With three weeks of the regular season left, some might consider it the dog days of the basketball season.
But there’s still several district races to be determined with some big games on tap this week to sort things out. There’s also some marquee matchups on the horizon over the course of the next two weeks (some of them are highlighted below).
While the others may be considered scrimmage games in preparation for the postseason, there is one remaining tournament though, the NKAC tournament that features six of the smallest enrollments in Northern Kentucky. Ludlow, Dayton, Heritage Academy, Bellevue, Villa Madonna and Calvary Christian will all participate this week for the boys and girls with the championship games set for Saturday at Ludlow.
There wasn’t much movement in the top 10, but some teams were able to make a climb up or drop down in the latest LINK nky top 10.
Here goes…
Boys
- Newport (22-3, Previous Ranking: 1) — The Wildcats haven’t lost since Dec. 23 to Trinity in the King of the Bluegrass. Can they get to 19 wins in a row before the postseason starts? They’re at 14 currently with Newport Central Catholic, Conner, Cooper, Lloyd Memorial and Beechwood left in the regular season.
2. Cooper (16-7, Previous Ranking: 2) — The Jaguars ran it to seven wins in a row with wins over Campbell County and Mason County, doing so without Yamil Rondon, who suffered an injury earlier in the week in practice. They’ll now hold their breathe, waiting for good news on both Rondon and Andy Johnson with hopes to get both back before the postseason begins. Their depth has shown its strength in recent wins, getting contributions all over the board.
3. Covington Catholic (19-5, Previous Ranking: 3) — The No. 1 seed is on the line when the Colonels make the trip to take on Holy Cross on Tuesday. Should be a fun atmosphere at The Finn. Can we hand the KABC 9th Region Player of the Year award (senior only) over to Caden Miller now? His 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game says so. Not only that, but the amount of shots he alters or blocks in the paint, too.
4. Lloyd Memorial (16-5, Previous Ranking: 4) — In winning 11 of 12, feels like the Juggernauts have done so quietly. They’re certainly a 9th Region contender. How much so? We’ll find out real soon with contests against Covington Catholic and Newport next week. They already have a tight loss to Cooper on the road, a four-point loss their only one during this current 12-game stretch.
5. Boone County (15-5, Previous Ranking: 7) — The margin for error is slim for the Rebels if they want the No. 1 seed for the 33rd District tournament. Cooper is at .62806, Boone at .60665 in the latest RPI ratings, Ryle is at .58822. That’s the way the three will break the three-way tie for first at the end of the regular season. But regardless of first round opponent, it’s bound to be a war, especially considering No. 4 seed Conner is the host this year.
6. Campbell County (15-6, Previous Ranking: 5) — With news of Mason County dismissing Blake and Cayden Reed from the team, it makes a pretty clear-cut two team race for the 10th Region title between George Rogers Clark and the Camels. No one else in the region has shown the consistency to win three games in March. Now the only question begs will they be on the same side of the bracket when the draw comes out, or will they be on opposite ends to set up a potential championship bout? Since 2011, the two programs have combined to win 10 region titles, GRC with six, Campbell County with four.
7. Walton-Verona (18-7, Previous Ranking: 8) — No All “A” letdown for the Bearcats as they went 3-0 last week, including an impressive victory over Aiken (Ohio). They also snagged a win over Williamstown, meaning a win against Grant County on Wednesday and the Bearcats are the No. 1 seed for the 32nd District tournament later this month.
8. Highlands (14-10, Previous Ranking: 10) — A three-win week for the Bluebirds, their longest winning streak of the season and secured the No. 2 seed for the 36th District tournament in the process. Their win at Ryle was one of their most impressive victories this season. A big test with Lloyd Memorial in Fort Thomas awaits on Friday.
9. Ryle (14-8, Previous Ranking: 6) — The Raiders run of consecutive wins or losses continues. They’ve either won two or more or lost two or more throughout the season. After having their eight-game winning streak snapped against Highlands, they dropped a Saturday contest to Covington Catholic. Now they’ll hope to start another winning streak starting on Tuesday with Scott.
10. Holy Cross (14-7, Previous Ranking: 9) — A big week ahead for the Indians with district contests against Covington Catholic on Tuesday and Beechwood on Friday. Win both and they’re the No. 1 seed for the 35th District tournament. A loss to CovCath and a win over Beechwood gets them the No. 2 seed. A loss to both puts them at No. 3.
Next up: Simon Kenton
Girls
- Cooper (19-4, Previous Ranking: 1) — Cooper improved to 10-2 against the top 30 teams in the state with the win over Simon Kenton last week. The only two losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Sacred Heart.
2. Holy Cross (20-5, Previous Ranking: 2) — Really bummed we’re not getting a Holy Cross-Cooper matchup on Wednesday, which was canceled due to the Indians reaching their games limit. Holy Cross already planned out Senior Night, Youth Night and other activities elsewhere, so unfortunately the Cooper game was the odd one out.
3. Ryle (14-7, Previous Ranking: 3) — After three straight losses, the Raiders have won four straight, including an impressive comeback win over Frederick Douglass. Quinn Eubank continues her standout senior season, now averaging a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.
4. Simon Kenton (15-7, Previous Ranking: 5) — A three-game stretch in which they played three of the top five teams in the state against Sacred Heart, Anderson County and Cooper and finished 1-2. The win was over Anderson County, showing the Pioneers could very well still be the team to beat in the 8th Region.
5. Notre Dame (16-5, Previous Ranking: 4) — After starting out 14-2, Notre Dame is 2-3 in their last five.
6. Highlands (15-7, Previous Ranking: 6) — The Bluebirds are just missing that consistency elsewhere besides Marissa Green to take that next step towards being in the mix at the top of the 9th region. Their final six games of the regular season can help them builds toward finding that confidence elsewhere.
7. Dixie Heights (13-9, Previous Ranking: 7) — Had their eight-game winning streak snapped by No. 1 Sacred Heart and face another tough challenge against Mount Notre Dame (Ohio) on Tuesday.
8. Conner (10-12, Previous Ranking: 8) — The No. 2 seed is on the line in the 33rd District tournament when Ryle comes to Hebron. They’ll be playing each other again in three weeks, but Monday will be a good gauge of where each stands.
9. Scott (15-8, Previous Ranking: NA) — How big is Wednesday’s game with Bishop Brossart? A win means they punch their ticket into the 10th Region tournament.
10. Campbell County (14-8, Previous Ranking: NA) — The Camels make their way into the top 10 after a big victory over Notre Dame last week.
Next up: Newport Central Catholic