WILDMAN

I am under the impression that Sophomore Travis Smith will be the QB for the Hounds this year. Corbin has some questions on the Line but that always seems to work itself out. Corbin has always produced great linemen. The backfield again should be absolutely loaded. Caleb Watkins and Ryan Fritts return along with Matthew Taylor and Brady Foley. Watkins is the real deal. He has the size, strength, and blazing speed. He played in the last game with a severe high ankle sprain. Fritts was the leading rusher on the team and feature back last season before tearing his ACL. I saw Ryan at the Sweet 16 and he has really bulked up a lot. He has to be pushing 200. It didn't appear to be bad weight either.

Hooray

Chris Dowe was the player for Eastern that hit all those big threes.

I agree, he has been a joy. I am really going to miss watching him play. For my own selfish reasons, I hope he stays close for college just so I could watch him. I read in an article tha Coach Pietrowski said, Centre, Transy, and a few D-1 schools were looking and hoped this tournament could draw in some more offers. I would say Josh didn't hurt his case by his performance tonight. The kid probably deserves his own thread. Games like tonight could have easily been the norm for him. There is not a doubt in my mind he could have easily averaged 30 points and 12-13 rebounds a game. The kid is just a team player. Him being unselfish has probably hurt his chances at getting noticed by some more prestigious programs but I bet dollars to dimes that he wouldn't have it any other way. He is team first all the way. It just shows what kind of kid he is. He is a great ambassador to Corbin athletics and Kentucky High School athletics in general. I can honestly say that I would not trade him for one single player in the state of Kentucky.

Hats off to Corbin. When it comes to team, Corbin is probably a better basketball team. However, Eastern is more athletic and created awkward match up problems. They are clearly the most dominant team in the tournament when it comes to matching up. They are tremendous shooters and I love how they take advantage of the forgotten 12 foot jumper. They don't have a big man in the least bit so out of necessity, they send all 5 to the boards. I like how they do that. I didn't like the outcome but that was the big difference because it caused Corbin to commit a lot of fouls and catch them off guard. Hats off to the Hounds. They came out in the second quarter and looked to be ready to open the flood gates. Then Smith goes down and obviously was playing the last part of the game on heart alone. Him going out, forced his younger brother (who is a fine player but only a freshman but played excellent) into minutes. Josh being in there could have or could not have been the difference. That's just part of the game. Congrats to the Eastern kids. They deserved it. Josh Crawford was excellent. He didn't put up the numbers as everyone expected but tonight is what he could do any night of the week if he chose not to be so unselfish. You will be lucky to find a better player than the kid in this tournament. He won't get mister basketball but when he was touted as the best freshman back in 2006, I wouldn't be so quick to say he is not the best senior in 2009. The kid is a warrior and will be remembered as a Corbin legend. BEst of luck to a great player and even better young man. He will have a great life ahead of him. We'll miss him. Also kudos to all of the seniors. Lee Crawford, Josh Smith, and Blake Hendrickson played their hearts out this year. It hurt me to see Hendrickson not be able to play tonight. He was one of the tougher kids on the team and one of the better rebounders in the 13th region. He could have made a difference.

Crawford is 100% this year. Corbin has so many weapons and Josh is very unselfish. Sometimes it could be viewed as his only fault. Crawford, Wilson, Johnson, and Smith are all capable of having 30 point games. Josh is going to get you 10-15 rebounds on most nights and play ecellent defense. There may not be but 4 or 5 players that are stronger than him in the whole tournament (Wilson and Patterson of Central included). Josh is very very capable of being a 27 13 type player. He just distributes the ball well. He probably avg about 5 or 6 assist per game.

Corbin has a huge fan following. When the Hounds are at Rupp or in a big time football playoff game, you can bet the farm that half the town and 50% of the living alumni are there in full force.

One good thing corbin has going for them against the speed is that Corbin is really long for a high school team. The wingspan of the players which are pretty quick in their own right could possibly disrupt some passing lanes. Eastern appears to be similar size but regardless i think Corbin can step up the D. This one is a toss up and we'll just have to continue talking about it and let the boys decide this one on Wednesday night. Looking forward to it.

