Ballard 60 Holmes 52

mahb7878 · 12-21-2009, 10:49 PM

Final

tezzy859 · 12-21-2009, 10:58 PM

Congrats to Ballard on the victory. As for my Dawgs I'm not ready to hit the panic button yet.

mahb7878 · 12-21-2009, 11:01 PM

Ballard jumped on Holmes early with a press that Holmes struggled to break for most of the first quarter. Leading 21-12 at the end of one. Holmes got down by double digits in the second but clawed back to a 6 point deficit before Ballard hit a 35 foot trey at the buzzer to take a 31-22 point lead into the Half. In the second half Ballard lead by as much as 15, Holmes then got as close as 53-50, but Ballard hit its free throws down the stretch to pad the lead and Holmes didn't even convert a basket until it was 58-50... Ballard then hit a bucket at the buzzer to close it out and give us a final of 60-52.

Pittman fouled out with about 3 minutes to go in the game, He was also called for two Technical fouls down the stretch that kept Holmes from closing the gap, one came after a Block for what I assume was taunting, but there was nothing obvious, refs may have overheard some poor sportsman ship, the other was after a call on an inbound pass when he was called for a violation for having his foot on the line. Poor judgement on both T's and Holmes def can not afford mental lapses like that against good teams.

The point guard issue strikes again in this one as they struggled with the press, and Holmes actually went to some zone in this game which they rarely due but due to some early foul trouble they were forced into it. Ballard when not in full court defense was also in a 2-3 zone. Holmes failed to connect from outside until late in the game, and Pittman who had 9 at the half didn't score a basket in the 3rd while Ballard was racing out to a 15 point lead.

Holmes also got production by only four players as Slusher, Avery, Hayes, and the gang were all held scoreless. Ricardo finished with 18, Pittman 13, Rice 12, and JJ 9.

I would say this is a wake up call but this is the second loss for the bulldogs in one week. They already have more losses than all of last season and it is December. There is alot of work ahead of this team if they want to even come close to repeating.

I am not saying that to take anything away from Ballard, they are a heck of a team, and I would love to see them again in Lexington in March. Well coached, great shooters, and really high intensity on defense, they have just as good of a chance to cut them down this season as anyone. Good game Bruins, and best of luck the rest of the season.

**BlackcatAlum** · 12-21-2009, 11:02 PM

About what I expected. Ballard is playing some really good basketball early on and Holmes is still struggling to put a full game together, but we all seen just what that team is capable of at the sweet 16 last season. So no one from Holmes should have any worries.

Congrats Bruins!

mahb7878 · 12-21-2009, 11:03 PM

tezzy859 Wrote:Congrats to Ballard on the victory. As for my Dawgs I'm not ready to hit the panic button yet.

Not ready to hit the panic button yet, but I have my finger over it, this team is not close to what it was last season, for reasons I posted earlier. They have alot of work to do, and it has to start now. We will see how they rebound at the LMI, a tourny that they should run away with. If they lose that Tournament, then I will def hit the panic button.

tezzy859 · 12-21-2009, 11:24 PM

mahb7878 Wrote:Ballard jumped on Holmes early with a press that Holmes struggled to break for most of the first quarter. Leading 21-12 at the end of one. Holmes got down by double digits in the second but clawed back to a 6 point deficit before Ballard hit a 35 foot trey at the buzzer to take a 31-22 point lead into the Half. In the second half Ballard lead by as much as 15, Holmes then got as close as 53-50, but Ballard hit its free throws down the stretch to pad the lead and Holmes didn't even convert a basket until it was 58-50... Ballard then hit a bucket at the buzzer to close it out and give us a final of 60-52.

Pittman fouled out with about 3 minutes to go in the game, He was also called for two Technical fouls down the stretch that kept Holmes from closing the gap, one came after a Block for what I assume was taunting, but there was nothing obvious, refs may have overheard some poor sportsman ship, the other was after a call on an inbound pass when he was called for a violation for having his foot on the line. Poor judgement on both T's and Holmes def can not afford mental lapses like that against good teams.

