Intentional Foul

Whats that expression that "all wins are good" (although I admit that some are better than others).

Impressive win for the Kittens after a few "tight" early wins. Looks like the Super Seven had East a little over rated. Morgan looks like the real deal and Rowan is playing superbly. Do Ashland and Rowan play in the regular season? That would be a game I would love to see.

I've heard similar stories about Bath County's coaching staff - getting mad at area coaches for not "taking it easy on them" but then doing exactly the same things to other teams when given a chance (which isn't often). Bath fans may say that I have no evidence to back this up, but I have seen this occur and heard this from reliable sources more than once. I guess the only one I have to convince is myself - and I am convinced that Bath's staff doesn't practice what it preaches.

Final

Fleming is the toughest 1-4 team that you will play all season. They are physically tough and Coach Orem has them playing well. They NEVER give up. If a few of their games had been another 3 minutes they might be 4-1 instead of 1-4. I would hate to be a coach who looked at only their record (without scouting them) before playing them. Fleming will get some upsets this year in the 16th.

In girls basketball if I have 5 girls on the team consistently scoring double figures, I'll take that all season.

Russell would be in my top 7 as well (actually around 5th)

I still have to agree with the top three rankings, although teams like Morgan and Elliott are definitely making noises and should not be overlooked. I would say that Rowan is the definite frontrunner right now, with East and Ashland neck-and neck for second.

You're correct, Parsley has made a huge impact - much sooner than many expected. If she can develop an outside shot she could be one of the exceptional players in the region.

I agree - if Kidwell can develop more of his bench Russell can be a factor come March.

Was this game in Ashland or in Coal Grove?

From what I hear, Wilcox injured her pinky finger during practice this week. No sure of the extent of the injury or how long she will be out of action.

Good district win for the Kittens against a scrappy Boyd county team. Anyone that overlooks the Lady Lions will end up with a loss this season. Boyd followed a good game plan with agressive drives to the basket that got them to the foul line (and Ashland in foul trouble). Boyd was also very active on the boards as the smaller Lady Lions outrebounded the Kittens. Ashland's loss of Ali Wilcox due to a finger injury was also a major factor in this game. Looks like its going to be a good season of basketball. I see a lot of potential upsets in the weeks to come......

Great news for Raceland fans. When Raceland gets its whole team back to full strength, they can pull some upsets in the 16th.

Any updates on the injured Stevens girl for West Carter. Someone told me that she was definitely favoring her elbow during West's first game with Elliott County. Did the elbow limit her action last night? She is a good player and a competitor. They will need her at full strength this year.

I agree that girls basketball will never be able to compete fanwise with boys basketball, but some good coverage in the paper might spur more interest in area girls basketball - at least it couldn't hurt. Also the Independent doesn't have much competition from other news sources in the area. Its not like they will lose sales from printing additional girls b'ball articles. Saying it is a lack of staff problem is a cop-out because I know that some nights there are no other area sports teams being reported on, and there are still no reporters at girls events.

East and Ashland, just to name a few teams, may have something to say about this.

Great win for Coach Cantrell and his team. Is this the first time that Elliot has beaten West? Where was the game played?

Good explanation. I hope you're right. It just happened so often I didn't know what to think. I agree that I don't want the refs taking over the game by making this call, but on the other hand, if not called early in the season this could really affect the coaching strategies of some teams. If early lane entry is not enforced, it could be a huge advantage (or disadvantage) for some teams.

Spent some time this last weekend at the scrimmages at East Carter. I know that in any given year the refs must be aware of rule changes and areas of emphasis for the upcoming season. Coaches also need to be aware of what the rules are (obviously) as well as what the refs are looking to call. That being said, I saw about 8 situations where East Carter players moved into the foul lane way before the ball had hit the rim off a free throw attempt. The refs only called one of these as a violation. Is this not something being enforced in the 16th region this year? Just curious......

With the shake-up at Rowan County, I might have to put Ashland as number 2 in the 16th. Rowan was my preseason #2 before High resigned. I agree with East as #1.

I understand:thumb:

Such as.........?

Any mention on who his replacement will be? I feel sorry for the girls who have lost 2 coaches since the end of last season. I considered Rowan to be a top 3 team in the region, but I may need to reevaluate my rankings if High has indeed left the program.

Heard that High's coaching stint at Rowan may already be over. Can anyone verify or disclaim this?