Highlands Girls Take Care of Campbell County |
| PHOTO: G. Michael Graham. The Highlands players prepare to take the floor in a recent game. |
Highlands led the 6-13 Dixie Heights Colonels, 42-24 at halftime and extended it to 63-32 entering the third quarter on its way to a 70-47 victory. Highlands snapped an eight-game losing streak against Dixie Heights dating back to Dec. 15, 2009 when the Bluebirds beat the Colonels, 48-39 in Fort Thomas.
"We know as a team, we have a lot of potential," said Jack Delagrange, Highlands junior. "It gives us the motivation to step up and change what's been happening these last 10 years."
Highlands focused on containing Dixie's leading scorer in Jabari Karim. The Bluebirds held him to two points. Junior Jacob James came off the bench to lead the Colonels with 10 points.
"We've been preaching to our guys defense all year but in the last week and a half, really making that a major point of emphasis and concentrating on getting teams' field-goal percentages down," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "Our guys are taking a lot of pride on the defensive end right now and it's showing."
The Bluebirds saw three players score in double figures. Highlands senior post Ben Sisson recorded another double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Seniors Ryan Leigh and Alex Starkey followed with 13 and 11 points respectively.
"I thought we moved the ball well on offense," Listerman said. "We were very unselfish. We got back to playing at a faster pace. That certainly helped us. I think the guys are kind of starting to settle into their roles. That's a real good sign at this time of the year."
Highlands won the rebounding battle, 40-28. The Bluebirds also had 11 assists, seven steals, six blocked shots, 16 fouls and just seven turnovers. Senior Nate Roberts blocked three shots for Highlands. Roberts and Delagrange drew the assignment on Karim.
The Bluebirds made 28-of-52 shots for 54 percent including 5-of-13 from three-point range for 38 percent and 9-of-20 free throws for 45 percent. Dixie Heights made 15-of-48 shots for 31 percent including 7-of-18 three-point tries for 39 percent and 10-of-14 free throws for 71 percent. The Colonels had no steals, no blocked shots, six assists, 10 turnovers and 19 fouls.
Highlands plays host to Newport Central Catholic (9-9) on Tuesday in a key 36th District game. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Basketball, Girls:
Highlands 57, Campbell County 39:
The Lady Camels (10-8) came out shooting the three-point shots well. But Highlands (17-4) held Campbell County to two and three points in the next two quarters on its way to a non-region win.
Highlands trailed 20-10 after the first quarter but took a 24-22 lead at halftime. The Bluebirds extended the margin to 40-25 after three.
"We didn't get rattled. We just stuck to our game plan and picked it up defensively," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "We rebounded the ball better after the first quarter."
Senior Zoie Barth again led Highlands with 21 points making 6-of-10 shots including three three-pointers and all six free throws. Barth also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Seniors Chloe Jansen and Hanna Buecker followed with seven each. Jansen also led the Bluebirds with nine rebounds. Highlands dominated the rebounding, 36-21.
"We need to make sure we do the little things and play our best," Buecker said. "I think we did well communicating throughout the game. If we build upon that, we'll keep growing as a team."
Highlands made 18-of-39 shots for 46 percent including 5-of-12 three-point shots for 42 percent and 16-of-22 free throws for 73 percent. The Bluebirds also made 12 assists, 12 steals, no blocked shots, 16 fouls and 15 turnovers. Jansen added five assists and four steals.
Campbell County made 15-of-47 shots for 32 percent including 5-of-21 from three-point range for 24 percent and 4-of-6 free throws for 67 percent. The Lady Camels also had 11 steals, five assists, no blocked shots, 18 fouls and 14 turnovers. Freshman forward Kylie Koeninger led Campbell County with 13 points.
Highlands plays at Notre Dame (12-6) on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
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