Graves County (27-4, Third District Champions) v. Heath 19-11, Second District Runner-Up)

How they got here...Graves County defeated Calloway County 34-23, Heath knocked off Fulton County 57-51

Head to Head...December 22 @Graves County...Graves County defeated Heath 45-31, January 26 @Heath...Graves County defeated Heath 52-35

Cooper Trooper...Graves County's Aaron Cooper policed the glass for 15 rebounds against Calloway County, the most critical of which came on the offensive backboards.  Cooper scored most of his ten points off that window, and without them, the Eagles may well have fallen victim to a first-round upset.  His strength and athleticism were unstoppable around the basket, and his ten-point effort was the equivalent to a 20-point night in a 60-point game.  Cooper's efforts also came with his front court partner, Ryan Vogt, often sidelined by foul difficulty, giving even more importance to his efforts on the interior.  Those efforts included helping the Eagles limit the Lakers to 9-31 shooting.  Cooper's rising game will be important again tonight as Graves looks to dominate the paint and counter Heath's very underrated front line group.

The Jett...and the Jet...Sophomore Jacob Jett led the Pirates with 16 points against Fulton County on Wednesday night, displaying an array of offensive skills that many observers might not see coming.  Jett balances a burly body type with very good feet, three-point range, and a knack for getting to the basket.  Mix his game with his build and his red buzz cut, and you have Heath's version of Notre Dame star Luke Harangody.  He'll have his work cut out for him against Graves' versatile and athletic tandem of Vogt and Cooper, so he'll need another big night from Heath's cat-quick point guard, Damien Bolen.  Bolen was fearless on the attack against Fulton County, and while he'll need to use discretion against the stingy Graves' defense, his explosive speed could be huge in helping the Pirates come up with easy baskets.  You can be certain there will be a premium on each of those.

Walk the Plank?...66 points.  That's how many Heath has scored in two losses against the Eagles, and it begs the question...can the Pirates score the basketball?  And given that question, do they try to pull a page from the Calloway County playbook that bothered Graves County so significantly on Thursday night?  You can expect the Eagles' to be prepared for such a development this time around, but the reality is this...when you can keep your opponent in the 30's, you have a chance to beat them...no matter who that opponent is.  Heath is down 31 points in 64 minutes so far this season, how could it hurt to try and shorten the next 32?  The Pirates can play four highly-skilled players at a time, and they can do that while going big, too.  Drew Robinson's mobility looked better on Thursday night, and he stands 6-6 at small forward or power forward...and if he's playing power forward, that will be five skilled Pirates at a time.  We have talked about Jett's abilities at 6-4, and the group of Tra Tharp, Brock Jordan, Bolen, and/or Drew Wrinkle and Chase Bradley offer varying strengths of athleticism, ball-handling, and shooting.  It's also easy to see the Pirates packing back a zone and max defending their defensive rebounding position.  Condillard Howard, Jett, Robinson, and David Wallace give the Piraes a quartet of big men to try and deal with Vogt and Cooper, and why not put the game on the shooting eyes of the Graves perimeter players?  The Eagles have six guys that can harm you from deep...Jesse Anderson, Ross Williams, Brock Morris, Dallas Haneline, Tyler Starkey, and Peyton Puckett...but as a team they shoot 33% from three-point range.  That seems like better odds than the 56 percent shooting offered by Vogt and Cooper in the lane.

Survived, Advanced...Dominant?...On the road to championships, there is always at least one call.  When you are trying to defend a championship, there may be more than one.  Graves had one against Calloway, and while it was more than a little surprising that the Eagles allowed Calloway County to determine the game's tempo, they showed a toughness and a resolve that comes from having already won one title.  Terry Birdsong trusted his club to make enough plays to win the game, and despite some rough patches, they did just that by defending at a high level and by dominating the glass.  That foundation puts them in position to win every night, and the thinking is that if they play well, everything will be fine.  It will be very interesting tonight to see if Graves comes out intent on making a statement, seeking to impose their will on the game from the start.  Anderson's play a year ago was key in winning the regional championship, and he and Williams will need to be good tonight if the Eagles are to handle their business.  And don't be surprised if a weapon off the bench...it was Haneline against the Lakers...has a big game tonight.

Graves County wins...

• If the Eagles hold Heath to less than 40% shooting
• If the Eagles score at least 16 points on the offensive glass
• If the Eagles make more free throws than the Pirates
• If the Eagles make at least six threes

Heath wins...

• If the Pirates hold the Eagles to less than 35% shooting
• If the Pirates win the rebounding battle by at least five rebounds
• If Vogt and/or Cooper play fewer than 16 minutes
• If the Pirates place three players in double figures and hold Graves to fewer than 50 points