[kywldcat01]

Final.

Scoring for Holmes:

Pittman- 12
J. Johnson- 12
Rice- 9
R. Johnson- 6
Slusher- 5
Hayes- 5
Avery- 2
Herndon- 2
Mayfield- 2

Very balanced scoring attack by the Dogs....recap to come later.

[tezzy859]

Kind of like last years first game against Beechwood.

[Stardust]

I expected this would be a respectable game. Congrats to Holmes on getting the win, congrats to Beechwood for competing.

Looks like Rico may still be less than 100%, what's his status kywldcat01?

[mahb7878]

It was a very sloppy first half by both teams, Holmes jumped up 6 to 0 to start it off and it looked like they would run Beechwood out of the gym. Beechwood called a TO and got regrouped and switched to a zone D and holmes struggled getting to the basket with the zone and were reluctant to try to shoot them out of the zone. Beechwood closed the gap and closed out the first period on a 10-5 run and Holmes led 11-10 at the end of the 1st.

It was more of the same from Beechwood in the second quarter and as they opened up a 4 point lead midway through the quarter. Holmes then got a couple big baskets from Elijah in the post and some easy looks for JJ as well once they started breaking down the zone. Beechwood surrendered there lead, went back to a man to man defense and Holmes took a 24-23 lead into the half.

When the teams took the court for the second half Beechwood struck first and went up 25-24 but after 2 free throws from JJ to make the score 26-25 Holmes never gave the lead back up. To pull away they got a couple of big outside shots by Willie Slusher and Kevon Arnold. Holmes was up 11 at the end of the third.

The fourth quarter was played pretty even for the most part until about 4 minutes left when Rico got a big bucket off of a nice dribble drive, then getting a steal that lead to an really nice ally-oop dunk for Elijah that pushed the lead up to 16. After some free throws and a couple baskets from Beechwood, Holmes was up 18 as the clock winded down and Beechwood got a 3 out of the corner as time was running out to make the final score 55-40.

[goodguy]

Sounds like a very respectable performance by Beechwood. This early in the season even the best teams will struggle some. Looks like Holmes started hitting some outside shots in the third and started to become effective against the zone. They better get used to seeing a zone because there will be a lot of teams playing that type of defense against them.

Holmes is a little more volatile to the zone defense after losing Riley, Dom Johnson and Ousley. I'm sure they will get stronger as the season progresses, they definitely have the "bullseye" on their back! They will get everyone's best game. When a team lets up, that's when they get beat.

[mahb7878]

Good guy, they still have some "zone busters" McClendon, Rice, Slusher, and Rico can shoot you out of the zone on any given day. Tonight it just seemed like Slusher was hesitant to take shots, it was almost like he was scared to mess up in his first Varsity start, I think he will get more comfortable and he will grow into his role. Rice played limited minutes, but when he was in he was effective, and as a freshman, I think McClendon will get eased in, he will get some solid minutes come Janurary. Rico wasn't really looking for his own shot tonight, he seemed to be wanting to get others involved, as he was the primary ball handler most of the evening for the Bulldogs.

And it was a valiant effort by BWood, and I totally agree with the "bullseye" comment, Holmes will get everyone's best shot and if they play flat footed, with no urgency like they did to start this game, they will lose to better teams.

[goodguy]

Good guy, they still have some "zone busters" McClendon, Rice, Slusher, and Rico can shoot you out of the zone on any given day. Tonight it just seemed like Slusher was hesitant to take shots, it was almost like he was scared to mess up in his first Varsity start, I think he will get more comfortable and he will grow into his role. Rice played limited minutes, but when he was in he was effective, and as a freshman, I think McClendon will get eased in, he will get some solid minutes come Janurary. Rico wasn't really looking for his own shot tonight, he seemed to be wanting to get others involved, as he was the primary ball handler most of the evening for the Bulldogs.

