NewCath girls hand Brossart first loss; Highlands girls, NC boys win

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic's Stephanie Lewis (middle) pulls down a rebound in Wednesday's win over Bishop Brossart. Lewis scored eight points in the win.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

ALEXANDRIA – There are no more undefeated girls basketball teams left in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds took care of the last of them Wednesday with a 50-40 victory here over the Bishop Brossart Lady Mustangs (11-1). The Thoroughbreds (12-1) grabbed the lead in the second quarter with an 8-0 run and never looked back.

“We didn’t play great,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “But we gutted out a victory. That’s what good teams need to do.”

NewCath made seven three-pointers in the win compared to one for Brossart. The Thoroughbreds made 20-of-49 shots for 41 percent compared to 18-of-53 for 34 percent for the Lady Mustangs.

Both teams made 3-of-6 free-throw attempts for 50 percent in the loosely-called game. NewCath finished with 11 fouls and Brossart had 10.

NewCath posts Alexus Mayes and Nikki Kiernan did their usual damage. Mayes made four three-pointers on her way to 18 points and Kiernan scored all 13 of her points in the second half. Kiernan also had 10 rebounds for a double-double and blocked four shots.

But the Thoroughbreds received other contributions that Stoll had been looking for since NewCath’s lone loss Friday to Highlands. Starters Michaela Ware and Stephanie Lewis finished with eight points each. Lewis made both three-pointers in the first quarter and Ware had six assists.

“They learned their lesson from Friday,” Stoll said. “We (coaches) had them watch the video of that game by themselves. They critiqued themselves on it.”

Sarah Neace also got in on the outside shooting act in the second quarter. She made her lone three-pointer from the left wing with 2:50 left in the quarter to put NewCath up 19-12. Ware’s jumper with a second left in the quarter then put NewCath up 21-14 at halftime.

“It gives other players confidence that we can score also,” Neace said of hitting shots. “It pulls (opponents) off Nikki and Alexus. You just need to have confidence to shoot the way you’ve always been taught.”

Sarah Futscher and Emily Schultz kept Brossart within striking distance. Futscher finished with 15 points including 10 in the third quarer and Schultz had 13. Futscher blocked two shots and grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double.

“We did a great job defensively,” Stoll said. “We didn’t get much out of our press. But that was okay. We weren’t as aggressive because we felt we could guard them in the half-court.”

The Lady Mustangs had 11 turnovers and two steals to just seven turnovers and four steals for the Thoroughbreds. Lewis and Kiernan had the other two NewCath thefts. The Thoroughbreds limited Morgan Verst and Abby Stadtmiller to three points each.

“We win by our defense,” Kiernan said. “We get most of our points from it. We put (Ware) on Verst. We put (Lewis), who is one of our best defenders, on Stadtmiller then I guarded Futscher. We tried pressuring them because they don’t like a lot of pressure.”

One area of improvement for NewCath is rebounding. Brossart won that battle 39-30. The Lady Mustangs earned some second shots with 15 offensive rebounds compared to six for the Thoroughbreds.

NewCath scored the game’s first five points. After two Brossart scores, Lewis it consecutive three-pointers to give the Thoroughbreds an 11-4 lead with 4:40 left in the first quarter.

The Thoroughbreds tried to pull away in the third quarter. They led 37-22 with 2:49 left after Ware recorded a steal and score. But Brossart trimmed the margin to 39-29 entering the fourth quarter.

The Lady Mustangs cut the lead to 45-39 with 1:57 left in the game. But Kiernan recorded a three-point play and Mayes made two free throws to seal the deal.

NewCath continues a tough week in Independence tonight against Simon Kenton (13-2). Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Highlands 48, Newport 36:

The Bluebirds (11-2 overall, 3-0 36th District) won their third straight and clinched the top seed in the district tournament in February. Highlands improved to 6-0 in 9th Region action as well.

Haley Coffey paced Highlands with 23 points. She made 9-of-11 shots and 5-of-6 free throws in the win. Teammates Lydia Graves and Alex Combs followed with six each.

Highlands made 13-of-18 free throws for 72 percent. The Lady Wildcats (9-3) made just 1-of-2 attempts for 50 percent.

Newport saw two players reach double-digits. Kylie Orr led the way with 14 points and Katlyn Hoeh had 10.

Highlands plays host to Notre Dame (7-5) on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Basketball, Boys:

Newport Central Catholic 58, Cooper 37:

The Thoroughbreds (11-3) built a 31-9 halftime lead on their way to improving to 6-0 in 9th Region action.

NewCath once again had balanced scoring. Zach Pangallo, Jake Schulte and Ben Weyer led NewCath with 10 points each.

The Thoroughbreds travel to Covington Catholic (11-0) for a huge 9th Region showdown Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Park Hills.