving to be the Indian's dependable second scoring option. On Dec. 21st-Dec. 24th Holy Cross will play in the annual Swauger Holiday Classic at Bellevue in a 16 team field that also includes other 9th Region teams; the hosts Bellevue, Lloyd, Newport, and Holmes. The Indians will face the 5-2 Robertson Co. Black Devils who are led by senior Justin Becker who is also averaging 38ppg. Should be interesting to see he and Jacob Meyer go to work. 5). Cooper - (6-1) The Cooper Jaguars keep rolling and getting it done. After a win against Ryle 64-55, they now hold a 3-0 record in the 33rd district seedings, and 6-1 overall. They have an edge over Conner, Ryle, and Boone Co. with those 3 mentioned teams playing each other very close. They also beat Beechwood 67-57. The Jags have had consistent scoring from a varied cast of characters in Caleb Brooks, Montana Phillips, Berry Blake, Gavin Lutz, and Ollier Trevor with the first four of these guys having led at least once in the high scoring of their 7 games. Week 4 sees the Jags competing in the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive Challenge, Dec. 21st-23rd in a field that also consists of Dixie Heights. The Jags will first face Rockcastle County from the 12th Region. 6). Conner - (6-1) The Cougars led by Landen Hamilton averaging 19 ppg, got it done this week with a win over Simon Kenton 54-48, then Campbell County 70-62. This week sees them playing in the Scott Winter Classic with a field that also consists of the hosts Scott, and Simon Kenton. 7). Lloyd - (4-0) The Juggs beat Bracken County 62-55, and had a game with Newport cancelled due to COVID. Scoring for Lloyd has come from multiple players with consistent scoring coming from Ryan Davis, Garrett Vogepohl, and Jeremiah Israel. The Juggs will play in the Swauger Holiday Classic at Bellevue Dec. 21st-24th. They first play Williamstown on Dec. 21, and Carroll County on Dec. 22. 8). Ryle - (4-4) Ryle beat Boone County in a district seeding game, 74-71 with a last second shot. then went on to losing in a close one with Holy Cross 87-83. Their lead scorer is Donovan Robinson who is averaging 20 ppg. On Dec. 21st the Raiders travel to Ft. Mitchell to take on the Tigers of Beechwood. 9). St. Henry - (3-4) The Crusaders lost to Paintsville 58-52, then beat Montgomery County 66-46 both at Rowan County in their holiday classic. The Cru will travel to Alexandria to face the Campbell County Camels on Dec. 20th, then a disctrict seeding game Dec. 22nd at home against Villa Madonna. 10). Beechwood - (4-2) The Tigers lost at home to Cooper 67-57, then beat Frankfort 62-56. I don't have enough stats yet on Beechwood to determine his scoring average, but hands down Cameron Boyd is their bread and butter hanging somewhere in the range of 20 ppg if not more. The Tigers have a game at home against Ryle on Dec. 21st at 3:00. 11). Boone County - (3-3) 12). Newport Central Catholic - (2-4) 13). Holmes - (2-6) 14). Newport - (1-4) 15). Villa Madonna - (3-5) 16). Ludlow - (5-2) 17). Dayton - (4-4) 18). Heritage Academy - (3-4) 19). Bellevue - (1-8) 20). Covington Latin - 0-5)

