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.





36th Girls Semifinals: Highlands hits 23-of-25 free throws to beat NCC

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands freshman Brianna Adler (10) prepares to shoot a free throw in Tuesday's 36th District Semifinal contest against Newport Central Catholic. Adler made 10-of-11 free throws on her way to a team-high 12 points. The Bluebirds made 23-of-25 free throws on their way to a 48-40 win and snap the Thoroughbreds eight-game winning streak in the series.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

In a game that a blind draw unfortunately meant the end of the season for one of the top five girls basketball teams in the 9th Region for the second time in four years, size won out.

The Highlands Bluebirds (23-7) used it to create turnovers and constantly attack the basket to create things offensively. They ended up making an astounding 23-of-25 free-throw attempts for 92 percent on their way to a 48-40 36th District Semifinal win over the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds on Tuesday.

“Every one of our starters had started in a district tournament before,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands head coach. “We thought we had the advantage there. We were more of a veteran team than NC was. That paid off with all the free throws we made.”

Highlands made 13 of those 14 attempts in the fourth quarter after NewCath drew to within two twice. Freshman Brianna Adler made 10-of-11 free throws on her way to a team-high 12 points, including 7-of-8 in the fourth quarter.

Senior Jesse “Dirt” Daley set the tone in the paint for Highlands. She scored 11 points making 3-of-4 free throws. Daley and the other five seniors were freshmen in 2010 when NewCath eliminated Highlands, 55-47 in the 36th Semfinals at Newport High.

“When we were sitting in the locker room after the game my freshman year, we said as a class that we were not going to let our senior year end like that,” Daley said. “That was our goal. We were determined to not let it happen.”

NewCath had won the previous eight meetings dating back to a 54-48 Highlands win on Jan. 9, 2009 in Fort Thomas. The Thoroughbreds (20-10) had won the previous four district championships, including the 9th Region in 2011.

NewCath was not the only one of what many considered the Top 5 teams in the region to lose Tuesday. Boone County beat Conner in overtime and Covington Holmes edged Covington Holy Cross. The only difference is the other three districts received seeds. The teams will be seeded next year as Newport cast the deciding vote.

“It’s ashaim. It’s good for next year, but who knows what’s going to happen the year after that and the year after that,” said George Stoll, NewCath head coach of the blind draw. “It will hopefully be a good thing next year for both of our sake. Plus, we have it on our home floor. It was obviously a big deal (Tuesday) and we hope it’s a big deal for us next year.”

Highlands and NewCath have voted for seeds for years. The volleyball teams received them in the fall and the baseball and softball teams will be seeded in the spring.

“We’re really, really happy,” said Stephanie Lewis, NewCath forward. “It’s just more fair to have seeds. The top two teams should be able to go to region every year.”

Highlands faces the winner of Wednesday’s Bellevue (16-14) and Newport (17-11) game for the district championship Friday at 7 p.m. back home. The Bluebirds did not play Bellevue, but beat Newport, 66-33 in Fort Thomas on Dec. 10. The Bluebirds will be going for the eighth consecutive win and first district championship since winning consecutive crowns in 2007 and 2008.

NewCath will not make the regional tournament for the first time since 2008. Highlands beat NewCath that year, 62-51 when the two drew each other in the opening round of the tournament.

NewCath also shot free throws well, but did not make it to the line near as much as Highlands. The Thoroughbreds hit 8-of-9 attempts.

Junior standout Nikki Kiernan again led the way making all five free throws on her way to a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in addition to blocking three shots despite picking up two fouls in the first half. Alexus Mayes finished with seven points and seven rebounds.

Stephanie Lewis tried to pick up some of the slack. She made two three-pointers on her way to 10 points and Ansley Davenport made the other two NewCath triples.

“We wanted to let them to shoot the three,” Richey said. “We were going to take a chance there. It paid off.”

Highlands outscored NewCath, 15-6 in points off the bench. Vanessa Fisse scored nine points making a three-pointer and all four free throws and Alex Combs scored six.

“We’d really been working on our free throws because those are key in crucial games like this,” Fisse said. “We’ve been consistent the past few games. It was awesome.”