The point guard issue strikes again in this one as they struggled with the press, and Holmes actually went to some zone in this game which they rarely due but due to some early foul trouble they were forced into it. Ballard when not in full court defense was also in a 2-3 zone. Holmes failed to connect from outside until late in the game, and Pittman who had 9 at the half didn't score a basket in the 3rd while Ballard was racing out to a 15 point lead.

Holmes also got production by only four players as Slusher, Avery, Hayes, and the gang were all held scoreless. Ricardo finished with 18, Pittman 13, Rice 12, and JJ 9.

I would say this is a wake up call but this is the second loss for the bulldogs in one week. They already have more losses than all of last season and it is December. There is alot of work ahead of this team if they want to even come close to repeating.

I am not saying that to take anything away from Ballard, they are a heck of a team, and I would love to see them again in Lexington in March. Well coached, great shooters, and really high intensity on defense, they have just as good of a chance to cut them down this season as anyone. Good game Bruins, and best of luck the rest of the season.

Great post. You make some very good points. Holmes has to get more production from some of the other players. I wouldn't mind seeing two of the J.V. players moved up ( D.Rice and McClendon). I think those two could give the varsity a little more depth....... What happened to Mayfield, has he scored this season? He was supposed to be a major player for Holmes this year. Is he still getting varsity minutes?

**Strikeout King** · 12-21-2009, 11:29 PM

Congrats Ballard

HollaBack · 12-21-2009, 11:30 PM

Holmes cannot score right now. It starts with guard play and they don't have much right now. If a team has the D1 athletes they are supposed to have, then they should be able to average more than 54 points per game.

EOE · 12-22-2009, 12:13 AM

GRATZ to Ballard

dortonite · 12-22-2009, 12:57 AM

mahb7878 Wrote:Ballard jumped on Holmes early with a press that Holmes struggled to break for most of the first quarter. Leading 21-12 at the end of one. Holmes got down by double digits in the second but clawed back to a 6 point deficit before Ballard hit a 35 foot trey at the buzzer to take a 31-22 point lead into the Half. In the second half Ballard lead by as much as 15, Holmes then got as close as 53-50, but Ballard hit its free throws down the stretch to pad the lead and Holmes didn't even convert a basket until it was 58-50... Ballard then hit a bucket at the buzzer to close it out and give us a final of 60-52.

Pittman fouled out with about 3 minutes to go in the game, He was also called for two Technical fouls down the stretch that kept Holmes from closing the gap, one came after a Block for what I assume was taunting, but there was nothing obvious, refs may have overheard some poor sportsman ship, the other was after a call on an inbound pass when he was called for a violation for having his foot on the line. Poor judgement on both T's and Holmes def can not afford mental lapses like that against good teams.

The point guard issue strikes again in this one as they struggled with the press, and Holmes actually went to some zone in this game which they rarely due but due to some early foul trouble they were forced into it. Ballard when not in full court defense was also in a 2-3 zone. Holmes failed to connect from outside until late in the game, and Pittman who had 9 at the half didn't score a basket in the 3rd while Ballard was racing out to a 15 point lead.

Holmes also got production by only four players as Slusher, Avery, Hayes, and the gang were all held scoreless. Ricardo finished with 18, Pittman 13, Rice 12, and JJ 9.

I would say this is a wake up call but this is the second loss for the bulldogs in one week. They already have more losses than all of last season and it is December. There is alot of work ahead of this team if they want to even come close to repeating.

I am not saying that to take anything away from Ballard, they are a heck of a team, and I would love to see them again in Lexington in March. Well coached, great shooters, and really high intensity on defense, they have just as good of a chance to cut them down this season as anyone. Good game Bruins, and best of luck the rest of the season.

It seemed as if their team leader lost his cool a couple of times, the team looks for Pittman for leadership and he had a couple of good games prior to this one, hard to blame one player for a loss but he had a big part in it. Ballard is a good team and I rated them above Holmes after week one. Congrats Ballard.

