Highlands Volleyball Earns 15th Win of Season

Bluebirds Take on Newport Central Catholic on Thursday

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Lauren Buemi prepares to serve in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team (15-3 overall) experimented with a different line-up in the 9th Region match-up against the Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs (4-12) in a 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-8) win.

Holmes has lost 10 in a row. The Lady Bulldogs have won just one set during the losing streak.

"We did a good job. (The new line-up) in and of itself takes a minute to get into a groove then in general trying to find your own controlling the tempo kind of thing," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "Once we got through the first few points, we kicked into a rhythm. I was proud of the team for doing the job. I was encouraged to see everyone contribute and to remember the depth we have."

Highlands landed an astounding 23 aces in the win. Junior setter Kenzie Vennefron led the way with seven to go with 14 assists and five digs. Senior Josie Steppe had five with senior Lauren Buemi landing four to go with 10 kills, one assist and one dig. Eighth grader Hayden Gessner had three to go with one assist and five digs.

The Bluebirds also had 29 assists and kills to go with three solo blocks and 38 digs. Senior Honor Valentine had 10 digs and one ace. Senior Madison Clore had six digs, two aces and an assist. Senior Madison Opitz had 11 assists.

Seniors Avery Cavacini, CC Shick and Nicole Ossege had four kills each. Shick and Cavacini had two digs each. Junior Emma Daly and sophomore Rachel Ossege had three kills each.

"I think (the coaches) gave everyone an equal opportunity and when it's my turn, I really like to prove what I can do," said Carly Cramer, Highlands junior. "We like to come out and play the same game against every opponent."

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.

Another Huge Road Region Win for Bluebirds

Highlands Wins at Holmes for First Time Since 2012

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Chloe Jansen boxes out in a recent game. Jansen had nine points and 10 rebounds as the Bluebirds won their eighth straight, 44-40 at Holmes on Tuesday.

The visitors did not need to be told how successful the hosts had been over the last several seasons.

The Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs had won at least 29 games in each of the previous three seasons going a combined 88-14 and winning the last two 9th Region championships. Holmes lost to 11th Region champion Franklin County, 51-36 in the state semifinals down the road at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights and to 12th Region champion Mercer County, 59-55 in the state quarterfinals in 2016.

But last year, Highlands (19-6 overall) beat Holmes, 62-49 in Fort Thomas to snap the Lady Bulldogs' 27-game winning streak against 9th Region competition and hoped for another big win this time around. The Bluebirds again made the plays down the stretch to hold off the Lady Bulldogs (14-7) by a 44-40 count Tuesday.

Doubleheader Victories for Highlands

Bluebirds, Ladybirds come through in Doubleheader

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands honored its basketball Hall-of-Famers in between games Monday. The four members, from left, are Panny Sarakatsannis, Jaime Walz-Richey, Ken Shields and Scott Draud.

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Morgan Race fires up a free throw in the 57-35 win over Ludlow on Monday.

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Brooke Dill (4) puts up a jumper in the game against Covington Holmes on Monday. Highlands recorded a huge 62-49 victory over the defending 9th Region champions.

If anyone doubted the Highlands Ladybirds basketball team as 9th Region contenders, this huge 62-49 victory may have changed their thoughts.

Holmes rallies past Highlands

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Brianna Adler takes a shot in Monday's game at Covington Holmes. Adler scored 16 points, but Holmes rallied for a 58-53 victory.

The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team held an eight-point lead at halftime in a crucial 9th Region road game Monday.

One-loss Holmes edges NewCath

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbred girls put up a good fight against one-loss Covington Holmes on Monday.

200 and Advancing



G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands post Alex Combs (42) prepares to shoot a free throw in Friday's 9th Region quarterfinal contest against Covington Holmes. Highlands won 55-42 for its first region win since 2009 and 200th since head coach Jaime Walz-Richey took over in 2002.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The win was not a surprise.

But it still marked a huge victory for several reasons. The most important reason is the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team advanced to the 9th Region semifinals for the first time since 2009 with the 55-42 win over the Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs on Friday at the Bank of Kentucky Center at Northern Kentucky University.

