5wide

Knock it off. Consider this a warning. The thread topic is clear. Personal attacks are not acceptable. If you don't have anything to offer with regards to the topic and initial question, don't post in this thread.

Justice is making his presence felt now... SV leads 39-36.

34-34 Looks like the Wildcats have woke up.

The score seems to suggest that the game is being played at a pace that would help SV. If they can keep the game at this pace, I wouldn't count them out just yet. But, they have to get some shots to fall. They're in a danger zone against a team like Elliott County, IMO...with a 7-8 point lead, the Lions could easily string together a 8-10 point run and bury the Wildcats.

I noticed talk of Elliott Co. and Holmes continues to make its way into other threads about other matchups. I thought it might be a good idea to remind everyone that there is a place for that until the matchup becomes a reality.

It's not going to improve KY high school hoops to start tinkering with it in an effort to play to people's preferences. That would be like changing the rules in football to weight things toward high octane passing offenses because it's "more exciting" and the general public prefers it. Again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Congratulations to West Jessamine. What a treat to be headed for Saturday morning in your first trip since ______....or is it just their first trip period? West Jessamine vs. Louisville Central WJ may be playing tomorrow night.

People have been overlooking Central the whole time. They were winless in December, likely a result of having a basketball team that relies heavily on its state championship football team for players. I think they were 0-8 in that month. Since then, they stand at 18-6 and all but one of those six losses were close games to strong competition. Ironically enough, the lone blowout loss was a 23 point drubbing @ Eastern. The rest were close losses to Bryan Station, Warren Central, Adair County, PRP and Shawnee. That's one state tournament team (Adair), two region favorites (WC and PRP), an 11th region contender (Station), and Shawnee, the team that beat them in the district and lost to them in the region. I would classify this game as an upset, but in reality it wasn't a huge upset and shouldn't be a shock. Central has just been flying under the radar thanks to a misleading overall record. I'd say December capsized their ranking and kept it lower than it should have been in reality.

:thumb: I'm guessing there are probably more teams that can't hold the ball for 90 seconds than teams that can. If you're good enough to hold 90 seconds for the final shot, then do it. The shot clock works fine in the NBA and college where the talent level is much higher and the players are more skilled. But, in high school, it's not necessary. I remember watching Covington Holy Cross in the Sweet 16 once and they held the ball for almost three minutes to the end the third period in a game where they were an underdog. I can't recall who they were playing, but the opponent was really trying to get after them and HC did a tremendous job of taking care of the ball...and they ended it with a basket at the horn. The crowd at Rupp really got behind them during their keep-away and gave a standing ovation after the quarter. If you're in a position where slowing the game down is your chance to win, then you should be commended if you're able to stall and execute enough to beat the favorite. I enjoy watching a good sound basketball team run their offense patiently even if that does result in low scoring games. I'm not necessarily in favor of a team stalling from the word go, but I have no problem with them doing it to end quarter and doing it later in games if that's what they need to do to give them their best chance to win. It's all about strategy. It's a defense's responsibility to prevent an opponent from being able to hold the ball for 90+ seconds on them. We can't constantly change things just to suit our personal preferences, like adding a shot clock or adding at-large bids to the Sweet 16. Kentucky high school hoops ain't broke. It's great the way it is.

I'll take Holmes by double digits in the this one. I think they'll be too much for Catholic.

That's fine. I think most would rate Mason County as the tougher opponent though. EC beat Anderson on a neutral court and got Mason County at home. I'd imagine with the excitement in EC right now, the continuity with the roster over the past several years, and the confidence they're playing with would make that a huge home court advantage right now. But, if we're going to compare previous score from these two teams, the most important one is 55-52.

Both teams are capable of winning...so obviously, if Elliott County is on and can control the tempo, SV's chances aren't good. On the flipside, with their size, SV has the ability to make EC's looks difficult and to control the boards and limit them to one shot. And, on the other end, with a PG like Justice, they have the ability to take care of the ball and utilize their size advantage and control the tempo. It should be an interesting matchup. I was hoping I'd be able to go down and watch tonight's session, but don't think that's in the cards. This is one of the best Friday night sessions I can remember...Holmes vs. LexCath and Shelby Valley vs. Elliott County...all four with legit title chances.

By most accounts (ratings, polls and opinions), Mason County was a much tougher matchup than Anderson County. It stands to reason that SV may not look as impressive since their opponent was highly rated and the defending state champion. JMO The fact that they beat Elliott County in the All "A" Classic should be all EC fans need when considering how dangerous their next opponent can be.

This game is a toss-up. Both of these teams are capable of winning the whole tournament, so regardless of who wins this game, it's not going to be an upset. That said, I picked Shelby Valley to win the whole thing, so I have no choice but to take them in this game. I'll take the Wildcats in a close one.

CC jacking up quick shots. A lot of threes. Seems like they might benefit from working the ball a little more. 45-37 Holmes 30 second TO Christian County. About 2 minutes to go in the third.

43-34

3:35 to play in the third.

Missed both. Still 42-34.

Steal by Christian County...foul on Holmes. 2 FT's coming up.

42-34

30 second TO by Christian County. Holmes up 10 about midway through the third.

Holmes up 40-32.

I'd Christian County is in decent shape. Down 6 while shooting 37.5% compared to 52.4% for Holmes.

I can live with it. But, here's my take on it... If I'm a front-runner, I don't want to have to beat a team that is my equal twice in one week. I think the winners often get punished in regions where the favorites are in the same district. For example, the 14th region...Perry Central and Hazard were the majority picks to meet in the region final. PCC won the district and lost the region. So, personally, if I'm a coach, I'd be fine with playing a do-or-die game in the district final if I knew I wouldn't have to face them in a rematch should I win. JMO But, it's not something I despise. I can live with it.

:thumb: Too many times, either due to a good draw or a talented team, they have sent teams down there that could win and they rarely do. The results won't change until the attitude does.