The Bluebirds also won the rebounding battle 34-28. Ava Abner led Highlands with 11 rebounds and Leah Schaefer followed with nine to go with six points.

“We played a 2-3 zone against them the first time,” Richey said. “But we didn’t rebound well. We rebounded pretty well (Tuesday).”

Highlands recorded 14 steals on 15 NewCath turnovers compared to nine steals on 13 turnovers for the Thoroughbreds. All eight players recorded steals for the Bluebirds led by three from Abner and Adler.

NewCath led 8-6 after the first quarter before Highlands took the lead for good at the end of the second. Daley hit a jumper with 30 seconds remaining to give the Bluebirds a 17-15 halftime lead.

The largest lead of the third quarter for Highlands was eight twice. Fisse made a three-pointer with 2:20 left to give the Bluebirds a 29-21 lead before making two free throws to give Highlands a 31-23 lead before Michaela Ware made a jumper to trim the margin to 31-25 entering the fourth quarter.

The Thoroughbreds trimmed the deficit to two three times in the fourth quarter. But the Bluebirds responded with a crucial bucket or free throws every time.

“We couldn’t tie it or take the lead,” Stoll said. “We couldn’t get over that hump. That was the biggest difference.”

Adler made a free throw with 1:15 left in the game to make the score 42-37 Highlands. Adler, Abner and Combs then made two free throws each to put the game away in the final 1:03.

“Our number one priority all year was getting ready for this game,” Combs said. “It means a lot. It pulled us together as a team.”  

NewCath still had a good season despite its youth. The Thoroughbreds bettered last year’s win total by a game and finished All “A” State Runner-Up. They graduate just Jillian Hoover from this year’s team. Hoover unfortunately played just 10 seconds this year and scored a bucket on her senior night because of a torn Anterior Cruciated Ligament.

Highlands comes up with huge win over defending 8th Region champs

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands senior Vanessa Fisse (15) makes a move on Walton-Verona's Shelby Mullikan (15) in Saturday's game in Fort Thomas while teammate Ava Abner (22) gets in position. Highlands won 44-40 for its 21st win of the season.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team knew it would be tested Saturday as both teams geared up for the postseason.

Like many teams, Highlands has had its struggles in big games this season. But the Bluebirds (21-7) came through for a 44-40 home victory over the Walton-Verona Bearcats for their 15th win in 18 games. The Bearcats (16-8) won the 8th Region crown last year and had won four in a row coming into the game.

“Just being able to come through in a close game is great, especially a week before Districts start,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands head coach. “It’s about a year of maturity and doing the little things. We executed on offense and made some stops defensively.”

Every small thing made a huge difference in this one. Highlands needed to hit some outside shots because Walton-Verona packed the lane against the Bluebirds Twin Towers of Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Leah Schaefer.

The Bluebirds came through making 12-of-36 shots for 33 percent, including five three-pointers. On the other side, the Wildcats made 13-of-37 shots for 35 percent.

Schaefer still led Highlands with 10 points and Daley managed seven. But five of Daley’s points came from the free-throw line as Walton-Verona constantly challenged her when she attacked the basket.

“As you get older, you realize it’s not about how many you score,” Daley said. “It’s about whether the team wins. The amount of points and assists I had helped my team win. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. That’s what we did.”

Those seven points put Daley into elite company as she joined the Highlands 1,000-point club for her career. The 1,000th point came at a crucial time with 36.9 seconds remaining. It gave Highlands a 42-38 lead.

Daley became the 16th girl in Highlands history to make the club. Schaefer also hit a free throw at home to reach quadruple-digits in the Bluebirds’ 64-30 season-opening win over Dixie Heights on Nov. 27. Daley has played basketball with many of her teammates for years.

“It means a ton,” Daley said of doing it the same season with Schaefer. “We’re really close. It’s cool to be able to walk back here in 20 years and see my name on the wall.”

Highlands made its free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Bluebirds hit 15-of-21 for 71 percent overall, including 8-of-11 in the fourth quarter for 73 percent. Walton-Verona made 13-of-15 free throws for 87 percent.

