Bluebirds Dish Out 30 Assists in Region Win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Nate Roberts goes up for a shot in a recent game. Roberts had eight assists in the win at Ludlow on Thursday.

Head Coach Kevin Listerman said it speaks volumes for how unselfish this Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team has become.

The Bluebirds dished out 30 assists in their convincing 84-48 victory over the host Ludlow Panthers (1-6) on Thursday. Highlands (3-4, 2-2 9th Region) has won three in a row after opening the year with four losses.

"We were able to push the ball and get a lot of things in transition," Listerman said. "I thought our defensive focus was very good. We're starting to find a good flow. When we're running our quick hitters in our sets, we're starting to understand the little nuances to it and the timing. We did a very good job of finding the open man and knocking shots down."

Junior Alex Starkey led Highlands with 19 points and freshman Sam Vinson had 11 facing a straight-up man-to-man defense. Junior Nate Roberts had eight assists and Listerman praised senior Robby Gabbard for making great decisions with the ball.

"It feels good," Starkey said. "We're getting better every game. That's been our thing since the beginning of the year, win or lose. Different guys step up and score each game. It just depends on how the defense is reacting to certain guys' strengths on our team. We just try to exploit that."

Highlands plays host to Bishop Brossart on Saturday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Basketball, Girls:
Ryle 47, Highlands 31:

The Bluebirds (5-2 overall, 3-1 9th Region) turned the ball over 20 times in the road loss.

Ryle (5-3) recorded 12 steals off the turnovers. Sophomore guard Maddie Scherr, who received an offer from the University of Tennessee a few days ago, led Ryle with six steals to go with seven rebounds and 14 points. Junior guard Lauren Schwartz had 17 points.

Ryle had just nine turnovers on six Highlands steals. The Lady Raiders made 19-of-56 shots for 34 percent including 3-of-15 three-point tries for 20 percent and 6-of-10 free throws for 60 percent.

Highlands saw two players score in double figures. Junior Zoie Barth led the way with 11 points and freshman Kenzie Nehus added 10. The Bluebirds made 11-of-49 shots for 22 percent including 3-of-16 three-point shots for 19 percent and 6-of-7 free throws for 86 percent.

Highlands won the rebounding battle, 40-34. Senior Brooke Dill grabbed 10 to lead the Bluebirds.

Highlands does not play again until facing Lexington Catholic in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic on Wednesday. Game time is 6:30 p.m.