**PC_You_Know** · 12-22-2009, 12:58 AM

I think someone was just a little too over hyped. We all know Ballard is good but some on here have made Holmes seem like world beaters.

jalfzou · 12-22-2009, 02:02 AM

Holmes has several problems to address if they are to make another serious run in the Sweet 16. Despite being one of the tallest teams in the state, they don't rebound all that well. Newport had no problem keeping them off the offensive boards a week ago. Biggest problem is that the Bulldogs have no one to replace Jamel Riley, last year's point guard and 3-point specialist. Bulldogs also aren't as athletic as they were last year. Neither Slusher nor Rice is all that quick. Holmes' fortunes will improve when Henley goes with a smaller, quicker lineup.

mahb7878 · 12-22-2009, 02:53 AM

HollaBack Wrote:Holmes cannot score right now. It starts with guard play and they don't have much right now. If a team has the D1 athletes they are supposed to have, then they should be able to average more than 54 points per game.

They were 36-2 and State champions last year with the same "D-1 athletes" and did it averaging 60.8 ppg and holding opponets to 47.5... They haven't given up over 60 yet, the formula hasn't changed, the execution has. And with that being said I don't even think it is the execution as much as the effort... They need to put last years new clippings away and get hungry again.

How much they average a game is not gonna change, that is 9th region BBall. Holmes hasn't even attempted to run since the early 90's. This is the product they put out there, it is effective when the players are playing hard and not making simple mistakes.

mahb7878 · 12-22-2009, 02:55 AM

dortonite Wrote:It seemed as if their team leader lost his cool a couple of times, the team looks for Pittman for leadership and he had a couple of good games prior to this one, hard to blame one player for a loss but he had a big part in it. Ballard is a good team and I rated them above Holmes after week one. Congrats Ballard.

Best player, maybe... Team leader, I beg to differ, this is Ricardo Johnson's team, he is the leader. But yes, Eli did make some bone head plays this game that cost his team. Is it his fault they lost, no, but he certainly didn't help with some of the decisions he made.

mahb7878 · 12-22-2009, 03:02 AM

PC_You_Know Wrote:I think someone was just a little too over hyped. We all know Ballard is good but some on here have made Holmes seem like world beaters.

Last year they lost two games in the state of KY and returned 3 top players from that team and a good player off the bench. I think everyone had high expectations for this team, and most still do. It is not a matter of coaching, talent, or ability, it is simply a matter of effort and concentration right now for this team. I thought the Mcearchern game would straighten that out, obviously not. If they don't get they heads from between there legs soon, they may very well drop a few more. Still got one more out of state game with Princeton from Cincinnati which is gonna be a tough one, Christian Co, Highlands, Boone and Mason Co who can all beat them if they play sloppy like they have been.

**kywldcat01** · 12-22-2009, 03:34 AM

tezzy859 Wrote:Great post. You make some very good points. Holmes has to get more production from some of the other players. I wouldn't mind seeing two of the J.V. players moved up ( D.Rice and McClendon). I think those two could give the varsity a little more depth....... What happened to Mayfield, has he scored this season? He was supposed to be a major player for Holmes this year. Is he still getting varsity minutes?

Mayfield and Hayes both played pretty solid minutes tonight but in defensive roles only.

HollaBack Wrote:Holmes cannot score right now. It starts with guard play and they don't have much right now. If a team has the D1 athletes they are supposed to have, then they should be able to average more than 54 points per game.

It actually has nothing to with Holmes "D1 athletes" like you say. Again, another uneducated post on your part since you have not seen them this year. If you look at the box score tonight (R. Johnson 18, Pittman 13, Rice 12, J. Johnson 9), you'd see that their "big guns" are doing their job and stepping up. It's the role players that are struggling right now.

Get your facts straight before you get on here bashing a team. It only makes you look ignorant.

PC_You_Know Wrote:I think someone was just a little too over hyped. We all know Ballard is good but some on here have made Holmes seem like world beaters.

And the few on here, myself included, weren't the only ones touting Holmes like we do.

If I remember correctly, Holmes was rated the #1 team by any and every media outlet in KY that you can think of so obviously others shared the same sentiments as us coming in to the season.

