insider

Please don't give the Hester excuse. I went to this game and Shelby held Simon Kenton in check all night. Hester found out that last year's regional final was no fluke and that Shelby has the players that can guard him man to man. "Hester wasn't himself" ? Hester couldn't get by the kid that was guarding him that is why he wasn't himself. Simon Kenton got killed on the boards and they couldn't keep Shelby from driving past them off the dribble. Even without Wade in the paint to challenge shots Shelby showed that they are still the team to beat in the 8th region. Shelby had a great game plan that didn't allow Hester to get much accomplished, 3 points, that had more to do with defense and less to do with Hester. Don't make excuses, Shelby beat Simon Kenton. I will refer to some of the posts I made earlier this season in regards to Simon and Shelby. "Shelby has athletes and Simon struggles with athletic teams." Good win for Shelby! Don't give excuses if you are Pioneer fans just hope Steiner can find a way to beat Shelby in early March.

A defensive assist is much like an offensive assist only it pertains to steals. Example: A kid is guarding the ball handler and the ball handler attempts to pass the ball to the wing. The defender is able to deflect the ball off of its orginal line and someone on the defending team is able to track it down for the steal. The steal goes to the player that actually retrieves the ball and the defensive assist goes to the player that made the deflection. Not a lot of people know about this stat because it is so hard to track accurately. The act of deflecting a pass or any type of deflection, (deflect the ball from the dribbler) and having a teammate pick it up for a steal is what they are talking about with the defensive assist.

Franklin is a very up and down team. It is strange trying to gauge them because for the last couple of years they have had some talent but they just can't get it going. Part of the problem is their region but if you look at how they have done against top schools from other regions they are struggling there as well. Chalk needs to figure something out and fast.

And yes it was one heck of an effort by Gallatin. I just feel bad for them because this was supposed to be the game that showed they were legitimate contenders. They played, what can be aruged, their best game all year and still came up short. Despite the "moral victory" it is still going to be in those kids' minds that they just can't get over the hump against the top 8th region schools. I hope they can bounce back from that loss a make a run for the class A crown.

Wade got in early foul trouble in this game. As a matter of fact two of Shelby's three post men were tagged with two fouls three minutes into the game. This proved to be a big factor because they were not their to contest the shots in the paint for Gallatin. When Wade was in the game he changed the game on defense because he was able to challenge the shots around the basket. They didn't really need him to score because Chambers had his way on the inside. Man he is big and strong. I still can't believe the little guard from Gallatin tried to stop that dunk!

The officiating was questionable at times during the game but for the most part it wasn't an issue. The only time it became an issue is exactly when Mack mentioned. I could not believe the official did not give the kid from Shelby a "T" especially when the same guy had already given a "T" to Wade for something a great deal less. What was even more confusing was the way all three officials took a fair amount of time to conference after the call and ending up putting .1 seconds of more time on the clock? .2 to .3? Again great basketball game. By the way I was sitting on the Gallatin side so I could take in the excitement from the home fans. GOOD SUPPORTERS!!! And yes it was a group of kids from Owen providing the student section for Shelby. A few even wore the Owen County b-ball shirts!

Shelby looked like they were feeling the affects of their game the night before. When they opened the game I think they turned it over four or five straight times. Gallatin played a great game and almost, on a bad call, had a chance to win it in regulation. Gallatin showed they are a good basketball team but failed to capture the victory on a night when Shelby was not very sharp.

I don't think anyone is diminishing Gallatin's season and calling them a bad team. They have put up some impressive numbers this year and, when they are on, can light the gym up. Edmonson was a big addition to the team but he is no stranger to Shelby. Shelby plays smothering defense and this will be tough for the Wildcats to overcome.

