All "A" Semifinals: NC rolls past Lexington Christian

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic sophomore Ben Weyer (middle) races upcourt after a steal in Saturday's All "A" State semifinal win. The Thoroughbreds battle the Cordia Lions for the crown at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

FRANKFORT – You can patiently run your offense for even a couple minutes against them and still not get a good look.

The Lexington Christian Academy Eagles (14-8) were the latest to find out about the size and length of the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball team (20-3). NewCath used that and its usual focus and determination to beat Lexington Christian, 78-49 in the All “A” State Semifinals on Saturday at the Frankfort Convention Center.

NewCath  had just eight turnovers and recorded six steals to 14 turnovers and four steals for Lexington Christian. The Thoroughbreds also won the rebounding battle, 34-24.

NewCath enforced the running clock for the second time this tournament. That came with 6:20 left in the third quarter. Zack Pangallo hit a fast-break lay-up on the left side to give the Thoroughbreds a 56-20 advantage at that point.

NewCath led 52-18 at halftime. The Thoroughbreds made 31-of-52 shots for 60 percent including 8-of-12 from three-point range for 67 percent. They hit 19-of-27 shots for 70 percent and 8-of-16 free throws for 50 percent.

“When we make threes, it puts a lot of pressure on opponents,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “They have to decide what they want to take away. We’re not going to shoot like that every night, but we’ve been getting better with that.”

Pangallo paced the effort for NewCath torching the net for 27 points. He lit things up from outside making 11-of-15 shots for an astounding 73 percent, including 5-of-6 three-pointers to go with two steals. Pangallo made four triples in the first quarter. He finished 8-of-9 from the field in the first half for 21 points.

“It was one of those nights where I was just feeling it,” Pangallo said. “When I had the ball, I knew I could step in and knock a shot down. I started feeling it when I knocked the first two threes down.”

That opened things up in the paint for 6-foot-7-inch Drew McDonald, 6-8 Jake Schulte and 6-6 Ben Weyer. All three nearly hit double-digts. McDonald scored 17 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. Schulte had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds and Weyer scored nine points to go with two steals.

The Moeves brothers also pitched in from outside. Grant Moves made two three-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws on his way to nine points and Tanner Moves made NewCath’s other three-pointer.

“Once they started focusing on me a little bit, we got the ball moving around and we got our shots down low,” Pangallo said. “We went 7-for-8 as a team on threes in the first half so they had to come out and guard us. That opened things up down low a lot more.”

Tanner Moeves said he hopes to play Sunday. He went up for a score, got undercut near the basket and came down on his left elbow with 1:37 remaining in the second quarter. Brother Grant Moves shot the free throws for him. Tanner Moeves had ice on the elbow in the second half and after the game.

The starters stayed in longer than the quarterfinal win Friday against Green County. But the Thoroughbreds still played 14 players in this game.

“I think that’s huge for us, especially in a tournament like this, for our big guys to get some rest,” Dawn said. “We got to rest them a lot (Friday) and rest them some (Saturday). It’s good for the big guys more than the guards to be honest about it.”

The Eagles saw just one player reach double-digits. That was Matt Rose with 16 points.

“I think (Rose) is a really nice player,” Dawn said. “I don’t know what he had in the first half, but I felt we did a really nice job on him. He got some things after we subbed in the second half.”

The Thoroughbreds scored the game’s first five points and never looked back. They blew open a 9-6 game with a 13-3 run to end the first quarter and lead 22-9.

That lead ballooned to 34 twice in the second quarter. Grant Moeves hit two free throws with 20.2 seconds remaining to put the Thoroughbreds up by their halftime margin.

Lexington Christian won the second half, 31-24. But the Thoroughbreds led 66-27 at one point following a Weyer three-point play.

The Thoroughbreds play in the title game at 2:30 p.m. against the Cordia Lions (17-5). The Thoroughbreds beat Cordia, 64-63 in overtime in the Republic Bank Classic at Lexington Catholic on Dec. 28. But that came before Josh Ortiz and Richard Chapman Junior became eligible Friday. Ortiz moved to the school near Hazard from Harlem (New York) and Chapman came from Newark (New Jersey).

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association ruled them ineligible before the season. But a Franklin County Circuit judge reversed the decision and they have come off the bench in two straight games.

The same thing happened last year when Canadian transfers Emmanuel Owootoah and Marlon King received the injunction after initially being declared ineligible. Owootoah now plays at Fresno State. Cordia starting guard Christen Cunningham also recently transferred there from Lexington Henry Clay this year.