I personally don't think Holmes is overhyped at all. They just lost to the #1 team in the state, IMO. Ballard also beat Scott Co and Trinity so let's not sit here and act like this is a bad loss for the Dogs.

They simply aren't clicking right now and have no identity on offense because they're still trying to be a jump shooting team, rather than attacking the rim.

When Holmes made their run to close to within 3 after being down 15, it was because they started attacking the rim and Ballard simply couldn't contend with their height, strength or athleticism.

Also, had you been at the game, you'd know that Holmes actually had a chance to make it 53-52 but a no call on a goaltend by Ballard wasn't called which resulted in 2 free throws at the other end to make it 55-50. Even Coach Henley was upset about the no call, and he never gives the refs the business. That ref got a big ear full when they called the 2nd T on Pittman and on that no call. I don't want to blame the refs for the loss because IMO Ballard was and is the better team, but let's just say you could tell the game was in Louisville tonight down the stretch when Holmes was making their come back.

Get out and see this team play before you call them overhyped. They play at Montgomery co Jan 16th against Christian Co. More than close enough for you and Hollaback to get a first hand glimpse rather than judging them on scores.

**kywldcat01** · 12-22-2009, 03:41 AM

dortonite Wrote:It seemed as if their team leader lost his cool a couple of times, the team looks for Pittman for leadership and he had a couple of good games prior to this one, hard to blame one player for a loss but he had a big part in it. Ballard is a good team and I rated them above Holmes after week one. Congrats Ballard.

Pittman was far from to blame for this loss.

Both of his technicals were questionable to say the least. On the first one he blocked a 3 pt attempt and then gave the kid a stare and the ref called a T.

Second T, Pittman was defending an inbounds play and apparently stepped on the line which is a violation, when the call was made he looked at the ref and simply shook his head and said "wow" and the ref t'd him up which gave him his 5th foul.

His second T came after JJ hit a big 3 to bring the score to 50-44 Ballard with around 2 minutes left. I don't want to say Holmes wins if that T isn't called, but with the way things were going for Holmes with their defensive pressure, it's hard not to think we could've seen a different outcome. Pittman goes to the bench in that situation and Hayes comes in. Big difference in talent, size, athleticism, and experience in that situation.

Ballard did what they had to do to get the W down the stretch...plain and simply. This loss was no one in particular's fault.

**Stardust** · 12-22-2009, 08:33 AM

Based on this weeks results, tells me we have a lot of very even teams across the State

hoonsaunglee · 12-22-2009, 11:04 AM

i wouldn't worry too much either...a state championship is guaranteed for no one...but still...the lloyd tourney i think will help them out to work some kinks out...we lost the second game of the season to B station last year i believe and bounced back with a well fought game vs scott county...no need to live in the past i know but its early and i'm sure henley will find a solution. lots of games still to come

**kywldcat01** · 12-22-2009, 01:49 PM

hoonsaunglee Wrote:i wouldn't worry too much either...a state championship is guaranteed for no one...but still...the lloyd tourney i think will help them out to work some kinks out...we lost the second game of the season to B station last year i believe and bounced back with a well fought game vs scott county...no need to live in the past i know but its early and i'm sure henley will find a solution. lots of games still to come

The win against Memphis Central shows that this team is an elite team. That's why I'm not ready to hit the panic button yet.

Memphis Central is the only team to beat Ballard this year.

**kywldcat01** · 12-22-2009, 01:53 PM

jalfzou Wrote:Holmes has several problems to address if they are to make another serious run in the Sweet 16. Despite being one of the tallest teams in the state, they don't rebound all that well. Newport had no problem keeping them off the offensive boards a week ago. Biggest problem is that the Bulldogs have no one to replace Jamel Riley, last year's point guard and 3-point specialist. Bulldogs also aren't as athletic as they were last year. Neither Slusher nor Rice is all that quick. Holmes' fortunes will improve when Henley goes with a smaller, quicker lineup.

I agree that they haven't rebounded well lately, but your comment about Newport is way off base. Holmes killed Newport on the boards and outrebounded them by almost 20. Both Pittman and JJ had double doubles in that game. Also, Holmes problem isn't their pg play like many uneducated basketball fans think. Their problem is they're settling for jumpshots too often rather than attacking the rim. I agree Slusher isn't very quick but Avery looked good last night and Rice looked VERY TOUGH attacking the rim last night.