And it was a valiant effort by BWood, and I totally agree with the "bullseye" comment, Holmes will get everyone's best shot and if they play flat footed, with no urgency like they did to start this game, they will lose to better teams.

I agree they still have shooters, but other than Rico, they don't have the experience the three seniors that graduated last year had.

[mahb7878]

I was actually a little surpised when I seen the line-up Henley went with. After last season I was expecting Rice to get more minutes coming into the year, and Slusher to get the bulk of time off the bench. I also though that in crunch time the ball would be in Rico's hands but I didn't expect him to be the primary ball handler, I was expecting that to be Mayfield.

At the end of the season last year I was expecting to see:

PG Mayfield
SG Rico
SF JJ
PF Rice
C Pittman

with Slusher, Avery, McClendon getting in the rotation.

I think Henley is just being cautious with his bigs, because if Pittman and Rice both get into foul trouble then where does he go?

[tezzy859]

Sounds like a very respectable performance by Beechwood. This early in the season even the best teams will struggle some. Looks like Holmes started hitting some outside shots in the third and started to become effective against the zone. They better get used to seeing a zone because there will be a lot of teams playing that type of defense against them.

Holmes is a little more volatile to the zone defense after losing Riley, Dom Johnson and Ousley. I'm sure they will get stronger as the season progresses, they definitely have the "bullseye" on their back! They will get everyone's best game. When a team lets up, that's when they get beat.

I agree good post. Slusher, Rice, Avery, and McClendon will be key. They are going to have to hit outside shots to stop teams from packing it in on the big three. As the season goes on I look for Holmes to press more and more. To create baskets off the defense. Also to stop teams from slowing down the game.

[mahb7878]

I agree they still have shooters, but other than Rico, they don't have the experience the three seniors that graduated last year had.

I agree, I think Slusher will be fine, but like I said earlier, he seemed a little scared to let them fly today, He and Avery both. I think they will be more comfortable in after a couple more games.

Rice sure isn't scared to pull it though lol

[goodguy]

I agree, I think Slusher will be fine, but like I said earlier, he seemed a little scared to let them fly today, He and Avery both. I think they will be more comfortable in after a couple more games.

Rice sure isn't scared to pull it though lol

Rice has the size and ability to be a special player if he would learn to control his emotions on the court. He is still young, hopefully he matures and becomes the dominate type of player that he is capable of.

[mahb7878]

I think what is going to make or break this team it PG play though. They really missed the floor presence of Jamel Riley today. Rico wants to play uptempo, if Henley takes the leash of of these guys and lets them get out, pressure teams, and run the break they are sure going to be fun to watch and a heck of a good team, but If he wants to play the half court game, he is going to have to find a point guard with good court awareness and get Rico off the ball and let him slash and come off screens to set himself up for shots, he cant do that running the point, hints his 6 points tonight.

[tezzy859]

I agree, I think Slusher will be fine, but like I said earlier, he seemed a little scared to let them fly today, He and Avery both. I think they will be more comfortable in after a couple more games.

Rice sure isn't scared to pull it though lol

Have you ever met a Rice who was scared to pull it lol.

[mahb7878]

Have you ever met a Rice who was scared to pull it lol.

:lmao:

[-STAT-]

Looks like Holmes starts out the season well, they will have a huge target on their back as the season progresses. Congrats on the opening win never the less.

[kywldcat01]

Joining in a little late but here are my thoughts from the game:

1. First half Holmes really lacked a sense of urgency offensively. They built a quick 10-2 lead and then it was almost as if they became complacent and let Beechwood right back in the game. I liked how they came out in the second half though and started being more aggressive.

2. Holmes is going to be VERY DEEP this year. At first I was a bit nervous when I saw Hayes, Mayfield, J. Johnson, Rice, and Pittman out there but it was actually a nice combination. McClendon, Hayes, Mayfield, Rice, and surprisingly Herndon, are all going to be nice additions off the bench....especially Hayes. He has improved by leaps and bounds since last year. Rice started out slow, making several mistakes and turning the ball over, but in that second half he really turned it on and was the key to Holmes pulling away as he had 6 straight points for Holmes on back to back treys. Mayfield's quickness at the pg position at both ends of the floor is really going to wear down the opposing pg. He has had atleast one 5 second call on the opposition in every game he's played in over the past two years.