Also from Corbin 6'4" Madison Johnson and 6'3" Josh Smith

Hazard Adair County Central Corbin Lexington Catholic Holmes Shelby Valley Anderson County Adair Corbin Holmes Shelby Valley Corbin Holmes Corbin Tie Breaker 116

I think this game is going to be a dandy. People seem to be buying into the mountain team stereotype I think. Corbin may or may not match Eastern's athleticism but they will be surprised by the Hounds. Corbin is very athletic. You look at them and think that they are a bunch of football players that like to slow it down and beat you black and blue. They are plenty capable of executing in that slow down type of physical game but these kids can get out and run up and down the floor. Even the big 6'4" 260 pound Center can scoot up and down the floor. Corbin will definitely have to box out. Their size and strength should work to a serious advantage if they do that. A few times throughout the season, Corbin has sometimes cleared out and started running the other way thinking Crawford will be there to get the rebound. Josh can do a whole lot but one man can't do everything. Corbin likes to play above the rim. When Corbin is focusing on the team oriented style, they are one of the most impressive passing teams. Against a team as quick and athletic as Eastern, they will have to make smart crisp passes or it will go the other way in a hurry. Corbin can also get hot and shoot you out of the gym. Most of the time it's Johnson that heats up but Josh Smith and Isaac Wilson can fill it up as well. If 2 of the 3 are both on, chances are, Corbin takes this one. If all 3 are, Corbin is hard for anyone to beat. You know you are going to get a solid game from Crawford and Manns. They may not always get 20 points but they'll contribute to it by finding the open man.

What kind of size does Eastern have? Corbin will be able to run with them for sure. Will Eastern be able to run with Corbin? Other than the point guards, Corbin is pretty much 6'3 and 6'4" across the boards. The kids from Corbin are very very athletic but are big and strong as well. You can make an argument that Corbin is probably the most physical team in the sweet 16. People will probably say that Corbin needs to slow it down. I'm not so sure that Eastern may not need to slow it down. Corbin isn't your typical mountain team other than the fact they like to play rough and tough all while going 90 mph.

I hate to see part of the Redhound family (Billy Hicks) go down but hats off to Catholic. I knew they had a great team when I saw them play at Corbin. Congrats to the Knights.

Likewise to your Dawgs. Didn't sound like it was a fun game to watch but a W is a W. Always knew you guys would be at Rupp.

Man alive, what a game. This is truly a Corbin fan's dream! Winning the region while not only defeating South Laurel but destroying them is a sweet feeling. First of all, hats off to the South Laurel kids and staff. They had a great season and got back to the title game when big expectations weren't put on them as in years past. Like em or not, they have always been a class bunch. Best wishes to those kids and coaches. They will be back before long. As for the game, what can you say about those seniors? All four of them stepped up for the Hounds. Blake Hendrickson and Lee Crawford provided huge lifts off the bench and Smith and Crawford were great tonight. Isaac Wilson also played a great game after sub par games due to foul trouble in the first two rounds. Manns was an animal on the boards and pushed big St. John around all night long. Johnson may have not scored a lot but I was impressed with his d all night long. Finally congrats to Coach Pietrowski and his staff. They coached an excellent, season and especially tournament. I think Tony has thrived off of the early criticism. He may have not been ready to have so much talent when he was hired but he has proven himself. I think a new legend in the mountains is being born. Finally, the kids should enjoy this tonight and realize they've done what not many kids get the chance to do. As for tomorrow, it's back to work. A very very good Louisville Eastern looms ahead a week from tomorrow. This bunch came out of a very tough region and are very deserving of their high ranking. Corbin will probably enter the game similarly ranked but more than likely the underdog. This bunch isn't used to being underdogs so hopefully they will use it as motivation. Tonight was great in many ways. A major goal was accomplished. However this goal was like a tick on a horses you know what compared to next week. That's when the ultimate goal can be achieved. Corbin has won 15 straight once before this year. They are currently at 11 in a row. 4 games in Rupp is all that it will take to bring it home. 15 straight again isn't out of the realm of possibility.

I'm gonna miss this in the off season. I think Corbin threads are the only ones that feature random topics along with legit talk of the ballgames. You guys crack me up.