I think when Holmes gets in to their nky schedule, we'll see the team that everyone expected to see. I don't think some of you realize how good these teams are that Holmes is playing and lost to.

Bowman Academy is rated the #1 team in Indiana and needed a late 4th quarter run to beat Holmes by 2.

McEachern is rated the 7th best team in Georgia and IMO if Holmes plays them 10 times, they win 7 out of 10.

Ballard is currently the #1 team in the state and has also beat Scott Co and Trinity.

I was worried at first after this loss, but it's not like Holmes lost to a bad team and IMO this is going to get them more hungry. This team isn't used to losing like this and I expect Henley to light a fire under them.

**DortonWildcat5** · 12-22-2009, 03:06 PM

kywldcat01 Wrote:I agree that they haven't rebounded well lately, but your comment about Newport is way off base. Holmes killed Newport on the boards and outrebounded them by almost 20. Both Pittman and JJ had double doubles in that game. Also, Holmes problem isn't their pg play like many uneducated basketball fans think. Their problem is they're settling for jumpshots too often rather than attacking the rim. I agree Slusher isn't very quick but Avery looked good last night and Rice looked VERY TOUGH attacking the rim last night.

I think when Holmes gets in to their nky schedule, we'll see the team that everyone expected to see. I don't think some of you realize how good these teams are that Holmes is playing and lost to.

Bowman Academy is rated the #1 team in Indiana and needed a late 4th quarter run to beat Holmes by 2.

McEachern is rated the 7th best team in Georgia and IMO if Holmes plays them 10 times, they win 7 out of 10.

Ballard is currently the #1 team in the state and has also beat Scott Co and Trinity.

I was worried at first after this loss, but it's not like Holmes lost to a bad team and IMO this is going to get them more hungry. This team isn't used to losing like this and I expect Henley to light a fire under them.

Holmes will be fine. They have too much talent not to be. I haven't seen them play this season, but it sounds like they need to be more aggressive and more hungry.

**kywldcat01** · 12-22-2009, 03:27 PM

DortonWildcat5 Wrote:Holmes will be fine. They have too much talent not to be. I haven't seen them play this season, but it sounds like they need to be more aggressive and more hungry.

100% correct sir.

They play Jan. 16th at Montgomery Co v Christian Co and Jan 2nd at Mason Co. Hopefully you can make it to one of those two and see them first hand. I recommend the Jan. 16th game since Valley plays Christian Co less than a week later on the 22nd.

kyrifle · 12-22-2009, 03:35 PM

PC_You_Know Wrote:I think someone was just a little too over hyped. We all know Ballard is good but some on here have made Holmes seem like world beaters.

I agree. I do think Holmes is a very good team though. There hasn't been a repeat State champ in quiet a while. Fairdade was the last to pull this off and that was 20 years ago in the 1990 then in 1991 seasons. It is much harder to defend the championship than to win the first one.
It would seem that there may be some parity this year. Here's the thing, any team can be beaten on a given night. The best and most athletic team dosen't always win, sometimes how a coach prepares his team for a particular team has a lot to do with who wins.

dortonite · 12-22-2009, 05:58 PM

Stardust Wrote:Based on this weeks results, tells me we have a lot of very even teams across the State

There were a lot of games decided by less than ten points and when scores are that close the losing team is not being dominated!

**kywldcat01** · 12-22-2009, 07:04 PM

dortonite Wrote:There were a lot of games decided by less than ten points and when scores are that close the losing team is not being dominated!

I agree. Like I said in another thread, Ballard is the only one that seems to be the legit choice for best team in the state at this point.

Outside of them, you could put Holmes, Clark Co, Scott Co, Eastern, Trinity, Seneca, Jeffersontown, Christian Co, and Shelby Valley in a hat and draw their names out for 2 through 10 and probably not be wrong with the placement of any team.

And honestly, I think on any given night the teams I just named could be the best team in the state.