3. JJ really surprised me tonight when he tried to take over in the second half. At one point he waved brother Rico off and took it to the rack hard and drew a foul. If Holmes is going to be successful this year, JJ has to be aggressive like that all the time.

4. Slusher really surprised me tonight too. Once he gets more comfortable, he is going to be a solid 5th starter. He rebounds extremely well for his size of 6'3 and reminds me of JJ from last year, doing all the little things.

5. Pittman's one hand alley oop dunk from JJ was absolutely ridiculous and was Sportscenter top 10 worthy. Pittman caught the ball ABOVE the square (no exaggeration) and threw it down hard. Everyone in the gym rose to their feet on the play. Hands down the best dunk I've ever seen in a high school game...including Pittman's windmill dunk against Highlands last year.

6. Holmes is going to struggle some early as they work out the kinks in their offense, but man when they gel together they are going to be scary good. They showed flashes in spurts tonight and you can tell all the key pieces are there for a repeat. We'll see where Holmes is this saturday when they meet Bowman Academy out of Gary, In.

7. Lastly, Beechwood is better than given credit for. Pohlgeers is a nice player with nice size and Cruse rebounds extremely well and plays hard down low. The Beechies just might make another run against CCH and HC again this year.

[Stardust]

Defending state champion Holmes took a one-point lead into halftime, then outscored Beechwood 15-5 in the third quarter on its way to a 55-40 victory.

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...912030373/

Holmes senior center Elijah Pittman scored 12 points while junior forward Kevon Rice added nine for the Bulldogs.

Senior guard John Pohlgeers scored a game-high 13 points for the host Tigers.

[mahb7878]

Joining in a little late but here are my thoughts from the game:

1. First half Holmes really lacked a sense of urgency offensively. They built a quick 10-2 lead and then it was almost as if they became complacent and let Beechwood right back in the game. I liked how they came out in the second half though and started being more aggressive.

2. Holmes is going to be VERY DEEP this year. At first I was a bit nervous when I saw Hayes, Mayfield, J. Johnson, Rice, and Pittman out there but it was actually a nice combination. McClendon, Hayes, Mayfield, Rice, and surprisingly Herndon, are all going to be nice additions off the bench....especially Hayes. He has improved by leaps and bounds since last year. Rice started out slow, making several mistakes and turning the ball over, but in that second half he really turned it on and was the key to Holmes pulling away as he had 6 straight points for Holmes on back to back treys. Mayfield's quickness at the pg position at both ends of the floor is really going to wear down the opposing pg. He has had atleast one 5 second call on the opposition in every game he's played in over the past two years.

3. JJ really surprised me tonight when he tried to take over in the second half. At one point he waved brother Rico off and took it to the rack hard and drew a foul. If Holmes is going to be successful this year, JJ has to be aggressive like that all the time.

4. Slusher really surprised me tonight too. Once he gets more comfortable, he is going to be a solid 5th starter. He rebounds extremely well for his size of 6'3 and reminds me of JJ from last year, doing all the little things.

5. Pittman's one hand alley oop dunk from JJ was absolutely ridiculous and was Sportscenter top 10 worthy. Pittman caught the ball ABOVE the square (no exaggeration) and threw it down hard. Everyone in the gym rose to their feet on the play. Hands down the best dunk I've ever seen in a high school game...including Pittman's windmill dunk against Highlands last year.

6. Holmes is going to struggle some early as they work out the kinks in their offense, but man when they gel together they are going to be scary good. They showed flashes in spurts tonight and you can tell all the key pieces are there for a repeat. We'll see where Holmes is this saturday when they meet Bowman Academy out of Gary, In.