BluegrassPreps.com 9th Region Week 2 Review and Rankings: The 2nd week of 9th Region hoops has passed, but not without some interesting points worth noting. CovCath avenged their 2 losses to St. Henry last season by giving them quite a spanking with a 50 point victory, 82-32. Highlands held off this same St. Henry team who was at one point down by 23 in the first half just to charge back in the 2nd half to cut the Bird’s lead to 2, missing a 3 that would’ve given them the lead, then foul shots for Highlands took over to end the game 65-55. Holy Cross played 3 games at the famed Toyota Class at Scott County/Great Crossing, first losing to eventual tournament runner-up Frederick Douglas 69-67 then going on to beat Lexington Christian and Lafayette to round out their time in the tourney. The big news though for the Indians was Jacob Meyer breaking the previous individual scoring record for the tourney that was 101, to score an earth shattering 139 points. 42 in the first game. A Holy Cross single game scoring record of 53 points against Lexington Chritian, and then 44 points in the 3rd game. Meyer is currently averaging 43.5 points in his first 4 games of the season. Another noteworthy game was that Cooper beat Conner in 33rd district play 41-38 knocking the Cougars from the 5th spot in the rankings. There’s been much talk early on that the Lloyd Juggernauts are going to be a hot team this season. They didn’t play in the first week of the season, but jump started their season in the 2nd week going 3-0, but it’s still to be seen just what they are made of when they start facing stiffer competition. Last but not least, I’d like to give a shout out to the Ludlow Panthers for starting their season 4-0 with an average of 12 3’s per game. There’s 4, maybe 5 players for the Panthers that have been consistently knocking down their 3’s. Their last 2 seasons saw them with 18 wins respectively. With their fast start already this season, I’d bet that they’ve got a goal for their team to achieve a 20 win season. While they’re doing great so far, I still can’t quite justify placing them in the Top 10 in the rankings. Covington Catholic - (4-1) The Colonels went the 2nd week continuing to show why they’re Number 1 in the rankings, and Number 2 in the state. They spanked the Crusaders of St. Henry pretty hard, and then turned around to commandingly beat an ever tough Cincinnati GCL team La Salle, 72-35. They saw their first loss of the season by the hands of a tough Cathedral team out of Indianapolis. Mitchell Rylee and Evan Ipsaro are both hanging around a scoring average of 20 ppg. The Colonels travel to Latonia to face Holy Cross in a 35th District matchup on Dec. 14th, then play in the King of the Bluegrass at Fairdale, first facing Trinity on Dec. 17th. Dixie Heights - (3-1) The Red Colonels took care of business this past week first beating Campbell Co. 86-74, then dismantling the Bulldogs of Holmes, 76-45. Dixie travels to Newport to face the Thoroughbreds of Newport Central Catholic on Dec. 16th, then have a home game against Newport on Dec. 17th. Highlands - (4-2) The Bluebirds outlasted both Scott, 75-68, and St. Henry 65-55 in two very competitive games, then got an impressive win over Desales 85-80. The Birds travel to Campbell Co. Dec. 13th, then have a home game against Holmes on Dec. 17th. Holy Cross - (3-1) Holy Cross made a decent showing in the Toyota Classic this weekend going 2-1 led by Jacob Meyer who scored a tournament record 139 points in 3 games, highlighting this surge by scoring a record 53 points in their game against Lexington Christian, breaking a Holy Cross single game individual scoring record. The Indians will host the almighty CovCath Colonels in a 35th district seeding game on Dec. 14th, then travel to Ryle on Dec. 18th. Cooper - (4-1) The Jaguars of Cooper jumped to the 5th spot in the rankings this week by merit of beating the previous Number 5 Conner Cougars in a 33rd district game, 41-38, then turning around an beating a very tough Walton Verona team, 69-56. The Jags travel to Ryle in another 33rd district game on Dec. 14th, then meet up with the Beechwood Tigers in Ft. Mitchell on Dec. 17th. 6. Conner - (4-1) Conner dropped one spot to 6 in the rankings this week after losing a close one to 33rd district rival Cooper, 41-38. The Cougars have two away games this coming week, first at Simon Kenton on Dec. 14th, then Campbell Co. on Dec. 16th. Lloyd Memorial - (3-0) Judging by all of the rumors of the Juggs having a pretty nice team this season, and with them jumping out of the gate with a 3-0 start to the season, I’m going out on a limb and placing Lloyd at Number 7 in the rankings this week. We’ll see in the coming weeks if they are truely deserving. Their 3 victories this week were against Villa Madonna, 75-38, Ryle, 75-63, and Taylor (Cleves, Oh) 76-50. Lloyd travels to Newport on Dec. 14th, then to Bracken Co. on Dec. 18th. Ryle - (4-2) The Ryle Raiders commandingly beat Carroll Co. 90-43, but lost to Lloyd 75-63. Ryle has a tough week ahead, first with two 33rd district games against Cooper at home on Dec. 14th, away at Boone Co. on Dec. 17th, then a home game with Holy Cross Dec. 18th. St. Henry - (2-3) The Crusaders lost a couple of tough ones this week against Covington Catholic 82-32, then to Highlands 65-55. While I dropped them to 9 this week in the rankings, I do believe that they’ve grown as a team this week, and mostly during their game against Highlands where they came back from being down by 23 in the first half to cutting it to 2 in the 4th quarter. St. Henry will travel to Rowan County to play in the Stock Yards Bank and Trust Challenge first playing Paintsville out of Region 15 on Dec. 17th, then Montgomery Co from Region 10 on Dec 18th. Beechwood - (2-1) The Tigers beat Bracken Co. 68-59, then impressively beat Scott 71-43. Beechwood has a busy week, first at Bishop Brossart on Dec. 13th, a home game against Cooper on Dec. 17th, then against Frankfort at Harrison Co. in the Huck Turner Classic on Dec. 18th. Boone County - (3-2) Newport Central Catholic - (2-1) Ludlow - (4-0) Holmes - (1-3) Newport - (1-3) Dayton - (3-2) Villa Madonna - (1-4) Heritage Academy - (2-2) Bellevue - (1-4) Covington Latin - (0-4)

