Highlands Advances in 36th District Semifinals

Bluebirds Ready for District Championship Thursday

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands junior Emma Riccobene (left) goes up for a score in a recent game while Piper Macke (1) watches in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds needed to go 1-0 to start the postseason and hit a significant win total.

Highlands defeated the Bellevue Tigers, 83-39 to move to 20-10 on the season and move on to the 36th District championship game Thursday against the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (20-11) at Newport. The Bluebirds hit the 20-win mark in the season for the eighth straight season. Bellevue's season ended at 12-16.

Highlands Handles Beechwood

Bluebirds Finish Regular Season with Win

Highlands juniors Emma Riccobene (31) and Rory O'Hara (35) scored in double figures in the convincing win over Beechwood on Friday.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (19-10 overall) did not have any issue winning the last game of the regular season recording a sound 63-20 victory over the Beechwood Tigers (9-20).

"We treated it like another game," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "We wanted to execute. We wanted to fine-tune things and get ready for Tuesday. We really worked on ourselves. We wanted to make sure all five of us were on the same page."

Highlands saw eight players score. Senior guard Piper Macke led the way with 14 points. Juniors Emma Riccobene and Rory O'Hara added 12 and 10 points each.

Highlands Loses Another Battle against Top-10 Squad

Bluebirds Fall in Independence

Highlands senior Piper Macke (left) steps toward a shooter in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team has played the second through fourth-ranked teams in the latest Associated Press poll this season.

Highlands was not able to beat any of them falling 57-32 at second-ranked Simon Kenton (26-3) on Wednesday. In the last two weeks, the Bluebirds have also lost to third-ranked Louisville Butler and fourth-ranked Ryle. Louisville Sacred Heart is the top-ranked team in the state at 27-1 overall.

Highlands Earns Region Road Victory

Bluebirds Pull Away from Lady Bulldogs

Highlands junior forward Kelsey Listerman (20) makes a move in the paint in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (18-9 overall) came into this game as favorites and pulled away in the second quarter, 24-8 on its way to a 61-38 9th Region victory.

Highlands played its second of four straight road games to finish the regular season against the struggling Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs (4-22). The Bluebirds moved to 10-2 in region play while the Lady Bulldogs dropped to 3-9 in region play with their ninth straight loss.

Highlands Unable to Defeat Defending State Champs

Bluebirds Head to Covington on Saturday

Highlands senior Maggie Hinegardner (13) boxes out in the game at Ryle on Thursday.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (17-9 overall) ventured to Union with the opportunity to take down the defending state champion Ryle Lady Raiders (15-11) on Thursday.

It did not happen. Ryle won 58-51.

Highlands Boys, Co-Ed Teams Continue Region 7 Domination

Bluebirds Headed Back to State

Twitter Photo. The Highlands Co-Ed and Boys Swimming and Diving teams won Region 7 crowns on Saturday.

The Highlands Bluebirds Co-Ed and Boys Swimming and Diving teams once again won the Region 7 championships at Silverlake Recreation Center and Scott High School on Saturday.

The Co-Ed teams won their ninth straight region championship with 808.5 points and the boys won it with 542.5 points for a third straight year. Covington Catholic finished second with 356.5 points.

The Highlands girls finished fourth with 266 points. Ryle won the girls with 412 points.

Bluebirds Fall Just Shy of Another Huge Win

Highlands Unable to Pull off Second Win Over Top-10 Team

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands junior Emma Riccobene sets up for a free throw in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (17-8 overall) had another chance to take down a team ranked in the top 10 of the latest Associated Press poll on Friday in Fort Thomas.

But Highlands came up short of beating the fourth-ranked Louisville Butler Bearettes (20-4), 36-35. Junior Dynastee White hit a free throw with 16 seconds left to give Butler the victory. This marked the final home game of the season for Highlands.

Highlands had already beaten one top 10 opponent this year. The Bluebirds beat eighth-ranked Notre Dame, 44-43 at home on Jan. 20. The Pandas (18-4) have won four in a row since that game.

Highlands Bests Walton-Verona

Bluebirds Win on Senior Night

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands freshman guard Alyssa Harris brings the ball up the court in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (17-7 overall) knew this would be another tough one.

The Walton-Verona Bearcats (18-6) came to Fort Thomas a few weeks after finishing runner-up in the All "A" State Tournament at Eastern Kentucky University. But Highlands withstood the challenge in a 51-46 victory.

Highlands Pulls Away from Conner

Bluebirds Snap Four-Game Losing Skid to Lady Cougars

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands junior Rory O'Hara dribbles near mid-court in the win over Conner on Tuesday.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (16-7 overall) found itself down eight midway through the third quarter on the 9th Region road Tuesday.

Everything seemed to be going against the Bluebirds at that point in a loosely-called game. But Highlands fought back to pick up a huge 64-54 victory over the Conner Lady Cougars (14-10). The loss snapped a four-game losing streak to Conner dating back to the last Bluebird win, 54-36 in Hebron on Dec. 13, 2016.

"It's a great win for us," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "We just stayed the course. They continued to believe in each other. They continued to play defense and rebound the ball better in the second half and also, take care of the ball better down the stretch."

Highlands Completes Another Trifecta

Bluebirds Earn 15th Win of Season

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands freshman Alyssa Harris (right) takes a pass in a recent game.

For the second straight week, the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (15-7 overall) played three straight games in three days.

But like last week, the Bluebirds won all three completing the week with a third straight win with a convincing 53-26 win over the host Boone County Lady Rebels (9-12) on Saturday. Highlands has won 11 of its last 12 games and moved to 8-1 in 9th Region action.

"It's just about taking care of our bodies," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highland Head Coach. "These girls are willing to take ice baths to help their bodies recover. We've talked about eating right and drinking fluids. They're ready to play three games (in a row). I thought our energy was great."