The Kentucky high school boys basketball postseason started this week with district tournaments tipping off across the state. Some of the local districts with more than four teams had the high school equivalent of play-in games Monday, while most of the districts begin play over the next two nights. Every team is looking to at least make the district finals, which guarantees themselves a trip to the regional tournament.
The most exciting local action is expected to come from the 33rd district tournament, where top-seeded Boone County will take on fourth-seeded Ryle in the first semifinal game at Cooper at 6 p.m. Wednesday night followed by Cooper against Conner at 8 p.m.
Boone and Cooper are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in The Enquirer area coaches’ poll, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll meet up in the district championship. With all four of those programs in the Boone County School District being rivals, records and statistics can be thrown out the window for tournament time.
Cooper coach Tim Sullivan is all too familiar with how crazy the postseason in the 33rd can be, as his then top-seeded Jaguars were upset in the semifinals in last year’s tournament by a 10-13 Conner team.
“It’s the 33rd, man,” Sullivan said. “It’s always going to be a war. There are always at least three if not four teams that can beat each other any given night. That was obviously relevant last year when Conner popped us. The seeding doesn’t really matter. It’s a football game every time in this district.”
His team is anxious to avenge last year’s loss to the Cougars, and is expecting an advantage with the tournament being played at Cooper.
“It’s beautiful to host it,” he said. “This is only the second time we’ve had the chance to host. The atmosphere in there, as long as the weather holds off, I’ve got a feeling it will be a wild environment.”
The 35th district may not have quite as much parity as the 33rd, but what it lacks in quantity of good games it makes up for with quality. CovCath, ranked No. 2 in the coaches’ poll, will play fourth-seeded Beechwood in the district’s first semifinals game at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Holmes, while No. 3 Holmes will host third-seeded Holy Cross at 8 p.m.
The Colonels and the Bulldogs look to be on a collision course for a rematch of the last six district championship games. The stakes have been raised the last two years as CovCath won on a buzzer-beater two years ago before watching Holmes go on to win the Ninth Region tournament and advance to the state quarterfinals. Then the Bulldogs beat the Colonels by 10 in last year’s district championship, only to watch CovCath go on to win the regional and state tournaments. With two teams that are not only contenders to win a regional title but potentially have the ability make noise at state, the 35th district championship should be entertaining once again.
NewCath, ranked No. 1 in the final Enquirer coaches’ poll, enters postseason play as the heaviest favorite in their own district. The Thoroughbreds beat their 36th district opponents (Newport, Bellevue, Highlands and Dayton) by an average margin of 43 points per game during the regular season, and will take on Highlands at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Newport. Second-seeded Newport will take on Bellevue in the district’s second semifinal game at 7:30 pm. Wednesday. The Wildcats are hoping to make it back to the Ninth Region tournament after missing last year’s dance. They beat Bellevue 78-48 when they played on Jan. 28.
Dixie proved it was a legitimate regional contender when it knocked CovCath out of the top spot in the coaches’ poll with a 62-47 win at the Bank of Kentucky Center on Feb.13. The Colonels, ranked fourth in the coaches’ poll, will face Ludlow, which they beat 65-37 during the regular season, in Wednesday night’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal matchup at Villa Madonna. It may get a little more competitive in the finals, assuming No. 9 St. Henry advances past Lloyd in Tuesday night’s semifinal game at 7:30. The Crusaders kept it within six, 55-49, during the regular season against Dixie when the Colonels were without senior center Mitchell Bolin.
Eighth Region
Defending 32nd district champion Grant County and last year’s runner-up Simon Kenton are in opposite brackets and are likely to meet up again in Friday’s 7 p.m. final. The host Pioneers beat the Braves 77-69 on Jan. 23.
10th Region
Campbell County and Bishop Brossart are on the same side of the bracket this year and will face off at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s 37th district championship game. The Camels beat the Mustangs 52-50 in a low-scoring thriller during the regular season.
Top-seeded Scott is on the other side of the bracket and will face Silver Grove in the first semifinal game at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Campbell County Middle School.