They graduated 8 seniors.

I stand corrected... https://www.rcnky.com/articles/2021/12/08/dan-weber-cov-cath-turns-long-wait-short-game

At the risk of splitting insignificant hairs, I’d venture to say that CovCath will bring it no matter who they’re playing, and that their players were well aware that they weren’t playing the same guys they played last season, and that a pounding was a foregone conclusion considering their inexperience, and that nary a player gave it much thought knowing that a whole set of different players were wearing those Crusader jerseys. Not really much to brag about considering they weren’t facing the likes of say a Jude Bessler, or a Wyatt Vieth. Conversely, I suppose some might surmise that it was a big deal to the Colonels, but personally I really doubt that it was.

Number 2 in the state, Covington Catholic only lost a couple of key players from last year’s team to graduation, while St. Henry lost 10 seniors, and many key players. One team is essentially the same team as they were last season, and one team is not. One team is full of highly experienced varsity players, and one team is not. With all of that said, I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised by this margin of victory, or even consider this much of a revenge match considering that the Colonels weren’t even playing against the same guys as they were last season. Sure they lost to St. Henry twice last season, but that was last season, and this season offers quite a different set of circumstances. Regarding St. Henry’s strength, they do have some nice players, and an exceptional coach in David Faust. As the season progresses I expect them to be competitive with nearly every team in the 9th Region not named Covington Catholic. Highlands and Dixe will probably have their number as well. Outside of that I expect St. Henry to have a fairly decent season while they’re in the process of rebuilding.

I can't say for certain, but about 7 or 8 years ago when they had the high scoring Mitchell Blewitt, they threw their hat back in the ring for a couple of seasons because with him they were sorta competitive. I think that once he graduated, they went back to staying away from district play.

I think that at this point it's kinda hard to say... I see CovCath as tier 1, then I'd have Dixie and Highlands as tier 2, then a slight drop off with Holy Cross and Conner as tier 3, then tier 4 is where it gets really difficult to say with so many teams that could beat each other on any given night, and also be competitive with tier 3 teams. The season will have to play out some for us to really get a better take on the strengths of a lot of the teams. I hate to jump too soon to the end of the season, but it feels pretty certain that this year goes to CovCath.

