Some of the best memories will come over the next four weeks for high school basketball players, coaches, parents, support staff and fans.
It’s the best time of the year as the KHSAA basketball postseason is upon us.
District tournaments in NKY start on Monday and run through Friday. Come Sunday, the girls teams who made it out of their respective districts, will take one step closer to Rupp Arena with the first round of the 9th Region tournament.
Who will be this year’s Beechwood and shock the region and state by making it to the region tournament? (The Tigers upset Holy Cross in the boys 35th District tournament last year). Or will it be all chalk with the top two seeds advancing out of each district?
For those playing, enjoy it, these moments will last in your memory forever.
Here goes the final rankings for NKY for the 2023-24 season…as always, thanks for reading along.
Boys
- Newport (27-3, Previous Ranking: 1) — The Wildcats are the hottest team in the state, carrying a 19-game winning streak into the postseason. They won their five district games by a combined 177 points, expect the winning streak to be 21 in a row headed into the 9th Region tournament.
2. Cooper (20-8, Previous Ranking: 2) — A fully healthy team for the first time this season in two games last week, the Jaguars have all hands on deck at just the right time. Make no mistake, they’ll have their work cut out for them come Wednesday, most likely facing a tough Conner squad that has competed their tails off all season. The first matchup between the two was a Jaguars 51-50 victory on Dec. 15, the Jags without Shaun Pouncy and Andy Johnson in that one.
3. Covington Catholic (23-5, Previous Ranking: 3) — Here’s an example of life in the 9th Region: The Colonels have lost one game since Dec. 28, are ranked top five in the state and here they are, sitting in third in the rankings. The lone loss in that timeframe was to Cooper, the reasoning for why they’re here. In winning their three 35th District games by a combined 109 points, the Colonels tests probably won’t come until next week.
4. Lloyd Memorial (22-8, Previous Ranking: 4) — What can the Juggernauts accomplish over the next two weeks? The answer will be behind how far EJ Walker can take them. He’ll need as much as he can get from his supporting cast, too. Dixie-Lloyd has the potential for quite the 34th District championship if it gets there.
5. Campbell County (21-6, Previous Ranking: 5) — The Camels are playing as good as anyone in the 10th Region and should be a force next week in the region tournament at The Fieldhouse in Maysville. First up is a shot at an 11th straight 37th District title.
6. Walton-Verona (21-9, Previous Ranking: 6) — Talk about no reward for getting the No. 1 seed in the district…the Bearcats did that and now have to play a true road game against Grant County in the first round of the 32nd District tournament. The Bearcats posted a 21-win regular season and have a chance to make some serious noise in the postseason if they can win on Tuesday night against the Braves.
7. Ryle (18-10, Previous Ranking: 9) — Boone County defeated the Raiders 70-60 back on Dec. 15 in what seems like an eternity ago. The Raiders finished the regular season 4-4, Boone County 5-6, so something will have to give Wednesday night when the two meet in the 33rd District semis. It’s the toughest district in the region, arguably the state to make it out of, this matchup is proof in the pudding why with two teams a combined record of 36-19 and one going home before the region tourney.
8. Dixie Heights (17-12, Previous Ranking: 10) — The Colonels finished the regular season 7-3, the three losses to Cooper, Covington Catholic and Walton-Verona. Can they win the 34th? The way they’ve been playing lately there’s certainly optimism to do so.
9. Boone County (18-9, Previous Ranking: 7) — The Rebels finished the regular season 5-6 after a 13-3 start. Now they face Ryle on Wednesday in what is probably the highlighted district semifinal in the 9th Region. The winner of that one is not only a threat to win the 33rd District tournament, but could make some noise in the 9th Region tournament.
10. Beechwood (15-14, Previous Ranking: NR) — Finished the regular season out 7-2 to ensure themselves to finish with at least a .500 record. The Tigers won’t be satisfied with that though, wanting to knock off Holy Cross in the 35th District semis and return to the 9th Region tournament. Showed they can hang with the big boys in a five-point loss at Newport last week.
Next up: Simon Kenton, Highlands
Girls
- Cooper (24-4, Previous Ranking: 1) — The Jaguars finished playing 16 of their 28 regular season games against the top 30 ranked teams in the state. To say they’re battle tested is an understatement. Not to mention they played three top ranked teams in Ohio as well. After a three-game losing streak in early December, Cooper finished the regular season winners in 21 of their last 22, the lone loss to No. 1 Sacred Heart. To be anywhere else but Rupp Arena on March 14 would be a surprise.
2. Holy Cross (25-5, Previous Ranking: 2) — First things first, the Indians are looking for their first 35th District title since 2017, needing to get past Notre Dame to do so. But after that, they might be the biggest force of resistance in Cooper trying to 3-peat in the 9th Region. Not many are playing better than Holy Cross right now, winners in 18 of their last 19.
3. Ryle (18-10, Previous Ranking: 3) — Much like Cooper, Ryle went around the state and played the best teams, finishing the regular season playing 14 of the top 30 teams in the state and top ranked teams in Indiana (Lawrence Central) and Ohio (Mount Notre Dame). Before they can start thinking about a 33rd District and potential 9th Region title rematch with Cooper, they’ll need to get past a pesky Conner team first on Tuesday in the 33rd District semifinals on the Cougars home court. Ryle won the first meeting, 67-52, in a game that played a lot closer than that and the Raiders were aided by six 3-pointers from Kassidy Peters.
4. Notre Dame (19-8, Previous Ranking: 4) — Losing three straight isn’t ideal going into the postseason, but it was against the No. 2, 15 and 23 ranked teams in the state. Can they win a sixth straight 35th District title this week? Holy Cross stands in the way, who beat them on the Pandas home floor, 39-30 back on Jan. 17.
5. Simon Kenton (19-10, Previous Ranking: 5) — The Pioneers will have to get past a hot Walton-Verona team before they can even think of revenge against Grant County in the 32nd District tournament. The reigning 8th Region champions have their work cut out to return to Rupp, which could eventually need to beat Anderson County on their home floor in the 8th Region tournament.
6. Highlands (19-8, Previous Ranking: 6) — Can anyone challenge Highlands in the 36th District tournament? They won their four district games during the regular season by a combined 120 points. A definite spoiler candidate in the 9th Region tournament.
7. Conner (13-15, Previous Ranking: 7) — Before their season even started, Conner’s main goal was to get to the region tournament for the first time since 2020. On Tuesday, they’ll get a chance to accomplish that if they can knock off Ryle.
8. Dixie Heights (16-12, Previous Ranking: 8) — Despite all the injuries this season and departures from last year they had to deal with, the Colonels finished the season with a winning record and are the favorites for a 34th District title, which would be their 10th in a row.
9. Campbell County (19-10, Previous Ranking: 9) — Probably the team that faces the least amount of pressure this week. They’re already in the 10th Region tournament as they await the Bishop Brossart-Scott winner in the 37th District championship. Whoever they face, rest assured it will be a battle. The Camels beat Brossart by four and lost to Scott by two in the regular season.
10. Newport Central Catholic (19-11, Previous Ranking: 10) — Cue up the ‘it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season’ talk. NewCath will have to do just that on Tuesday when they face Bellevue in the 36th District semifinals. The Thoroughbreds won the previous two meetings, 66-46 on Dec. 30 and 67-54 on Feb. 3.
Next up: Bishop Brossart, Scott