7. Lastly, Beechwood is better than given credit for. Pohlgeers is a nice player with nice size and Cruse rebounds extremely well and plays hard down low. The Beechies just might make another run against CCH and HC again this year.

1. I think I heard that somewhere before lol.

2. Slusher looked like he was afraid to get involved. He would not take open shots, he was petrified with the ball in his hand. He just looked scared to make a mistake. If you play scared you are not going to have those opprotunities to be a successful players. He needs to relax and play basketball instead of being scared to mess up.

3. Holmes with out a true point gaurd and obviously missing J. Riley, need to open it up more. With Rico on the point, he is more of a slasher or an open court player. Holmes needs to play more up tempo and not so much in a half court. We obviously seen glimpses of great basketball tonight when they were out and running and alot of sloppy play when they were in the half court. I am not questioning henley, he is a state champion with a great track record, but that was my observation from the stands.

[kywldcat01]

1. I think I heard that somewhere before lol.

2. Slusher looked like he was afraid to get involved. He would not take open shots, he was petrified with the ball in his hand. He just looked scared to make a mistake. If you play scared you are not going to have those opprotunities to be a successful players. He needs to relax and play basketball instead of being scared to mess up.

3. Holmes with out a true point gaurd and obviously missing J. Riley, need to open it up more. With Rico on the point, he is more of a slasher or an open court player. Holmes needs to play more up tempo and not so much in a half court. We obviously seen glimpses of great basketball tonight when they were out and running and alot of sloppy play when they were in the half court. I am not questioning henley, he is a state champion with a great track record, but that was my observation from the stands.

1. Indeed...you and I were discussing it at halftime last night lol.

2. Offensively, Slusher needs to become more aggressive with the ball but he rebounded very well and on the defensive side did a nice job. He, IMO, should average around 7 or 8 ppg this year once he gets settled in and starts being more aggressive.

3. If Rico is going to be the primary ball handler all year, they need to get out of that motion offense and start running more dribble drive so Rico can drive the lane and have the option of dishing it out to Avery, Slusher, or JJ for the trey. When they were being aggressive on offense and getting in the lane, Beechwood had no answer for them and that's when they made their run. I don't think Beechwood played well the first half, but rather Holmes simply didn't play good or up to their potential.

Saturday's game against Bowman Academy should tell us more about this Holmes team and where they are early season. I actually like the way their schedule is set up these first two weeks.

Beechwood- see where you're at and work on things
Bowman Academy- see how you stack up against solid competition early on
St. Henry- work on things that may have been exploited against Bowman
Memphis Central- take what you've learned the first three games and put it all together against a team that is a mirror image of yourself.

[mahb7878]

I will tell you one thing that I did notice was that instead of floating around the perimeter like the last 2 years, Elijah spent some time in the post playing physical and even drew a couple of off the ball fouls on Beechwood. If he can play in the post and be effective and Holmes can get him involved on the block, that can help what they are trying to do offensively.

[kywldcat01]

I will tell you one thing that I did notice was that instead of floating around the perimeter like the last 2 years, Elijah spent some time in the post playing physical and even drew a couple of off the ball fouls on Beechwood. If he can play in the post and be effective and Holmes can get him involved on the block, that can help what they are trying to do offensively.

I noticed that as well and was pleased with the way Eli used his body down low. He was practically begging for the ball at times down there and when he got it, you could tell that he's been working on his post moves. I believe he only attempted maybe one three and one mid range jumper. That's a good sign for Holmes. When you're 6'8 and have the athleticism and stength that Eli has, you have to use that down low.

Holmes can be very successful if Eli gets going down low. He is going to draw a lot of double teams down there which is going to lead to someone being open for a three.

Elijah also showed a nice passing ability. The pass to Rice down low that was bobbled and went out of bounds was a laser and should've been an easy deuce.

I also liked how he was able to keep his composure the whole game despite the physical play of the Beechwood defenders.