Tri-County Seven

[coachh17]

Sorry that I am a day late. I had trouble getting it to post yesterday. We have one change in the rankings. The tournaments are almost here!

 

1. Cloudland A (20-3)- All is well on Roan Mountain. The Lady Landers had a nice road win at South Greene last week. They should handle North Greene in Baileyton this Friday. I believe we will see this team in Murfreesboro.

 

2. Elizabethton AA (16-8)- Stay here because they beat Unicoi County last Tuesday. Host Hampton tomorrow. I can see this team in the Regional Semi-Finals and I think they have a shot at reaching the Sub-State level.

 

3. Unicoi County AA (19-6)- Should be a great game on February 13th when the Lady Landers visit the Devil's Den. This is a very dangerous team and a Sub-State and possibly a State berth is certainly within reach.

 

4. Hampton A (15-7)- Lady Dogs are a solid team. They get a final chance to beat Elizabethton tomorrow. I think this team can make the Sub-State and possibly Murfreesboro.

 

5. Unaka A (10-13)- This team is still developing. I think they will reach the Regional Semi-Finals where Hampton or Cloudland will end their season. They will be better next year.

 

6. Johnson County AA (5-14)- For the first time this season the Lady Longhorns are moving up! By virtue of their huge home win over Happy Valley the Lady Longhorns have claimed the #6 spot. Brown, Reece, and Swift are leading the uprising in Mountain City. I am glad to see them enjoy some well deserved success!

 

7. Happy Valley AA (9-13)- The Lady Warriors have struggled this season, but are competitive in most games. Led by Blankenship and Perry, I can see this team making the Region, but they would have to pull a huge upset in the District or Region to advance as far as the Regional Semi-Finals.

Edited January 31, 2012 by coachh17

[etownsparky]

In order for Betsy to stay at #2 or have any chance of making the regional finals, they will have to step it up on the defensive end. Offensively and on the boards this team is adequate, but they simply do not play half-court defense with a passion. They have gotten by so far by getting a few turnovers on the press and blocked shots from their bigs near the basket. You can win some games with good offense, but I'm a firm believer that good defense is required to win championships. Both games with Sullivan East proves this point. Betsy had a poor permformance offensively at SE and lost. They performed better at home and beat SE, but gave up way too many points in both games.

[coachh17]

Elizabethton picked up their third win over Hampton this season by a score of 46-37 in Elizabethton tonight. Neither team really played well in a very sloppy game.

[THE KING]

Well, Cloudland walloped UH last night 75-48. Landers have to be prepared for a tough NG team on their home floor. These girls need to keep winning and they will reach 30 wins for only the 2nd time in school history with this year being a much tougher schedule.

[3Dgymnasium]

I think both single A and AA is going to be very unpredictable once districts and regionals roll around. In my opinion and correct me if I am wrong this could be your format for district 1 single A and AA.

 

Just my prediction so dont crucify my just yet I see Unicoi and Elizabethton in the district championship of the AA with both teams making the semi-finals of the regionals to play in my opinion West Greene/South Greene both are unpredictable and then of course your front runner Grainger County.

 

Elizabethton vs Grainger- Grainger County

 

Unicoi vs South Greene- Unicoi County

 

Then on the single A side I see the matchups going like this.

 

Cloudland vs North Greene- Cloudland

 

Hampton vs Cosby- Hampton

Edited February 1, 2012 by 3Dgymnasium

[THE KING]

I think both single A and AA is going to be very unpredictable once districts and regionals roll around. In my opinion and correct me if I am wrong this could be your format for district 1 single A and AA.

 

Just my prediction so dont crucify my just yet I see Unicoi and Elizabethton in the district championship of the AA with both teams making the semi-finals of the regionals to play in my opinion West Greene/South Greene both are unpredictable and then of course your front runner Grainger County.

 

Elizabethton vs Grainger- Grainger County

 

Unicoi vs South Greene- Unicoi County

 

Then on the single A side I see the matchups going like this.

 

Cloudland vs North Greene- Cloudland

 

Hampton vs Cosby- Hampton

Elizabethton can beat Grainger County. The Christmas tournament proved that to me with how well betsy played. They seem to have Unicoi's number mentally. Unicoi should be the team to beat, but they come unglued too easily. The Hampton and Cosby matchup could go either way but I have to give a leg up to the Lady Dogs because of their tougher schedule. In the end, I believe the Lady Landers will rule and reign supreme.

