coachh17

Good luck tonight to all of our teams. Elizabethton and Cloudland should win by large margins. Hampton will likely be in a close game with Cosby. Happy Valley has their hands full with #1 Grainger County.

Cosby did break Elizabethton's press fairly well. Cosby has length and plays a pretty good 2-3 zone. If Hampton is shooting the three well they have a chance. If not, I say Cosby wins by about 10.....say 52-42.

Congratulations to Cloudland and Elizabethton for winning District titles by large margins. Hampton and Happy Valley are also still in the mix. Good luck to all our remaining teams as they head into Regional Tournament play. One game at a time.

So is Hooper playing or not?

Hampton will have a tough match up with Cosby in the region quarters after losing to South Greene. Good luck to the Lady Landers against North Greene tonight for a District title and to avoid Cosby's bracket in the Region. I think Elizabethton will beat East by double digits and win a District title tonight. Happy Valley needs to beat South tonight to avoid #1 ranked Grainger in the Region quarter finals.

I do not think there have been any major upsets yet and all 8 of my predictions are still on track. I predicted CAK to make it before I knew that Hooper was coming back. With her, they become the favorite in my mind. Elizabethton and Grainger are on a collision course for a big game in Region 1, barring any upsets. Sycamore has been mentioned as a sleeper in middle Tennessee. I think Gatlinburg Pittman and Knox Fulton could make it from the east. Are there other sleepers playing well in the middle and west?

This is fun. Cloudland vs. North Greene should be a great game. Hampton needs a win to avoid a first round Region match-up with Cosby. Elizabethton needs to stay very focused to avoid an upset bid by Happy Valley on Warrior Hill Monday. All four teams are where I thought they would be at this juncture.

So far, so good on the predictions. Unaka lost their play-in game and is out. Johnson County lost the #6 vs. #3 game and is out. Happy Valley did find a way in the #4 vs. #5 game and knocked Unicoi County out. We now have 4 of our 7 advancing to Region play.

Right is right and wrong is wrong. Just because the administration, coaching staff, and parents "feel it is the best thing for all involved" does not make it so.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I have always advocated for a complete public/private split in Tennessee. My rationale is that if you do not want to send your children to school with the rest of us, then why on earth do you think you should get to play in public leagues and compete for public titles? Just because it is legal according to T$$AA, does not mean it is right. Wealth has its privileges.

Elizabethton looked a little ragged tonight in a 60-40 win over Cosby. The Lady Cyclones struggled to consistently score against a pretty tough 2-3 zone defense. Cosby also did an admirable job handling the press. Cosby is pretty good and will not be an easy out for any of the District 1 A teams in the Region tournament.

The District Tournaments are just about set to begin. AA looks like it will be a lot of fun this year and appears to have no clear cut favorite. Who will navigate the pitfalls and hurdles and make it to Murfreesboro? Here are my picks: CAK- (Hammaker can score 40 if you do not game plan to slow her down) Elizabethton- (Marosites twins are fun to watch and the Lady Cyclones are deep and talented) Cannon County- (I know Sissom can light it up) Livingston Academy- (loaded with tradition and just beat Cannon) Creek Wood- (Bell is a great player, had a couple of losses at Boone tournament that surprised me) Martin Luther King- (I know nothing about this team) Dyersburg- (I know nothing about this team) Westview- (Great tradition and seem to be peaking at the right time) Please give predictions and tell us about your teams.

Lady Cyclones crushed Richlands,VA.

Science Hill has two great players. Tianna Tarter is a point guard and has not made a decision yet on college. She has D 1 offers. She controls games offensively and defensively and takes over essentially any time the Lady Toppers need a basket or big play. Gabby Lyon is a post and has already signed with Middle Tennessee State. She can score, rebound, pass, and defend.

The Lady Cyclones continue to play with defensive intensity and offensive precision. If they stay humble, focused, and take it one game at a time, they can achieve great things.

I saw Hodge last year in the Elizabethton loss. She is a great player and is a deserving candidate to win Miss Basketball. I am an Elizabethton fan and hope that the Lady Cyclones will meet Grainger County in the Region Championship game. To win it they will have to contain Hodge. Elizabethton has some very good players, including the Marosites twins that I have already mentioned, and it will be a fun match-up if we get to see it.