Brianna Adler made all six attempts on her way to nine points for Highlands. Adler made two with 49.2 seconds to put the Bluebirds up 41-36 and two more with 6.5 seconds remaining to make the final score.

“In a close game like this, you have to make your free throws,” Adler said. “If you don’t, opponents have a good chance of catching up with you. We all have our own (free throw) routine. We shoot free throws every day in practice for at least 20 minutes.”

Hailey Ison scored with 38.6 seconds following Adler’s first pair of free throws to trim the Highlands advantage to 41-38. Ison then made two free throws with 29.7 seconds left to make the score 42-40.

Following a Highlands miss, the Bearcats had a chance to win the game. But Courtney Sandlin missed a three-pointer and Adler grabbed the rebound.

The Bluebirds led 33-32 entering the fourth quarter. After a Coffey free throw, Sandlin tied the game with two free throws. But Daley found Schaefer cutting to the rim and Schaefer made two free throws to put Highlands up for good at 36-34 with 5:48 left.

That’s when Ava Abner came up huge for the Bluebirds. Walton-Verona backed off her on the perimeter because Abner does not score much. But she let a three loose and made it to give Highlands a 39-34 advantage.

“It was about time,” Abner said. “I usually rely on my teammates to hit the big threes. They were relying on me for that one. I just did what my team needed.”

At the other end, Michele Judy scored with 2:50 left to make the score 39-36 Highlands. Walton-Verona took two timeouts with less than two minutes left before Judy Missed a shot near the basket and Coffey grabbed the rebound setting up the dramatics in the final minute.

Defensively, the Bluebirds contained the Bearcat inside-outside duo of Sandlin and Judy. Judy finished with 12 and Sandlin 11 after they scored 28 and 21 points respectively in a 64-54 win over Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday. Sandlin recently returned from a wrist injury.

“We told them before the game we had to know where those two are,” Richey said. “We can’t let those two beat us. We were going to let some of the other players shoot. But we really had to double down on Judy some.”

The game stayed close in the first quarter before Highlands finished it with a 7-0 run to go up 13-6. Emilie Parton made a three-pointer from the left corner with 45 seconds left to finish the run.

Highlands struggled in the second quarter losing it 16-5. Judy tied the game with 3:13 left in the half and Sandlin made a free throw and shot to put Walton-Verona up 20-16. Following two Daley free throws, Judy scored again to give the Bearcats a 22-18 halftime advantage.

But that lead did not last long. Highlands started the half with a 9-0 run. Adler made a three-pointer before Daley scored a bucket and hit two free throws and Coffey recorded a steal and fast-break score.

Walton-Verona did come back to tie the game at 28. But Vanessa Fisse untied it with a three-pointer to give Highlands a 31-28 advantage. Following an Ison score, Schaefer hit a lay-in in the center before Judy made two more free throws for the Bearcats.

Highlands closes out the regular season against Simon Kenton (23-4) on Thursday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Hoops Preview: Ladybirds aim for up-tempo attack

Submitted Photo. The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team has six seniors this year. They are, from left, Kelsey Clark, Emilie Parton, Jesse Daley, Leah Schaefer, Ava Abner and Vanessa Fisse. On Thursday, Schaefer signed to play at Xavier University in Cincinnati and Daley signed with NCAA Division III Thomas More College.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

On paper, this could be a special winter for the Highlands Ladybirds basketball team.

Highlands returns a wealth of talent and experience from last year’s squad, including four starters. That has the Ladybirds listed as a contender in the 9th Region. The Northern Kentucky Girls Basketball Coaches ranked Highlands second in the region behind the Notre Dame Pandas in their annual preseason poll.

While Highlands and Notre Dame did not suffer huge losses to graduation, the Ladybirds know the rest of the region will not bow down. They will have to prove themselves on a daily basis.

Highlands' Daley verbally commits to Thomas More

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Highlands senior Jesse Daley has verbally committed to play basketball at nearby Thomas More College next year.