That place was excellent. I tried the fried bologna sandwich yesterday before the games. I've never seen bologna so thinly sliced but it was killer. The soup beans and cornbread for 1.99 is a heck of a bargin too. They sure ain't thrifty on their beans. You get your moneys worth. 72-65 looks good but i may knock it down to about 66-59 for my pick. I'm hearing a flu bug is hitting Corbin. Hopefully the team can get through tonight before getting the brunt of the sickness.

I will say this much, if Corbin doesn't come out ticked off with a point to prove, they are in bad shape. If you can't get fired up for this one, ya need not even show. The past two years, these kids have had their hearts ripped out by South. Last year, Corbin was even expected to win. I hope these kids have that mentality. Revenge is a sweet sweet thing. In games like this, if you get an inch, you better take a mile. I hope if Corbin gets up by 7 or 8, they don't get complacent. They need to go for the throat. If you remember last year, it looked like a whipping was being handed in the 3rd and 4th only for Corbin to go to that dang 4 corners junk and allow comebacks. Get em Hounds.

Yes you summed it up Mountain Thunder. The refs haven't been dirty or one sided in the least bit. They have just been bad period. One quarter Corbin would get 9 fouls, the next North, Corbin, North. It was like a pattern. One group of officials will let you get away with Murder. They do not know over the backs or hand checks. The next group will call everything. It's truly like night and day.

It surely seems that way. Hopefully, that trend will change about 8:45 tomorrow night.

I did not see that. I was out in line, and saw Coach P come in with the team. I just assumed the whole team and coaches came at once. It would make sense for at least one coach to be there. It should be a good one. I just hope Dudley decides to turn the air on tomorrow night. I thought I was back in Evarts watching a game for a minute tonight.

For the third year in a row, these two teams meet in the title game. Can Corbin overcome their demons of the past two years and finally prove they are the big man on campus or will the mental aspect of things take over again? It should be a great game between two excellent teams with hard working coaching staffs. Right now, you would have to say that although Corbin is the better team, South probably has the upper hand considering they had an easy game and Corbin was in a battle. More importantly, South was able to scout Corbin yet again tonight considering it was the 2nd game.

North came to play and played their hearts out. I want to commend them on a valiant effort. However, one thing I will not commend are the horrendous officials. How those people passed a KHSAA exam is beyond me. They weren't one sided but they were awful. I've never seen a guy get fouled on the rebound, then pushed in the back and called for a technical. Then the guy that shoved the rebounder only gets a personal foul when another player was T'd up earlier for shoving. With all of that said, again, Congrats on a nice run for the Jags. You made believers out of us all. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good showdown with the Hounds putting one on the Cards. Which refs will show up? The ones that call everything or the ones that refuse to call anything? I hope they let the kids dictate the outcome of the ball game. This should be a fine game.

I think this could be a very good game but it could also end up being lopsided like the previous two. I think North and Knox are mirror images of one another for the most part. If Corbin comes to play they should win by 15-20 like they did against North the first time and should have against Knox. If Corbin comes out clicking, they could run away like the North part II game. If Corbin comes out sleep walking, North could do the same thing that Knox Central did in the early part of the season. I think this game is either apples or oranges.

I think Middlesboro without a question has the talent to beat South Laurel. I actually had Middlesboro in the finals but beating Clay County instead. However, they will have to dictate the tempo and be hitting on all cylinders. They will have to get St. John tired in the up and down game and force him into making some fouls out of fatigue. I like Middlesboro's chances a whole lot if they can do that. Bill Jones has been much maligned in the past and one could argue that it's pretty just criticism. Over the past, he has done less with more than a lot of coaches. He will have to have one of his better coached games. Steve Wright is one of the states best. Like him or not, the man can flat out coach and get it done when it counts. If he can keep the Jackets from dictating the pace of the game, look for South to yet again make it back to the finals. As for round two, this game puzzles me. Which North team will show up? Don't get me wrong, Corbin is the clear favorite and the favorite to win this thing regardless. However, you cannot sleep on the Jags. They have plenty of talent led by the Seidel kid. If they come out believing they can win, they could pull the upset. On the other hand, 15-18 year olds can let the mental aspect of games take over. Corbin has beaten North twice this year by pretty decisive margins. I think this game will be much closer but in the end, Corbin marches on and wins by about 14.