Highlands girls roll past Boone County; NCC girls dominate

G. Michael Graham Photo. From left in Blue, Highands defenders Vanessa Fisse, Ava Abner, Leah Schaefer, Jesse Daley (24) and Brianna Adler (10) get in position in Tuesday's game at Boone County. The Bluebirds recorded 23 steals in Tuesday's 61-35 9th Region win over the Lady Rebels.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

FLORENCE – The Boone County Lady Rebels basketball team has been known to make opponents feel the heat through the years, especially on its home Fookes Court.

But on Tuesday, the Highlands Bluebirds reversed the fortunes. They pressured the Lady Rebels all over the court to a tune of 23 steals in a 61-35 9th Region victory. Highlands (14-6) also beat Boone County (9-8), 46-40 in overtime on Dec. 28 on its way to winning the Conner State Farm Classic. The Bluebirds are 7-2 in region action.

“They understood the game plan,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands head coach. “We had a specific game plan against Boone County and they accepted that. They listened to the coaches and we’ve been harping in the gaps. They saw that when they’re in the gaps, they get a lot of hands on the ball.”

Nine different Bluebirds recorded steals in the contest, including seven with at least two. Vanessa Fisse led the way with five thefts with Haley Coffey and Ava Abner making four each. Emilie Parton followed with three steals and Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Alex Combs made two each.

“We’ve been getting each other up,” Coffey said. “When we get each other up, we’re always hyped up running and jumping to get our stuff done. So when we’re out there stealing (the basketball), we’re already fired up. Our defense is good. But it’s when we’re fired up that we get the steals.”

Overall, Boone County made 27 turnovers to 16 for Highlands. The Lady Rebels had just eight steals. Macey Ford led Boone County with two.

“We had a ton of turnovers. That’s for sure,” said Nell Fookes, Boone County head coach. “(Highlands) did a great job. They definitely changed their style of play since the last time we played them. We knew they were going to come out and pressure a little more. We didn’t handle the ball well. You can’t win many games playing the way we did.”

Both teams recorded balanced scoring with eight different players putting the ball through the hoop each. But the Bluebirds saw four players reach double-digits to none for the Lady Rebels.

The domination started in the paint with Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Alex Combs. Daley led Highlands with 15 points and five rebounds and Combs made all three free throws on her way to 12 points.

The Bluebirds extended the domination outside with Brianna Adler scoring 13 points, including two three-pointers, and Leah Schaefer adding 10. Schaefer scored two crucial buckets in the fourth to stem a Boone County run. The Lady Rebels trimmed the lead to 47-30 following three-pointers by Dallis Knotts and Ford with 6:45 left in the game. But Schaefer put Highlands up 51-30 with 6:11 left.

Schaefer, a Xavier University signee, admitted she needed a jolt of energy to get going. She had just five points in the first three quarters and the coaching staff benched her in the third quarter.

Highlands shot the ball better making 23-of-50 shots overall for 46 percent, including four three-pointers, and 11-of-20 free throws for 55 percent. Boone County made 13-of-45 for 29 percent, including four three-pointers, and 5-of-12 free throws for 42 percent.

“I think since the (Louisville) DuPont Manual Tournament, everyone has bonded,” Schaefer said. “Before games, we try to pump each other up. We try to post quotes (from different speakers or athletes) so everyone can get focused. When we go on runs, we get energy and it makes us play better.”

The Bluebirds mixed things up defensively. They held Boone County standout guard Jessica Jones to nine points before fouling out. Coffey said the key to that was making the Tennessee Tech University signee dribble to her left. Highlands limited her drives to the basket.

Highlands recently saw Schaefer and Parton return from injuries. Parton missed time because she strained her left Middle Collateral Ligament. The Bluebirds are still not 100 percent because Lydia Graves and McKenzie Leigh could not play against the Lady Rebels. Graves rolled her right ankle in practice.

“It just amazes me that this team plays like a team,” Richey said. “When one person goes down, someone else steps up or the whole team steps up. When we’re clicking, we can be a dangerous team.”

Highlands took the lead for good with a 9-0 run behind three Daley buckets. Combs hit a three-pointer from the left corner as time expired to give Highlands a 19-9 lead after the first quarter.

The lead continued to expand from there. Schaefer put in an offensive rebound to put Highlands up 34-14 after two quarters.

Daley scored seven more points in the third. The Bluebirds led 47-22 entering the fourth quarter.

Highlands then finished the game with a 10-2 run. That led the staff put in the reserves for the game’s final two minutes.

“It was much better than against Ryle (on Friday),” Richey said. “We were up by 30 against Ryle and let them cut it to 20. So I was very happy with the fourth quarter. We didn’t let them cut too much into our lead.”

Highlands travels to Conner (18-2) on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Newport Central Catholic girls 64, Dixie Heights 37:

The Thoroughbreds (14-4) dominated the host Lady Colonels (8-11) on Tuesday. They are 9-2 in 9th Region action.

NewCath nearly saw all five starters reach double-digits in the scoring column. Alexus Mayes led the way with 12 and Stephanie Lewis scored 11 points to go with six rebounds and two three-pointers. Teammates Nikki Kiernan and Michaela Ware scored 10 points each and Loren Zimmerman had nine.

Kiernan scored all her points in the first half and did not play in the second half. NewCath led 41-17 at halftime.

Liza Tibbs and Meggie Malone led Dixie Heights with 12 and 11 points respectively. The Lady Colonels are in their second season under former Highlands and Xavier standout Tara Boothe-Smith. They made the 9th Region tournament last year and won just 10 games.

NewCath shot much better from the free-throw line than in previous games. The Thoroughbreds made 18-of-22 free throws for 82 percent and the Lady Colonels hit 9-of-12 for 75 percent.

NewCath travels to Mason County (11-5) on Saturday. Game time is 1:30 p.m.