Friday, March 1, 2019

Kentucky High-school Basketball

Turning to sports, I've been derelict in figuring out what's happening in the state high-school basketball tournaments. We're deep into regionals in both the boys' and girls' tournaments.

The biggest news out of the district and regional rounds thus far came Wednesday: As previously reported, unranked Edgewood Dixie Heights over state-No. 1 Hebron Conner in the Ninth Region girls' tournament. That presumably leaves No. 2 Scott County as the new #khsgbk favorite. Here have been the Cardinals' scores in he 42nd District and 11th Region tournaments so far: 99-59, 88-57 and 71-35. Up next for Scott County is Franklin County in an regional semi Sunday evening at Eastern Kentucky University.

But maybe No. 3 Boyd County should be considered the team to beat. The Lady Lions were a semifinalist in the state tournament last year, and they were No. 3 in the final state Associated Press poll this season--neither 2018 champ Mercer County nor runner-up Louisville Mercy received votes for this year's last poll. Boyd opens play in the 16th Region tournament at Morehead State University tomorrow.

The only girls' game tonight involving a team in the AP top 10 actually involves two of them: No. 7 Louisville Sacred Heart and No. 10 Louisville Male are going at it--right now, I think--in a Seventh Region tilt at Bellarmine University.

The boys' tournaments are where most of the action is tonight and tomorrow:

-- No. 1 Elizabethtown John Hardin vs. Marion County in the Fifth Region at Hart County High at 7:45 Eastern tonight

-- No. 2. Scott County vs. No. 8 Lexington Henry Clay in the 11th Region championship at Eastern Kentucky University at 8 Eastern tonight

-- No. 3. Hopkinsville University Heights just finished blitzing Caldwell County High in a Second Region semifinal at Madisonville-North Hopkins High, 96-60

-- No. 4 Louisville Trinity vs. Louisville Ballard in the Seventh Region championship at Louisville Valley High at 7 Eastern Saturday

-- No. 6. Covington Catholic vs. Newport in the Ninth Region at BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University at 8 Eastern tonight

-- No. 7 Campbell County won, 74-51, at Mason County High in the 10th Region earlier this evening

-- No. 9 London South Laurel vs. London North Laurel in the 13th Region at Corbin Arena, which was scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m. Eastern tonight

-- No. 10 McCracken County vs. Murray in the First Region at Murray State University, which was scheduled to tip at 6:30 tonight

No. 5 Louisville Waggener is the only member of the last AP top 10 to be eliminated. Ballard beat the Wildcats in the Seventh tournament, subverting what would've been a 4/5 matchup with Trinity in tomorrow's regional final.

Back to Campbell County's win at Mason County tonight, it was the last broadcast for Danny Weddle of a game involving the home team (and his alma mater) on Maysville's WFTM. Last week, they honored Weddle before a game--noting that over the last 40 years he did the radio play-by-play on all 15 of Mason County's 10th Region championships and both state championships, playing over the public-address system recordings of several local coaches saying nice things about him and then bringing Weddle's wife and three daughters out to meet him at midcourt. Then they unveiled a freshly painted spot along media row:

DANNY WEDDLE
1979 2019
VOICE OF THE ROYALS

A big radio microphone appears between the two years.


"It's been a blast. It's been a blessing," he said as he signed off from tonight's Royals' loss (and WFTM rolled right back into "Head Over Heals" by Tears for Fears). Congratulations, Danny Weddle, and way to go, Mason County High!

7 comments:

  1. Scott County is going to the boys' Sweet Sixteen: 58-38 over Henry Clay in the 11th Region championship.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Meanwhile, in the Second Region, we will have Hoptown University Heights at Madisonville-North Hopkins for the championship Saturday. The Maroons just finished walloping Henderson County, 66-49, for their 21st straight victory on the season. Madisonville-North Hopkins is now 28-5, with one of the five losses coming at University Heights, 80-79, back on Dec. 13. This should be quite a U.S. 41 clash tomorrow at 6 p.m. Central.

    Hopefully, the folks wanting to get to the basketball game tomorrow evening will be able to fight their way into the parking lot with all of the opposite-flow traffic heading home after Saturday's big regional elementary-school academic-team competition at the high school. GO, PRIDE FALCONS! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I added a map to this post today because I so enjoy making and looking at these maps.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thirteen today for the boys' Sweet Sixteen (all scheduled tips listed in Central):

    — 1 p.m., Bullitt East vs. Louisville Butler at Louisville Valley High, Sixth Region

    — 5 p.m., Taylor County vs. John Hardin at Hart County High, Fifth Region

    — 6 p.m., University Heights at Madisonville -North, Second Region; Bowling Green vs. Warren Central at Westenr Kentucky University, Fourth Region; Ballard vs. Trinity at Valley, Seventh Region; Oldham County vs. Walton-Verona at Henry County High, Eighth Region; Campbell County vs. Winchester George Rogers Clark at Mason County High, 10th Region; Danville at Lincoln County, 12th Region; Knox Central vs. North Laurel at Corin Areana, 13th Region, and Perry County Central vs. Hazard at Powell County High, 14th Region

    — 6:30 p.m., Beechwood vs. Covington Catholic at BB&T Arena, Ninth Region; Johnson Central vs. Pikeville at East Kentucky Expo Center, 15th Region

    — 8:15 p.m., Breckinridge County vs. Owensboro at Owensboro Sportscenter, Third Region

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1:05 to go at Madisonville-North, and the Maroons are leading University Heights by 13!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Region 4 Elementary Governor's Cup Future-Problem Solving final standings:

    1. Earlington
    2. Madisonville Pride
    3. Madisonville West Broadway
    4. Nortonville Southside

    ReplyDelete
  7. Final from the Second Region: Madisonville-North Hopkins 81, Hopkinsville University Heights 68

    ReplyDelete