BluegrassPreps.com 9th Region Week 1 Review and Rankings: Well, we’ve got Week 1 of the new high school hoops season in the can, and while yearly the first week typically sorta limps into action with teams, and their players learning their roles, we’ve already seen some teams hitting the ground running with some dynamite action. While we’ve learned a few things already, there’s still a lot to learn. As the season progresses we will know more, but ranking the Top 10 isn’t too easy at this juncture. Sure, we can be fairly sure of who’s no doubt the strongest teams in the region, but it’s the middle ground that tends to get a bit muddy. Have mercy on me for at this point much of it simply a guessing game. Covington Catholic (2-0) The number 1 team in the 9th Region is one that I think everyone can agree on. The Colonels come into the season ranked No. 2 in the state. They made a statement right out of the gate with a 19 point win over arguably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the region (depending on who you talk to), with their 79-60 win over Dixie Heights. Miami of Ohio commit Mitchell Rylee wasted no time establishing himself as THE MAN, netting 34 points in this contest along with numerous dunks in the game. They followed this game up the next day with a victory over Paul Laurence Dunbar 67-60. This coming week sees the Colonels in a home game against St. Henry on Dec. 7, then LaSalle(OH) at home on Dec 10, then an away game on Dec. 11 at Cathedral(Indianapolis). Dixie Heights (1-1) The Red Colonels of Dixie Heights has a core group of experienced players who saw much playing time last season, only losing a couple of seniors to graduation. They began the season with a nice win over Eastern 66-59, then they took one on the chin against state ranked No. 2 CovCath, but held their own pretty much the whole first half. 6’6 Billy Wogenstahl connected on 12 first quarter points, but also got into early foul trouble having him spend too much time sitting. Senior Keirnan Geraci carried much of the load finishing with 27 points. This coming week Dixie has a home game with Campbell Co. on Dec 7, and then they travel to Holmes on Dec 10. Highlands (1-2) The defending state champs didn’t waste any time getting their heart rate going with their crazy back and forth high scoring affair with the Bearcats of Walton Verona in their first game of the season that could’ve gone either way, but ultimately Walton prevailed 97-94. Walton is no joke with their superb talent (but that’s another story). The Birds followed up that loss with an impressive overtime win over Cane Ridge(Nashville, TN) 86-79. Cane Ridge are ranked by MaxPreps at #29 and feature Alabama recruit Brandon Miller who is the #10 player in the country. They then lost to McCracken Co. 63-57, a team they beat in the Sweet 16 last season. Zac Barth is proving to be the leader of these Birds, and Will Herald hasn’t lost his touch shooting the 3. While it’s hard to replace all of the offensive output of Sam Vinson, and Luke Muller, these Birds are still a force to be reckoned with. The Birds play Scott at home on Dec. 7, travel to St. Henry on Dec. 9, then play DeSales on Dec. 11. Holy Cross (1-0) The Indians so far have only played one game, but they impressively beat a very good Hamilton(OH) team. Western Kentucky commit Jacob Meyer got his 30+ is this affair with no one else in double figures. I expect to see this change in coming games as their players learn their roles. Holy Cross play Dec. 9-11 in the Toyota Classic at Scott County/Great Crossing with their first contest against Frederick Douglas. Conner (2-0) The Conner Cougars have had a nice start to their season first beating Scott 67-46, then in a barn burner of a game beat the St. Henry Crusaders on a last second shot by Landen Hamilton, 59-56. I tell ya that kid is a winner. If that’s the way he’s gonna start the season, then we’re sure to see a lot more amazing feats from him as the season progresses. Conner travels to Cooper on Dec. 7, then at home against Boone Co. on Dec. 10, then away at Newport on Dec. 11. St. Henry (1-1) While the Crusaders lost 11 seniors to graduation, they still had players in the pipe just waiting for their chance to show their worth. They started the season with a 54-50 win over Cooper, then lost on a last second shot, 59-56 to No. 5 Conner. Camden Fedders is proving to be their high scorer. The Crusaders have their hands full with an away game with CovCath on Dec. 7, and then on Dec. 11 they play in the John Turner Classic at Newport against Fayetteville-Perry(OH). Cooper (2-1) Cooper is looking like a better team this season after a down year last season. After a close loss to St. Henry in their first game, 54-50, they beat Boone Co. 72-37, then Campbell Co. 64-49. The Jaguars play Conner at home on Dec. 7, then Walton Verona at home on Dec. 9. Ryle (2-1) The Ryle Raiders started their season with a loss to Simon Kenton 79-64, then beat Harrison Co. 78-69, and Pendleton Co. 78-46. I think we’ll get a better idea of how Ryle fits into the 33rd district when they face teams like Conner and Cooper. Ryle will face Carroll Co. at home Dec. 7, then again at home against Lloyd on Dec. 9, then at Robertson Co. on Dec. 10. Lloyd - (0-0) The Juggernauts have yet to play a game, but word on the street is that they're going to be a hot team this season with their experienced as well as young up and coming talent. They have Hanover College commit senior Garrett Vogelpohl, sharp shooter Ryan Davis, a 6’7 top Freshman in the state, E.J. Walker, and round out their starting five with talented players Zaire Monroe and Jeremiah Israel. Once we see them in action we will know if they are deserving to move up in the ranks. The Juggs start their season Dec. 8 at Villa Madonna, at Ryle Dec. 9, then play Taylor(Cleves, OH) in the John Turner Classic at Newport on Dec. 11. Newport Central Catholic - (2-0) The Breds started their season with a 72-57 win over Dayton, then 57-54 win over Letcher Co. Central. NewCath have some nice pieces in sharp shooter Joel Iles, and his sophomore brother Jase, but it’s still to be seen just how strong they are this season. The Breds will face Campbell Co. on Dec. 11 at the John Turner Classic at Newport. Beechwood (0-1) Holmes (1-1) Newport (1-0) Ludlow (2-0) Boone Co. (1-1) Villa Madonna (0-3) Dayton (2-1) Bellevue (1-1) Heritage Academy (0-1) Covington Latin (0-2)

