The snowbirds made for a somewhat lighter week in Northern Kentucky, but the three counties (Boone, Campbell and Kenton) were fortunate compared to other parts of the state in being able to get games in.
While most of the state was snowed out all week, many of the teams in the NKY area were able to get a few contests in.
The biggest riser on the boys side was Cooper with victories over prior No. 3 Lloyd Memorial and No. 4 Boone County. The rest mostly stayed put with the Holy Cross girls able to remain firm in the No. 2 spot with a victory over Notre Dame.
Some matchups to look forward to this week:
Boys
Tuesday: No. 1 Covington Catholic vs No. 3 Cooper, No. 4 Lloyd Memorial vs next up to be ranked Dixie Heights, No. 7 Ryle at Beechwood
Thursday: No. 2 Newport starts their All “A” tournament vs Sayre, No. 8 Walton-Verona takes on Augusta, No. 5 Boone County vs Mason County
Friday: No. 1 Covington Catholic vs No. 10 Highlands at Truist Arena, No. 6 Campbell County vs Scott, No. 8 Holy Cross at Mason County
Saturday: No. 1 Covington Catholic at Ashland
Girls
Tuesday: No. 7 Conner at Bishop Brossart, Lloyd Memorial at No. 10 Dixie Heights
Wednesday: No. 2 Holy Cross and next up Walton-Verona start their All “A” state tournament journeys, The Indians vs Whitefield Academy, the Bearcats vs Mayfield
Thursday: No. 1 Cooper, No. 5 Simon Kenton at the LIT vs opponents TBD
Friday: No. 3 Ryle vs No. 6 Highlands at Truist Arena, No. 8 Campbell County vs Scott
As for the weekly rankings, here goes…
Boys
- Covington Catholic (15-4, Previous Week: 1) — Making them more dangerous, the Colonels showed last week they can win game’s played in the 80’s if needed. They defeated Walton-Verona and DeSales in high-scoring affairs. Cash Harney was brilliant in the win over the Bearcats, Brady Hussey equally the same in the win over the Colts. Big matchup with Cooper on Tuesday night in Park Hills.
2. Newport (17-3, Previous Week: 2) — A light week last week after playing 19 games the first seven weeks of the season. The rest came at the right time as they gear up for the All “A” state tournament this week. They’ll open up with Sayre on Thursday and if they win their first two games, have the potential to face the team that ended their season at the state tournament last year in Lyon County.
3. Cooper (12-7, Previous Week: 7) — The ultimate bounce back week with wins over Lloyd Memorial and Boone County. The Jags were impressive defensively in allowing 52 and 50 points in the victory. Yamil Rondon carried the load offensively while Jaidan Combs was vital on the defensive end.
4. Lloyd Memorial (13-5, Previous Week: 3) — Had their eight-game winning streak snapped in a road loss at Cooper. The Juggs were able to overcome a slow start and trailed by two in the final minute, but couldn’t pull off the comeback from there. Big district week of matchups ahead with Dixie Heights on Tuesday, Ludlow on Saturday and St. Henry the following Tuesday.
5. Boone County (13-4, Previous Week: 4) — Missed their chance to clinch the No. 1 seed on Saturday with a loss at Cooper, but as long as they keep winning, the three-way tiebreaker with the Jaguars and Ryle is currently in the Rebels favor due to RPI. The current RPI is Boone County at .61860, Cooper at .59368 and Ryle at .57937.
6. Campbell County (13-4, Previous Week: 5) — By the time they play Covington Catholic on Jan. 30, they will have played just one game over a two-week span. It’s a massive one, however, Scott on Friday as the winner gets the No. 1 seed in the 37th District tournament. Weather and the All “A” state tournament has also played a factor in the postponement of some games.
7. Ryle (11-6, Previous Week: 6) — The Raiders have won five in a row, the last one a three-point victory over pesky Conner. They’ll get the neat experience this weekend of playing in the gym where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed in Knightstown, Indiana, where they’ll take on Bell County on Saturday. I’ve seen a few teams make that trip and it always seems like a really cool deal.
8. Walton-Verona (14-6, Previous Week: 8) — The Bearcats head to the All “A” state tournament and take on the 10th Region winner Augusta on Thursday. They win that and they’ll most likely get the opportunity to play the No. 2 team in the state in Lyon County in the quarterfinals on Friday. They bring a two-game losing skid into the tournament, but the tests against Oldham County and Covington Catholic should have them well prepared.
9. Holy Cross (12-6, Previous Week: 9) — Went 1-1 last week with a loss to Campbell County and followed it with a district win over Holmes. Luke Arlinghaus, Nate Rominger and William McElheney have formed a nice trio for the Indians, all three will be back next season, too.
10. Highlands (10-9, Previous Week: 10) — The win over NewCath on Saturday was the eighth straight victory over the ‘Breds after NewCath had won 16 in a row in the series. Bishop Brossart on Tuesday in Fort Thomas before they travel up the road to Truist Arena on Friday to take on Covington Catholic.
Next up: Dixie Heights
Girls
- Cooper (17-3, Previous Week: 1) — Another impressive resume building win for Cooper over the weekend with a victory over Pickerington Central (Ohio), the No. 2 team in the state in Ohio’s Division I AP poll. They now own victories over two ranked teams in Ohio and nine wins over the top 30 in Kentucky. The Jaguars have won 14 in a row and will put that streak to the test when they head to Louisville again on Thursday for the Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament. They’ll face the DuPont Manual-Central winner and then a potential showdown with No. 1 Sacred Heart on Saturday.
2. Holy Cross (15-5, Previous Week: 2) — The Indians head to Corbin hot, winners of eight of nine as they look to defend their All “A” state title starting on Wednesday with Whitefield Academy. Their path is pretty clear to Sunday’s final as three of the top 25 teams will duel it out on the bottom half of the bracket.
3. Ryle (11-7, Previous Week: 4) — The Raiders have been putting it together on the defensive end as of late, allowing 38 points or less in four of their last six games, the latest a 48-38 victory over Bullitt East. Now they get another of a long list of season long tests on Friday when they take on Highlands at Truist Arena.
4. Notre Dame (14-4, Previous Week: 3) — Struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm in the loss to Holy Cross last week. In three of their four losses, they’ve failed to score 40 points.
5. Simon Kenton (14-5, Previous Week: 5) — After going through a stretch in which they went 3-4, the Pioneers have won four straight as they’ll head to the LIT in Louisville on Thursday, most likely getting a matchup with No. 1 in the state Sacred Heart. A great test on deck.
6. Highlands (13-5, Previous Week: 6) — The second hottest team in the region, winners of nine in a row after a victory over Campbell County on Monday night. The win avenged an earlier season loss to the Camels, showing how much the team has grown over the last few weeks. A solid test with Ryle on Friday looms.
7. Conner (9-10, Previous Week: 7) — Another team that’s really rounded into form over the last few weeks as they’ve won seven of eight, the last victory an impressive one over Grant County, a contender to win the 8th Region.
8. Campbell County (13-6, Previous Week: 8) — Can clinch the No. 1 seed in the 37th District tournament with a victory over Scott on Friday. At 13-6, they’ve already passed their win total from last season.
9. Newport Central Catholic (12-6, Previous Week: 9) — Had no answer for Marissa Green in a loss to Highlands last week. They certainly let it fly in the game with the Bluebirds, firing up 32 three-point attempts.
10. Dixie Heights (10-8, Previous Week: 10) — Have won five in a row as they look to secure the No. 1 seed in the 34th District tournament with contests coming up against Lloyd Memorial (Jan. 23) and Ludlow (Jan. 30).
Next up: Walton-Verona