[FootballFan1999]

Trinity’s David Johnson finishes with 22-12-4. Trinity’s second state title.

[FootballFan1999]

Scott led 33-29 going into the fourth. Trinity used a 15-0 run in the fourth to propel them past SC.

[FootballFan1999]

Hicks says he is 99% sure that was his last game as Scott County’s coach.

[rojas]

Tough loss. SC was up 4 and had the ball with 5:00 to play. They missed two layups and Trinity hit three consecutive threes. That pretty much was the ball game.

The was one of the best championship games I have seen. Both teams played at a high level and were well prepared. Congratulations to Trinity on the championship and to Scott County on a great season,

[roundballer]

Turnier hit back to back 3’s and Trinity rolled with that Momentum..then he got a layup And1 and scored 9 points in just over a minute..Scott never recovered..It was a great game! Congratulations Trinity and Scott Co. Must feel amazing to play in a Championship game!

[Huggy_Bear]

Johnson is a grown man playing against boys. He was a beast out there.

That Turnier sequence sealed the deal for Trinity.

Hard to believe that neither of these teams even won their respective districts.

[Rainingthrees]

Congrats Trinity!

[me and mine]

Scott co. most talent in tournament but Trinity was best team. No 13 for trinity is best player i saw.

[Van Hagar]

I was surprised to learn that this makes five straight time Billy has lost a state championship game. Won his first two. Unbelievable to get there seven times, but 2-5 has to sting some.

[Allcity33]

What an unreal career for coach Hicks if this is indeed his last season.

[FootballFan1999]

Saw on twitter Hicks is 2-7 in finals. Lebron is 3-6. Same dudes that be on Lebron about finals praise Hicks quite a lot. Just food for thought. 😆

[Pulp Fiction]

A private school with an enrollment of 1295 males from Louisville wins another state championship........ :yawn:


Three 6A schools and one 4A school were in the semi-finals, all four from the largest cities/metro areas in the Commonwealth.
Trinity (6A; Louisville)
Campbell County (6A; NKY)
Scott County (6A; Georgetown)
Warren Central (4A; Bowling Green)





The Sweet 16 really needs to see something like the 1976 Edmonson County squad or the 2010 Shelby Valley team.

The Sweet 16 was won by teams from the Louisville area, NKY, Lexington & Owensboro for twelve of thirteen seasons from 1969-1981.
1969 - Central
1970 - Male
1971 - Male
1972 - Owensboro
1973 - Shawnee
1974 - Central
1975 - Male
1976 - Edmonson County
1977 - Ballard
1978 - Shelby County
1979 - Lafayette
1980 - Owensboro
1981 - Simon Kenton

From 1997-2019 only one team has won the Sweet 16 outside of schools from the Top 20 most populated cities in the Commonwealth.
1997 - Eastern
1998 - Scott County
1999 - Ballard
2000 - E-Town
2001 - Lafayette
2002 - Lexington Catholic
2003 - Mason County
2004 - Warren Central
2005 - South Laurel
2006 - Jeffersontown
2007 - Scott County
2008 - Mason County
2009 - Holmes
2010 - Shelby Valley
2011 - Christian County
2012 - Trinity
2013 - Madison Central
2014 - Cov. Catholic
2015 - Owensboro
2016 - Dunbar
2017 - Bowling Green
2018 - Cov. Catholic
2019 - Trinity





I know we hear this argument every year, and I don't see the KHSAA B.O.C. or the member schools wanting to change the format to a class system or a public/private split....... but having two 6A schools in the finals or two teams from the Lou./Lex./NKY/BG/Owensboro area play for the state championship doesn't have that captivating power. I realize a community and the student body/fans will be enthused about winning, but to the type of fan that doesn't follow the sport like some of us do tune out when the hear the finals are Trinity vs. Scott County. Throw in a '96 Paintsviile, '10 Shelby Valley or a '11 Rowan County type of team in the finals and the Sweet 16 has the magic like it's supposed to.

[Iam4thecats]

This is Julians cash cow, its not going to change on the khsaa end. Thats why we had a private body create the all-a and now AA tournaments. There is a market and a hunger for a more equitable way.

