Aiden Jones and Covington Catholic come in at No. 1 in the initial LINK nky area rankings.

Breaking out something new.

People love rankings, so why not add another list to the mix? Look for these every Monday for the rest of the season.

Here’s a look at the top 10 teams in the LINK nky coverage area (Boone, Campbell, Kenton counties):

Boys

  1. Covington Catholic (5-0) – The Colonels haven’t skipped a beat and will be one of the top five teams in the state when the initial AP poll comes out later on Monday. Wins over Simon Kenton, Great Crossing and Bracken County were comfortable and impressive. Evan Ipsaro has been unstoppable early on and should not only be one of the 9th Region Player of the Year frontrunners, but a top Mr. Basketball candidate as well.
  2. Cooper (3-2) – Saturday’s win over Linton-Stockton (IN) certifies this ranking, defeating the No. 1 team in the Class 2A Indiana AP poll. They slipped up to open the year against St. Henry and lost to a solid Elder (OH) team, but the Jags responded nicely. Big week with Simon Kenton and Conner on the docket.
  3. Holy Cross (4-1) – Took home third place at the Billy Hicks Classic in Georgetown, their lone loss to Great Crossing as they went 2-1 with wins over John Hardin and Scott County. Jacob Meyer is averaging a double-double with 33.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. He’s inching closer to 3,000 career points with 2,446.
  4. Simon Kenton (3-2) – A win over reigning 8th Region champ North Oldham on Friday put the rest of the region on notice. Had a tough turnaround with DeSales on Saturday, but the Pioneers look to be in the mix to win the 8th.
  5. Highlands (5-0) – High-octane offense. Simply put. How about 89.6 points per game so far?
  6. Lloyd Memorial (2-1) – Finally got their first action of the season this past week and one thing is for certain…the Juggernauts can defend, allowing 42 points per game through their first three. Lloyd is still working some football guys back into the flow and are hopeful to get a couple back from injury in January. Until then, Jeremiah Israel will play a big part in carrying the scoring load.
  7. Campbell County (3-2) – A nice bounce back week for the Camels after losses to George Rogers Clark and Cooper. Comfortable wins over Newport and Newport Central Catholic.
  8. Conner (2-3) – Landen Hamilton is back and I expect that to be a big boost for the Cougars. A big test on Friday with Cooper awaits.
  9. Newport (3-2) – A younger team with 13 underclassmen will carry some mixed results early on. An injury scare to Taylen Kinney ended up being just a scare, thankfully. Jabari Covington adds a big-time scoring threat, playing in his first game on Saturday in the John Turner Classic and scoring 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
  10. Newport Central Catholic (4-2) – Lost their last two after a 4-0 start. Their offensive numbers are impressive, shooting at a 46/35/70 clip, but have struggled at times defensively, giving up 80 points per game over their last three.

Next up: Walton-Verona (5-1), St. Henry (2-4), Ryle (2-2)

Liz Freihofer and the Cooper Jaguars come in at No. 1 in the initial LINK nky area rankings. Photo by Bob Jackson

Girls

  1. Cooper (2-1) – Showed improvement in a loss to No. 1 in the state Sacred Heart from last year’s Sweet 16 semifinal rematch. At Rupp in March, they lost 50-29, on Friday they were in a four-point game in the third when injuries and a big run from the Valkyries pulled them away in a 52-40 victory. Three more tough tests await this week with Purcell Marian (OH), Conner and Montgomery County.
  2. Simon Kenton (4-1) – Bounced back after an opening round loss at the Billy Hicks Classic to topple Dunbar and Scott County. Showdown with Dixie Heights on Tuesday should be a good one.
  3. Ryle (3-2) – An early season loss to Simon Kenton is the only thing keeping them from No. 2. Battled with top five in the state GRC and have a good test on Tuesday with Mount Notre Dame (OH).
  4. Notre Dame (4-0) – cruised to wins over Beechwood and Bryan Station. A light week this week with just Walton-Verona on Tuesday, but will be sure to get tested starting this weekend in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic on Saturday.
  5. Dixie Heights (4-2) – Nice wins over Holy Cross and Boyd County before a setback to Montgomery County on Saturday.
  6. Conner (3-2) – Struggled offensively in losses to Madison Central and Franklin County, second leading scorer Juliet Strange missing the Madison Central game. Big week ahead with Holy Cross on Wednesday and Cooper on Friday.
  7. Holy Cross (5-1) – A tight one with Dixie Heights their lone blemish. Otherwise have been convincing in victory. Julia Hunt and Nejai Lewis are a formidable duo. Conner and Scott this week before they head to Bullitt East for the Queen of the Commonwealth, always a stacked field there.
  8. Highlands (4-2) – Marissa Green returned to action this week and poured in 40 points and 26 rebounds in two games.
  9. Newport Central Catholic (2-2) – Busy week ahead for the Thoroughbreds with four games in six days starting with Campbell County on Monday night. Caroline Eaglin has been carrying the load offensively, averaging 20.5 points per game and is being aggressive in doing so, averaging 8.5 free throw attempts per game.
  10. Walton-Verona (3-3) – Big week with big opportunities ahead – Notre Dame on Tuesday, Simon Kenton on Friday and North Oldham on Saturday. All three at home.

Next up: Bishop Brossart (3-2), Campbell County (2-3)