[3Dgymnasium]

Grainger matches up to well against Elizabethton. To much post play with the Johnson girl for Elizabethton to handle, Along with better overall guard play coming from Grainger even though Depew will get hers I think the overall pace defensively and offensively that Grainger plays will wear down on Elizabethton late in the game.Not to mention the Cabbage girl and little point guard are both flat out players.

[etownsparky]

Grainger matches up to well against Elizabethton. To much post play with the Johnson girl for Elizabethton to handle, Along with better overall guard play coming from Grainger even though Depew will get hers I think the overall pace defensively and offensively that Grainger plays will wear down on Elizabethton late in the game.Not to mention the Cabbage girl and little point guard are both flat out players.

I haven't seen Grainger play this year so it's tough for me to make an assessment for a hypothetical match-up between the Lady Grizzlies and the Lady Cyclones. However, I am a little perplexed by some of your comments. First, I haven't seen anyone dominate Betsy in the post this year. Cloudland has as good of post tandem as anyone around (except maybe Science Hill) and they didn't dominate EHS. Besides, why would Grainger match up better against Besty than Unicoi for instance? I'm not sure what you mean by overall better guard play, but I doubt the Grainger PG is better than Depew. And thirdly, Betsy can play at a fast pace if need be so I don't necessarily agree that Grainger would "wear down" the Lady Cyclones as long as they continue to get decent minutes out of the 3 bench players that have been contributing. No doubt based on results this year Grainger would have to be the favorite in a game against Elizabethton. The Lady Clones have been a little inconsistent to say the least, but on a given night they can be very good. Consequently, I have no doubt the Lady Cyclones could beat Grainger with a good performance. That doesn't mean they will if the match-up materializes. That is why they play the games...

[3Dgymnasium]

Basketball is all about matchups,I think where Elizabethton would struggle against Grainger is the pressure Grainger puts on your from one end of the floor to the other.And yes I know Elizabethton has seen Unicoi's pressure not only in the full court but half court as well,But their pressure is a whole nother speed than Unicoi's is. But just the overall agressiveness and the way they make you speed up the game along with trapping all over the floor is where I could see Elizabethton having trouble.

 

I will say yes Grainger does have a guard Tailor Morgan who can and will keep up with depew for 32 minutes.Is she a better scorer?No but yes she can score when she has to but totally a different type of player than Depew,She is the same speed as Depew if not quicker.I have seen both teams play quiet a few times and dont get me wrong I think Elizabethton is heading in the right direction but in my opinion I think Grainger has a better overall supporting cast and is a whole lot better on the defensive end of the floor than Elizabethton is. But like you said that is why they play the game.

Edited February 1, 2012 by 3Dgymnasium

[Thebballguru]

Basketball is all about matchups,I think where Elizabethton would struggle against Grainger is the pressure Grainger puts on your from one end of the floor to the other.And yes I know Elizabethton has seen Unicoi's pressure not only in the full court but half court as well,But their pressure is a whole nother speed than Unicoi's is. But just the overall agressiveness and the way they make you speed up the game along with trapping all over the floor is where I could see Elizabethton having trouble.

 

I will say yes Grainger does have a guard Tailor Morgan who can and will keep up with depew for 32 minutes.Is she a better scorer?No but yes she can score when she has to but totally a different type of player than Depew,She is the same speed as Depew if not quicker.I have seen both teams play quiet a few times and dont get me wrong I think Elizabethton is heading in the right direction but in my opinion I think Grainger has a better overall supporting cast and is a whole lot better on the defensive end of the floor than Elizabethton is. But like you said that is why they play the game.

 

Is this why unicoi beat grainger earlier this year? I just don't think that your anology is a good one considering unicoi beat them heads up...where was all the speed and pressure against them?

 

Is grainger a good team? Yes absolutely, but so is Betsy...we will all find out who is left standing soon enough.

[coachh17]

I have only seen Grainger play twice. I saw them last year when Elizabethton beat them badly in the Regional Tournament at Sullivan North. I also saw them beat somebody at the Daniel Boone Christmas tournament in December. I think Johnson is a very good post player and is a tough match-up for anybody. It is hard for me to judge the guard play. They did very little against Elizabethton last year and were playing a weak team when I saw them at Boone. They have to be a solid team with a 22-2 record and numerous wins over South Greene, Greeneville, and Chuckey-Doak. However, they have lost to Unicoi County and Morristown West, so they are not invincible. I will not be surprised to see them make it to Murfreesboro, but I will not be shocked if they get upset in the Regional semi-finals either.

[Thebballguru]

I will not be surprised to see them make it to Murfreesboro, but I will not be shocked if they get upset in the Regional semi-finals either.

 

Well said.