[Pulp Fiction]

This is Julians cash cow, its not going to change on the khsaa end. Thats why we had a private body create the all-a and now AA tournaments. There is a market and a hunger for a more equitable way.

I don't want the Sweet 16 changed from the traditional format...... but it would be a big breath of fresh air to see a smaller school from an area outside of Lou metro./Lex., G-Town, Richmond/NKY/Owensboro/Hopkinsville/Bowling Green make a run for two or three years, making the finals or even winning it one of those years.

[jetpilot]

Probably my last Sweet 16. You have to expect the big schools to win 95+% of the time but it's just old and stale to me now. This tournament was brutal to watch. Only one small school won a game, WV, and they had 2 6-10 guys and got a lucky draw with Knox. Many mismatches and just brutally low-scoring, maybe the least points scored ever in the tourney? Averaged 55 per team per game and only 4 scores of 70+ by a team in the whole tourney.

We need a small school state tournament, from A through 3A football schools. It would be 10x more fun than the "real" Sweet 16.

[Iam4thecats]

Mathematically the chances are small as we see. However it is also a mathematical certainty that it will eventually happen again at some point.

[jetpilot]

Mathematically the chances are small as we see. However it is also a mathematical certainty that it will eventually happen again at some point.

Actually it isn't. But even if it was it wouldn't be anything to write home about.

[rojas]

I was surprised to learn that this makes five straight time Billy has lost a state championship game. Won his first two. Unbelievable to get there seven times, but 2-5 has to sting some.

Close but not quite. Billy and Scott County won in the championship 98, lost in the championship game in 99, won in 2007, lost in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019. That's 4 in a row. There are about a zillion head high school coaches on the state that would love to have that record.

[rojas]

I was surprised to learn that this makes five straight time Billy has lost a state championship game. Won his first two. Unbelievable to get there seven times, but 2-5 has to sting some.

After what the Hicks family has gone through, losing a state championship game is small potatoes in comparison.

[rojas]

Mike Fields has to be the best high school sports writer to ever live. Great article.

https://khsaa.org/billy-hicks-this-was-my-last-game/

[Iam4thecats]

Actually it isn't. But even if it was it wouldn't be anything to write home about.

This from the same guy wishing we had a 1a-3a tournament without realizing we already have that.

[jetpilot]

This from the same guy wishing we had a 1a-3a tournament without realizing we already have that.

Because we don't have that. I'm talking about a tournament all teams in 1A 2A and 3A compete in. Throw out the all A and the 2A tourneys and have a small school tourney that teams like Pikeville and Belfry would both be eligible for. All small schools.

[Iam4thecats]

I don't think you know what those 2 tournaments are apparently.

[Van Hagar]

After what the Hicks family has gone through, losing a state championship game is small potatoes in comparison.

Of course it is. Real life is what matters, and that’s not what high school basketball is. But if it doesn’t sting to some degree, then it’s time to hang up the whistle.

[Van Hagar]

On that point about the five straight losses, I was repeating what those knuckleheads on the sweet 16 radio network said, so my mistake.

[MayfieldCardinal]

Congrats T

[CarzyRock]

I don't want the Sweet 16 changed from the traditional format...... but it would be a big breath of fresh air to see a smaller school from an area outside of Lou metro./Lex., G-Town, Richmond/NKY/Owensboro/Hopkinsville/Bowling Green make a run for two or three years, making the finals or even winning it one of those years.

I understand wanting to institute classes in Basketball, but if you're fine with the traditional format then why are you complaining that big schools win? They simply have a bigger talent pool.

[Pulp Fiction]

I understand wanting to institute classes in Basketball, but if you're fine with the traditional format then why are you complaining that big schools win? They simply have a bigger talent pool.

There's a difference between wanting to keep the Sweet 16 in it's current format but also knowing we are gonna probably see the same 10-20 schools in the finals year-in and year-out. Like watching the movie Titanic, no matter how good the movie might be, we all know the ship is gonna sink.
The Sweet 16 is great, but we all pretty much know how the tournament is gonna end...... two large schools from a big city/metro area will be playing in the finals.