Thoroughbreds earn huge win over Bulldogs

G. Michael Graham. Newport Central Catholic forward Jake Schulte looks for a teammate in Friday's win over Covington Holmes. Schulte had eight points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots in the win.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The same strategy that’s helped them all season helped again in another big game.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds like to find the hot hands and use their versatility to overwhelm opponents. It helped them to a crucial 72-57 9th Region win over the Covington Holmes Bulldogs on Friday.

NewCath has won 17 in a row to move to 24-3 on the season. The Thoroughbreds moved to 14-0 in region play and avenged a 55-50 loss to Holmes in the first round of last year’s tournament. The Bulldogs won the region and lost to eventual state champion Madison Central in the state quarterfinals last year.

“I can usually tell when they’re ready to go,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “There were a few times where we weren’t ready against a lesser opponent. When we’ve played big games against good competition, we come out ready to play. (Holmes is) one of the top 20 teams in the state.”

The Thoroughbreds saw all five starters score at least eight points. Post Drew McDonald led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds. He made 7-of-9 free throws.

Guards Grant Moeves and Zack Pangallo followed with 17 and 15 respectively. Pangallo made two three-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws with Moeves making three triples starting in place of brother Tanner Moeves. Pangallo added six assists.

Tanner Moeves injured his left elbow in the All “A” State semifinals against Lexington Christian. He did not play Friday, but Dawn expects him back to full health in a few days.

Posts Jake Schulte, Ben Weyer and guard Mac Franzen also made big contributions. Weyer had nine points and five rebounds with Schulte grabbing 18 rebounds to go with eight points and four blocked shots. Franzen gave Grant Moves and Pangallo some crucial rest and played a huge role in moving the ball up-court against the Holmes press. Schulte and McDonald had one dunk each.

The Thoroughbreds can now say they’ve experienced success on the court where the 9th Region Tournament takes place. The game took place as a Valentine’s Day doubleheader. Covington Catholic defeated Dixie Heights, 79-62 in the earlier game.

“It’s good to get some playing time on the regional floor so we can get a feel for it,” Grant Moeves said. “It’s a longer court. There is more area to move.”

The Bulldogs also had three players reach double-digits. NCAA Division I recruit James Bolden led the way with 21 points. He made three triples and all six free-throw attempts. The Thoroughbreds wanted to limit his penetration.

“We were trying to take some of his penetration away,” Dawn said. “He’s going to get his points. If we could make him step back a bit and take something longer, I feel he’s good at 27 feet (shots). But I think he’s better at 20.”

Teammates Markel McClendon and Quinton Chames followed with 13 and 11 respectively. McClendon, a sophomore, transferred in from nearby Holy Cross in the offseason. He made two three-pointers, but did nothing after receiving a technical foul with 7:01 left in the game.

NewCath won the rebounding battle, 33-28 and shot better from the field making 22-of-41 shots for 54 percent. Holmes made 19-of-55 shots for 35 percent.

“One of the keys to the game was definitely getting on the boards,” McDonald said. “McClendon and Chames are great rebounders. We knew if we played hard, we’d come out on top. We did that really well. We all boxed out, got the ball and held them to one shot most of the time.”

The Thoroughbreds also cashed in on their free throws. They made 23-of-27 for 85 percent compared to 12-of-15 for 80 percent for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs received three technical fouls. Aside from McClendon, Holmes Head Coach Jason Booher received one late in the game and the other came for having six players on the floor in the second quarter.

Holmes came out of the gates with an 8-0 run following a Grant Moeves score. Bolden made two three-pointers to put Holmes up 8-2. But following a timeout, NewCath came back and finished the quarter on a 6-0 run to go up 14-12 after the first quarter.

McDonald took over in the second quarter for NewCath. He scored eight of his points in a crucial 12-0 Thoroughbred run that put the Thoroughbreds up 30-21 with 2:06 left in the half after they trailed 21-18 following a McClendon three-pointer. Weyer scored with six seconds left to put NewCath up 32-23 at halftime.

The Thoroughbreds garnered some breathing room in the third. They used a 6-0 run to go up 52-36 in the third and led 52-41 entering the fourth quarter. Grant Moeves finished off the run with a three-point play.

NewCath led 56-46 with 6:42 left in the game before going on a 7-0 run to expand the margin to 17 points. Grant Moeves made a triple during the run and McDonald hit a jumper in the center. The Thoroughbreds made their free throws from that point on to pull away.

NewCath has another tough test Tuesday. The Thoroughbreds travel to Louisville Trinity (22-4) at 7:30 p.m. The Shamrocks won the state championship two years ago.