Hester could not handle Shelby's athletes last year. In the regional championship game they shut him down until the game was in the bag. I have watched Shelby a few times this year and everytime I see them I am impressed with their defeinsive abilities. As far as the best athlete I can't see how there would be any argument other than Wade. He is not the most skilled player but as far as pure athleticism he has it hands down. Heck, Wade isn't the best player on Shelby's team but he is by far the best athlete. If I recall correctly you also made the argument last year the Hester was just as good as Slaughter. I am not being critical but to say that screams fan bias, which makes it hard to buy into the fact that Hester would be "pound for pound" the best athlete. Best basketball player, probably best athlete, no. There are three and maybe four kids on Shelby that are better athletes. Chambers, Wade, Cochran, Minnis

Shelby handled Franklin County 63 - 49. This is somewhat surprising because I thought the Flyers were a good team and really had a chance to knock off Shelby. Maybe Shelby didn't fall off as much as some people would have liked to believe after losing Slaughter.

Shelby just dismantled Franklin County last night and have Woodford on Friday before traveling to Gallatin. If Shelby does what they are supposed to on Friday their top guys will get plenty of rest before the game with Gallatin. I know Gallatin boasts a nice record but a look at their schedule tells you why. 12 of their 18 games have come against 8th region opponents which means they have played a number of small schools and some of the them twice. Shelby has played a much stronger schedule and is used to playing top of the line competition. This, along with the impressive height and ability that Shelby possesses, will carry them to victory on Saturday night. I will not be surprised if the game is close for a while because this is a season maker for Gallatin but in the end Shelby most likely wins this one by double digits.

SK will have to figure out a way to beat Shelby if they are going to win the regional title. I still believe Shelby is better than SK even with Hester on the floor. The one thing that Shelby has is athletes. Hester, just like in last year's regional championship game, will have a hard time having his way with the kids from Shelby. If I recall last year's game correctly Shelby was able to bottle up Hester for a majority of the game and he didn't start scoring until the game was in hand for the Rockets, which was late in the 4th quarter. Also Hurd has been a big force for the Pioneers this year but he has not had to contend with anyone that has the shot blocking ability of Wade nor has he had to guard any other big man with the skills of Chambers. In order for SK to win the 8th they are going to need a lot more than Hester.

Exactly. Different teams and different matchups. Also I would have to believe Shelby most likely just went through the motions against Grant. Shelby's only three losses have come against top twenty five teams and all of those games have been close. I just don't see how Gallatin will be able to guard Shelby. The Rockets are to big and have to much athleticism for Gallatin. This game may be close for a some time but in the end Shelby just has to much of what Gallatin doesn't. Rockets by double digits.

SK needs to get Hester healthy and operating at full capacity in a hurry. Coach Steiner should hold him out until he is as close to recovered as possible. The Pioneers can't afford to bring him back to soon and risk him reaggravating his injury. I hope this happens soon for the Pioneers or they won't have much of a shot of dethroning Shelby and keeping them from a return trip to Rupp.

Hard to say right now. Right now Hester would be on for sure but Hurd may would have a hard time because of Shelby's two big men (Chambers and Wade) and CJ Penny from Anderson. Spencer County also has a pretty good big man. Dunlop (Oldham) probably gets on this team and beyond those you start filling slots with some of the standouts from the smaller schools in the region. It is hard to get a solid idea about this because the small 8th region schools very rarely schedule the larger schools. Oldham County may be the only team that consistently gets to play the smaller 8th region schools. This makes it hard to choose because you don't see those smaller schools play against the level of competition the larger schools bring.

Gallatin is the best of the small schools in the 8th region. I look for them to repeat as All A champs this year and make a run at the All A title but they just don't have what it takes to be contenders in the real show. They may actually make it to Henry for the tourney this year but that will be about it.

That should be a very good game. Hester will need to be on his game for that matchup. Shelby is a very tall team. I was impressed with their height in the King of the Bluegrass. They don't score very many points which may hurt them against Simon Kenton. Shelby plays extremely tough defense that teamed with the length and athleticism make them a tough mathcup for the Pioneers offense. It will be tough on Mike Hester to be all go for this game. If he doesn't come back until early February he will need at least two weeks to get himself back into the shape he needs to lead his team. He will make a difference but the grind of a big game so soon after a long lay-off will have its affects. I think the Shelby-Simon game will be a good test for Coach Steiner's supporting cast. They will have to step up big to pull of that win on the road.