The win also marked the 200th victory in the 11-year tenure of Jaime Walz-Richey against 124 defeats. Highlands also improved to 25-7 with its ninth consecutive win and matched the 2008-09 team for the most wins in a season since Richey became head coach.

“Thankfully, we had that lead because we had a meltdown in the second half that we hadn’t seen since the beginning of the year,” Richey said. “We were just running away from the ball on offense. On defense, we weren’t rebounding the ball.”

Like most coaches do, Richey quickly downplayed the milestone win. She pointed out she does not play like she did during her remarkable high school career when she scored a state-record 4,948 points in the 90s.

This marked just the fourth time the Bluebirds won in the region quarterfinals since 2002. They lost in the regional semifinals in 2004, 2007 and 2009.

Highlands once again won with defense and offensive balance. The Bluebirds made 19-of-42 shots for 45 percent with six three-pointers and held the Lady Bulldogs to 13-of-47 shooting for 28 percent and three triples.

Highlands saw nine different players score. Leah Schaefer led the way with 14 points and Emilie Parton scored 10. Teammate Brianna Adler made two three-pointers on her way to nine points with Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Haley Coffey following with eight and seven respectively.

“We’ve had someone step up every single game,” Richey said. “In the districts, it was Vanessa Fisse. Emilie has been playing well lately. We were able to play eight or nine people in the first half.”

Tamra Holder did play for Holmes and led the way with 12 points. But Highlands held sophomore guard Deja Turner to just nine points.

“(Richey) told us to make (Turner) go left,” said Ava Abner, Highlands guard. “In the first three quarters, we definitely did that. When we did, we had help side (defense). The biggest key is the girls were in the gaps. That’s how we stopped them defensively. We let up in the fourth quarter. But a win is a win.”

The Lady Bulldogs got back in the game with their rebounding. They won that battle 39-27, including 19-8 on the offensive glass. Jameela Salaah led Holmes with 11 rebounds and Daley led Highlands with eight.

Highlands built a 19-point halftime lead with good defensive pressure. Holmes recorded 10 of its 14 turnovers in the first half. Highlands recorded just 10 turnovers and had eight steals to six for the Lady Bulldogs. Abner led the Bluebirds with three thefts.

Highlands also distributed the ball better making 10 assists to four for Holmes. Schaefer, Abner and Alex Combs dished out two assists each.

The Bluebirds surged ahead for good with a 16-0 run to finish the first quarter and lead 18-4. Parton scored eight points during the run making consecutive three-pointers from the left corner and Adler finished it with a four-point play with 4.9 seconds remaining. She made a three-pointer from the right corner on an isolation play and made the ensuring free throw.

Highlands finished off the second half with a 4-0 run to go up 35-16 at halftime. Schaefer made a three-pointer from the right wing with two seconds left.

Holmes started the first quarter in a 3-2 zone defense. But Parton’s three-pointers made the Lady Bulldogs extend their defense. That opened things up inside for Daley. Daley scored all eight of her points in that quarter.

“I knew going into the game they were going to double down because of how the game went the last time we played them (Daley scored 16 points in the last meeting),” Daley said. “So I started kicking it out more. Once we started hitting three’s, they couldn’t double-team anymore. My teammates talk to me and let me know how many girls are guarding me.”

Holmes came out in the second half in a 1-1-3 zone defense and again packed things in tight in the paint. The Lady Bulldogs won the third quarter just 7-6 to trail 41-23 entering the fourth quarter. Adler and Coffey scored Highlands’ lone buckets on three-pointers.

“We had worked on the 1-1-3 the entire week,” said Scott Calcaterra, Holmes head coach. “After we got the draw against Highlands, I knew I would have to come up with something different than what they’d seen. Jaime is such an experienced coach that I felt if we went to it too early, they’d do something different.”

Highlands appeared to put the game away with a 7-2 run to start the quarter. The Bluebirds led 48-25 after Parton scored and 50-28 with 5:05 remaining following a Fisse score.

But Holmes did not go away quietly. The Lady Bulldogs used a 14-0 run to trim the margin to 50-42 with a minute left using pressure defense. But Highlands made 5-of-8 free throws in the final minute to pull away.

“The guards definitely had to take control of the game and slow it down a bit,” Coffey said. “We had to pass it to the post players and have them keep it under control also.”