Thanks! I enjoy doing it and I know how hard all the players and coaches work. They deserve support and some public recognition.

I have no way to know how the Districts will wind up, but I would have to say South Greene, North Greene, or possibly Cosby.

There are no changes to this week's rankings. Head to head matchups have kept this year's rankings the most stable and easy to do that I can ever remember. Most of our teams finish the regular season this week, though several teams have games left on Monday February 10th. I will make my predictions this week on how far I think each team will go and where their season will most likely end. 1. Elizabethton- (AA) (19-3)- Beat Sullivan East by 24 and Johnson County by 33. The Lady Cyclones have rolled to 7 straight wins since losing to undefeated Science Hill on January 3rd. They visit Unicoi County Monday, host Sullivan South on Tuesday, host Richlands,VA Thursday, and Cosby on Saturday. I think they will finish 23-3 in the regular season and win District 1 with a 12-0 record. I predict that they will win the District 1 tournament and are on a collision course with #1 Grainger County for a Region Championship. I believe the Lady Cyclones will reach Murfreesboro and have a legitimate shot to bring home some hardware. 2. Cloudland- (A) (22-5)- Lost by 2 at South Greene and by 5 at North Greene. I am not sure how good this team really is, as they are 0-4 against North and South Greene. The Lady Landers host Unaka Tuesday, visit Hampton Friday, host Providence on Tuesday the 11th to finish up. I think they will finish 1st or 2nd in the District Tournament. I think that they will reach the Regional Championship game, and I think they will lose in the sub-state on the road at Meigs County. 3. Hampton- (A) (16-9)- Beat Johnson County by 10 and Unaka by 36. The Lady Dogs have a tough finish this week. They visit North Greene Tuesday, host Cloudland Friday, and wrap up at Unicoi County on Saturday. I believe that the Lady Dogs will finish 4th in the District Tournament and will lose to Cosby in the Region Quarter-Finals ending their season, though they are capable of getting hot and reaching the Region Final. Nobody will want to draw them. 4. Happy Valley- (AA) (12-14)- Lost by Sullivan East by 16 at home. Should beat North at home Thursday, Providence on the road Friday, and Johnson County in a make-up game. Happy Valley is no lock to make the Region Tournament. Elizabethton and East should get there and South, Happy Valley, and Unicoi County will fight for the other two spots. I think the Lady Warriors will find a way and finish 4th in the District Tournament. Their season will end in the Regional Quarter-Finals against #1 Grainger County. 5. Unicoi Co.- (AA) (11-13)- Lost by 4 to Sullivan South. Elizabethton visits Monday, the Lady Devils travel to Johnson County Friday, and finish at home Saturday with Hampton. They are capable of reaching the Region, but I think they will barely miss out and finish 5th in the District Tournament. 6. Unaka- (A) (5-20)- Lost by 36 to Hampton and by 20 to Volunteer. Finish with four road games at South Greene Monday, Cloudland Tuesday, University High Friday, and Johnson County on February 10th. I think the Lady Rangers will lose in the District play-in game, ending their season. 7. Johnson Co.- (AA) (6-19)- Lost to Hampton by 10, Elizabethton by 33, and South by 35. Host Unicoi County Friday and can take the 6th spot with a home win over Unaka on Monday February 10th. I believe the Lady Longhorns will finish 6th in the District Tournament, ending their season.

District 1-A tournament appears to be wide open.

Kayla averages 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 3-point shots, and 3.4 steals a game. Kelci is averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 3-point shots, and 2.3 steals a game. They also combine for a handful of assists, deflections, and blocks each game. The Lady Cyclones are fun to watch.

The Lady Cyclones beat a solid Sullivan East team 53-29 tonight.

Elizabethton is really improving and playing well.

Elizabethton sophomore identical twins Kelci and Kayla Marosites are probably a year away from Miss Basketball status, but one or both will be in the mix the next two seasons. The 5'9" wings can do it all and have to be one of the best 1-2 punches in AA. They also have 8 teammates that can play and only one is a senior. Watch out for this team for at least 3 more seasons.