No Simon Kenton may be due to their strength of schedule. They have played a number of games but only a few of those were strong opponents (Central, Henry Clay and Holmes). If you go by this poll Shelby is still the favorite in the 8th. Interesting....

I would agree I think Henry Clay is similar to Shelby. Both the Rockets and Blue Devils have athletic teams that can cover ground. SK has the advantage in terms of guard play in the 8th region. They have the region's best guard who has the ability to do a lot of good things on the court. If I were an SK fan I would be less concerned with the ashthma attack and beginning to worry about the lingering problems Hester is having staying healthy. His quickness is his biggest asset and that could be compromised some by a foot injury. The Pioneers are off to a good start and will definitely make a strong push for the 8th region title.

I don't mean to bash Gallatin but calling Henry a strong team is a big stretch. I will say that Gallatin may be able to win the 8th region All A tournament but there chances of winning the real deal is slim to none. I would have to agree that among the smaller schools they may very well be a target team but when you place them in the larger 8th region picture their star begins to fade. At the onset of the season I was going to be an interested observer at the Gallatin-Shelby game. I heard the talk that Gallatin could make a run this year and they were confident enough to schedule the defending regional champs for a home game. That being said: an eight point loss to Henry, no matter the circumstances or point in the season, doesn't point to a team ready to make a run in the 8th region.

I saw where some people were choosing Gallatin to make some noise this year in the 8th region. I always assumed that was a stretch and this score proves it. I am not trying to knock the Wildcats but I think some of their fans were putting unrealistic expecations on them. Losing to Henry County, even on a real BAD night, is something that Simon Kenton and Shelby County would never have done.

I think it depends a lot on the quality of the program you are looking at. While there are several teams that post questionable numbers as stats there are just as many that take the time to do it correctly. I would guess that some of your consistent contenders are accurate with their statistics. For example I would think teams like: Scott County, Lexington Catholic, Louisville Male, Louisville Ballard, Covington Catholic, etc.... would take the time to do things the correct way. This isn't to say that others don't this is just a random list of thoughts.

Good early season game for both teams. Tough game for Shelby to start the season with after losing their backcourt, namely AJ Slaughter, to graduation. Madison Central has the tools to make A LOT of noise this year. They are the defending 11th Region champs but Scott County will also be extremely difficult to deal with. Shelby, on the other hand, must have had more coming back than people expected. The box score shows they had the lead going into 4th despite shooting miserable from the free throw line. One interesting note is that Wade's name is not in the box score.

I agree that Gallatin has some good basketball players but it may be a little far to say they are threats to win the 8th. Shelby lost a major portion of their backcourt to graduation so they will definitely be a different team. If I am not mistaken their JV team was pretty good last year so if they can fit those pieces around their returning players, namely their posts and swingman, they will be a tough out. Early I would have to give the edge to Simon Kenton because they return Hester. He has the combination of skills and heart to lead an experienced Simon Kenton team to Rupp. It may take awhile for the Pioneers to get past the injury bug but once they get it going they will be a tough team to beat. All being said, Gallatin has a January 20th date with Shelby. The Rockets will travel to Gallatin in what will no doubt be a game that Gallatin fans and players will have circled on their calendars. You can almost here the David vs. Goliath speech in the Gallatin locker room now? Isn't high school basketball great?:thumb:

It is all about politics. Slaughte was the best player in the state this year and it is a shame that we send all star teams out to represent the state and tote on of the worse players on the team as Mr. Basketball. The problem is the "good old boy system" that dominates the Kentucky Mr. Basketball vote. All it takes, as we saw this year, is the boys from the mountains get together and decide they are gonna vote for "one of their own" and you get this type of disgrace. Allen may be a good kid and may lead prayers after every game he plays in but he wasn't good enough to be on the floor with any of those kids from Indiana.