Bluebirds Hold off Bearcats

Highlands Takes Fifth at Gateway Holiday Classic

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Jacob Noe (23) puts up a shot in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team wanted to end 2017 with a .500 record.

The Bluebirds built another nice lead in the third quarter and had to hold on at the end to beat the Anderson County Bearcats (4-8), 62-59 to finish fifth in the Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County on Saturday. Highlands is 6-6 on the year.

Bluebirds Win in Mount Sterling

Conner Defeats Highlands Girls in LaRosa's Holiday Classic Title Game

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Hanna Buecker (20) goes up for the score in front of Conner's Maddie Burcham (22) while Savannah Jordan (14) watches. Highlands lost 51-41 in the title game of the LaRosa's Holiday Classic.

It came by the slimmest margin possible.

But that's all the Highlands Bluebird boys basketball team (5-6 overall) needed in a 49-48 win over the Powell County Panthers (5-5) from the 14th Region on Friday in the 11th Annual Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County. Powell County veteran Head Coach Dave Fraley led the Pulaski County Maroons to the state championship in 1986.

Bluebirds Move to Holiday Title Game

Highlands Earns Win Over Cooper

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior guard Brooke Dill (4) goes in for a shot while Cooper senior guard Lexi Held (10) pursues. Highlands advanced to the championship game of the LaRosa's Holiday Classic with a 68-57 victory over the Lady Jaguars. Highlands faces host Conner for the title at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

It was more about advancing to the championship game of the seventh annual LaRosa's Holiday Classic at Conner for the fourth time since its inception more than anything else.

Highlands Declaws Fern Creek

Bluebirds Pull Away in Second Quarter

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Chloe Jansen (34) sets up for a three-point try in the win over Fern Creek on Wednesday. Jansen had nine points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (8-4 overall) opened the 7th Annual LaRosa's Holiday Classic at Conner with an impressive victory.

Highlands pulled away from the Louisville Fern Creek Tigers (7-5) by a 70-46 count using a 24-11 blitzing in the second quarter. The Bluebirds expanded a 19-18 deficit to a 42-30 halftime lead and extended it to 57-40 after three quarters.

Highlands Earns Huge Win in Lexington

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Zoie Barth (10) drives in for a score in a recent game. Barth had 19 points, seven steals and two blocked shots as the Bluebirds beat Hazard, 51-35 to conclude the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (7-4 overall) came away from the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic with perhaps its biggest win of the season.

The Hazard Lady Bulldogs (7-3) came into the event on a five-game winning streak including a huge win over 9-2 Clay County. Hazard beat Scott, 66-65 in double overtime before losing 69-48 to Scott County in the first two games of the classic. The Lady Bulldogs then exploded for an 88-59 win over Cooper on Friday. Cooper eliminated Highlands from the 9th Region Tournament last year.

But Highlands put together a strong showing to beat the Lady Bulldogs, 51-35 to conclude the classic with a 2-2 record. Hazard has not been to the 14th Region Tournament since 2005, but does have three region championships to its credit and a state championship in 1997.

"We told the girls when we drove back down that we wanted to end the tournament with a win," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "It was a possibility that we should win this game. They came out, defended well and executed offensively."

Another Close Loss in Lexington for Birds

Kittens Escape with Three-Point Win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands freshman Rory O'Hara (35) puts up a shot in a recent game. O'Hara scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss to Ashland on Friday.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (6-4 overall) faced another squad from the 64th District on Friday and the result mirrored the one Thursday.

Highlands could not do enough to pull out the victory losing again by three points, 54-51 to the Ashland Blazer Kittens (8-2). It marked the third day of the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.

Two Tough Losses for Highlands Hoops

Bluebirds Come Up Short Against Undefeated Lady Lions

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. The Highlands girls basketball team came up three points short against undefeated Boyd County on Thursday. Pictured from left are Chloe Jansen, Zoie Barth, Brooke Dill, Rory O'Hara and Hanna Buecker.

The Highlands Bluebird girls basketball team (6-3 overall) gave a valiant effort Thursday against the undefeated Boyd County Lady Lions (8-0) in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.