Highlands also beat Holmes, 76-60 on Jan. 13. The Bluebirds face a rematch with Union Ryle in the semifinals Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Highlands dominated the Lady Raiders, 76-56 on Jan. 11 in Fort Thomas. Highlands is 4-0 in 9th Region rematches this season.

But in that contest, Ryle played without injured guard Dawn Johnson. That started a seven-game losing streak for the Lady Raiders (12-18).

“We have to play our game and know where they’re shooters are,” Richey said. “We’re going to have to make some adjustments with Dawn playing. They have to match up against us too so we’ll see.”

Ryle hopes to run up and down the court like crazy. The Bluebirds have the size advantage over the Lady Raiders.

The winner faces either Boone County or Notre Dame on Monday at 7 p.m. for the region crown. Boone County has won five of the last nine region titles.





Highlands handles Holmes, 76-60

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team recorded another sound 9th Region home win Thursday.

The Bluebirds (18-7) tallied 28 points in the second quarter to pull away from the visiting Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs (11-12) on their way to a 76-60 victory. They moved to 11-2 in region play as a result of their 12th win in the last 15 games.

The Twin Towers led the way for Highlands scoring about 53 percent of the points. Leah Schaefer made 9-of-21 shots and 6-of-10 free throws on her way to 24 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and steal. Jesse “Dirt” Daley followed with 16 points making 6-of-10 shots and 4-of-5 free throws. Daley also had seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Highlands put together its usual balanced scoring. Sophomore Alex Combs followed the Twin Towers with 12 points making 4-of-9 shots including 2-of-6 from three-point range. Senior Emilie Parton made 3-of-5 shots from three-point range for nine points.

The Bluebirds put together another efficient shooting night. They made 27-of-57 shots for 47 percent and 15-of-21 free throws for 71 percent. Highlands also hit half of its 14 shots from downtown. Brianna Adler and McKenzie Leigh also made three-pointers for the Bluebirds.
Holmes made 18-of-46 shots for 39 percent including 4-of-11 three-pointers for 36 percent. The Lady Bulldogs did make it to the free-throw line more making 20-of-30 attempts for 67 percent.

Tamra Holder and Deja Turner led Holmes with 13 points respectively and Jynea Harris followed with 10. The Lady Bulldogs saw nine players score.

Overall, Highlands committed 25 fouls to 16 for Holmes. Two players fouled out for the Lady Bulldogs and three finished with four for the Bluebirds.

Highlands dominated inside. The Bluebirds outscored the Lady Bulldogs, 24-14 in the paint. They also had 1.24 points per possession to .96 for Holmes.

The Bluebirds return home Monday against Woodford County (14-11). Game time is 6:30 p.m.  

Lady Breds remain undefeated

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team remained unbeaten with another lopsided win Tuesday.

The Breds (5-0) crossed the Licking River and dominated the Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs (2-4), 69-41. NewCath beat Lexington Catholic by that same score on Friday. NewCath improved to 3-0 against 9th Region opponents and has won all five contests by at least 13 points.

Nikki Kiernan led NewCath with 20 points and six rebounds. The junior scored 10 points in the third quarter.

But the Breds saw three other players reach double-digits. They were Stephanie Lewis with 13 including three three-pointers, Loren Zimmerman with 11, and Michaela Ware with 11.

“Our pressure got to them,” said George Stoll, NewCath head coach. “We forced some turnovers. We shot the ball pretty well against their zone.”

NewCath finished the first quarter with a 13-0 run and never trailed again. The Breds led 36-16 at halftime. NewCath made 13-of-17 free throws for 76 percent and Holmes made just 8-of-15 for 53 percent.

Holmes did play without injured DeAsia Turner. Stoll said Turner may return soon. Tamra Holder led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points and Jameela Salaah had 10.

NewCath travels to Boone County (2-3) for a 6:30 p.m. contest Friday. The two have combined to win the last four 9th Region titles. Boone County eliminated NewCath in the first round of region play last year.

The Lady Rebels graduated Sydney Moss and Lydia Nash from last year’s 9th Region champion team. They come into the game off a 61-44 loss at Lexington Catholic on Tuesday.