[kywldcat01]

Ricardo Johnson was a man among boys last night. Nobody on the floor was big or strong enough as him so he simply dominated.

Holmes struggles early on as St. Hank jumped out to a 6-2 lead but Holmes would close the first quarter on an 11-4 run.

Second quarter Holmes settled down some and started playing together more and pushed their lead out to 14.

Holmes would keep a 14-17 point lead the rest of the game before extending it out to 20 with 2 or 3 minutes left and then getting a basket from Gray right before the buzzer to give you the final of 61-42.

My thoughts:

1. Elijah Pittman didn't play in this game. Had he played, I'm confident Holmes wins by 30 or 40 points. St. Henry simply didn'y have the size or depth to contend with the Dogs.

2. Despite the score, Holmes continues to look very lethargic offensively. They just aren't really playing with any sense of urgency. They'll have spurts where they look very good and other times have you wondering how they are the defending state champs.

3. Kevon Rice did a very nice job stepping up in Pittman's place with 9 points. Not sure of how many he had, but he really hit the glass hard and rebounded extremely well. He also continues to show a nice outside stroke for his size of 6'6.

4. Avery looked much more comfortable for Holmes last night. He got more aggressive at both ends of the floor and started shooting more. Both he and Slusher are great assets to Holmes team. Both rebounded well last night and did a nice job defensively.

5. Chris Hayes continues to play well for Holmes. He has a very nice outside stroke and has unreal hops. He got several rebounds last night in traffic that included Rice and R. Johnson. I really like the intensity he brings to the floor.

6. Henley used a lot of different combinations last night but the one that surprised me the most: Herndon, Hayes, Mcclendon, Rice, R. Johnson. When Henley went small, Holmes quickness and athleticism really showed. When the younger guys settle in and get more confident, Holmes is really going to be a tough team to beat.

7. St. Henry showed a lot of grit and fight last night. Holmes simply couldn't put them away until late in the game. The Cru kept making big play after big play when Holmes would extend their lead to 17 or 18. For every play Holmes made, St. Henry made one themselves to keep the Dogs from running away with the game.

8. A bright spot for Holmes last night was their outside shooting. St. Henry sat in a zone the whole night, giving Holmes several different looks (1-3-1, box and 1, 2-3, 3-2) but Holmes knocked down 9 treys.

BTW, the new Holmes floor looks very good. Big H at mid court and where the Bulldog used to be just beyond the 3 point lines, is replaced with a smaller H with Bulldogs in cursive under it. The floor is a lighter color and it looks like they replaced the lights as it's much brighter in the gym now. I recommend getting down to Covington and checking it out.

Holmes travels to Warren Central Saturday to take on the #6 team in TN in Memphis Central.