Wow...thanks for doing the research. ? Go Panthers! I watched a bit of this game, and part of me kept thinking that Ludlow lives and dies by the 3 because they just quickly jack them up possession after possession, and surely the Mustangs would outsmart them, but these Panthers are also a feisty bunch with a never say die attitude. Kudos to them! I love seeing Ludlow get the 'W' considering it's the first time ever against Brossart.

The scoreboard has Bishop Brossart with 53, but they indeed had 52. I wonder when was the last time Ludlow beat Bishop Brossart?

7'2? Wow! Gonna have to check him out.

Awesome breakdown!?

Not sure where he is now, but when he was at South Dearborn he broke a national high school record for coming from behind down about 29 points in the 4th quarter, and going on to win. Then he came back to the 9th Region for at least a year as an assistant coach at Dixie. Since then I haven't a clue where he is, and it's a bit surprising as basketball and coaching is solidly in his blood, so it would be surprising to hear that he ever hung it up.

Just got back from a Holmes/Dayton scrimmage at Holmes thanks to the heads up from @allsport71 For starters I goofed with names in my top 10 players. It’s Tayquan Calloway, and not Quantez Calloway that I would have in my top 10. My takeaway from the scrimmage is that Tayquan has indeed matured, and will be the steady talented mature hand leading this season’s Bulldogs, (Quantez will not be playing as he’s concentrating on the looks he’s been getting to play college football), but before anyone thinks that they are a one trick pony, they’ve got this exciting junior guard in Miguel Garcia who has great handles and an fantastic 3-ball stroke, and along with him some much need length in forward Josh Perrin. While they still have a lot to work on with many new varsity starters, they also have a very hard December schedule with some stiff competition, and while they might not be on the winning end of those challenges, they’ll certainly get some much needed tough opposition to kick them into gear. Coach Carr was very colorful today, so he’ll be sure to make sure of that.

It’s been brought to my attention that there are a handful of other players worthy to watch that haven’t been previously mentioned. First we have Cooper’s 6’8 junior Caleb Brooks that reportedly has a good stroke. Also junior guard Kascyl McGillis, and senior forward James Wilson of Covington Catholic should be playing bigger rolls this season for the ever talented Colonels. It’s also been noted that no one should sleep on the St. Henry Crusaders. While they lost 11 seniors to graduation, they have a plethora of JV players who’ve been waiting their turn that are true ballers. They’ve 2 seniors in forward Camden Fedders, and forward Owen Setters. Special notice has been given to juniors Matthew Resing, and Rhet Ravenscraft. They reportedly have great guard play, and tons of size. It’ll be interesting to see how they fair after losing a ton of talent to graduation. A couple of other players to watch are senior guard Cole Shumate, and 6’6 sophomore Jashaun Pouncy of Boone County. If there’s any players that haven’t already been mentioned that are worthy of notice, please do post their names.