Daley stands at 5-foot-10-inches and is a two-year starter. She averaged 10 points and 5.61 rebounds for the Ladybirds last year. Daley also hit 66.3 percent from the free-throw line and 45.3 percent from the field as a junior last year.

Daley becomes the second player from this year’s team to verbally commit to the next level. Teammate and fellow ‘Twin Tower’ Leah Schaefer verbally committed to Xavier University in the spring.

The Ladybirds finished 17-16 last year. They lost to Newport Central Catholic in the 36th District championship before losing 13-8 to Notre Dame in the 9th Region quarterfinals.

Jeff Hans is entering his second season coaching the Saints. They finished 25-5 last year and 17-1 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. The Saints also won their seventh straight PAC regular-season title, sixth consecutive PAC Championship Tournament title and made a sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. They lost in the second round, 87-50 to 16th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan.

Daley also plays goalkeeper for the Highlands Ladybirds soccer team and serves as a cheerleader at football games.

Ladybirds balance soccer with cheerleading or dancing among other responsibilities

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

During the week, a number of Highlands Ladybirds move around either turf or grass for the Ladybirds soccer team.

Then on Friday nights, you can find them cheering Class 4A’s top-ranked Bluebirds football team. There are five from this year’s senior class trying to balance that act. The three cheerleaders are goalkeeper Jesse Daley, defender/midfielder Taylor Roy and defender Ally Laycock. The two members of the dance team are defender/midfielder Alli Foellger and defender Courtney Wiseman.

All three sports demand a lot of time. Daley said a typical Wednesday is school, cheerleading from 3-5 p.m., soccer from 6:15-6:45 p.m. then she goes to work in the church nursery until 9 p.m.

“It’s a lot of running around and I have to be really organized because I live out of the district so I have to make sure I have my clothes for all the stuff I do,” Daley said. “It’s really hard to keep up with multiple sports and school, but it’s really worth it. I wouldn’t trade it for sleep or anything.”

In addition to both sports, Foellger dances three times a week at LeDance Studio. She takes regular dance and competition lessons at the studio.

“No matter what, I don’t have both sports every day,” Foellger said. “It’s a lot of time and effort. It’s worth it though because I wouldn’t like if I didn’t do one or both.”

They said doing both builds team chemistry. The cheerleading and dance teams also support the basketball teams in the winter. They also support the other sports at special events.

“It’s a lot of fun being able to dance and play soccer because with dance, you can dance at the football games and cheer on the team,” Wiseman said. “You can also be with the basketball team too. Soccer is a lot of fun. A lot of my friends play soccer. It’s good to be with them all the time.”

The Ladybirds have the support of their coaches. Highlands soccer head coach Tommy Kearns, cheerleading coach Caroline Thompson and dance coach Erin Minsterman have to work together when the girls are needed in both places.

“I think it’s a good thing. It’s a high school experience,” Kearns said. “The more things they’re involved in at school, the better it is for them. It is a lot of time and commitment to be able to be involved in all those things. As long as they’re enjoying themselves and getting something positive out of it, I’m all for it.”

The girls said it’s hard to please the coaches all the time despite their best efforts. They want all the teams to succeed.

 “I really leave it up to the girls to manage their time and do what’s best for both teams,” Thompson said. “We do come across times where they’re needed in both places at the same times.”

One of those times came over the summer. The cheerleaders had their camp and the soccer team played in the Bluegrass Games. Laycock, Roy and Daley ended up at Cheer Camp for two days and ended up playing two soccer games at Bluegrass Games.

Unlike a lot of places, the cheerleaders and dance team cheer on an exceptional football team. The Bluebirds are 77-2 since the start of 2007 with five straight state championships. Roy was named Homecoming Queen on Friday before Highlands smashed Mason County, 61-3.

“You always have a good, positive feeling about the game. It’s good to cheer on a team that is going to do well,” Roy said. “When it comes to close games, it’s a shocker to us so it makes us cheer harder.”

Laycock said it helps that the teams also have the support of the student section called the O-Zone. They’ve created their own Twitter account to get the freshmen into the games since they’re new to high school and may not understand a lot of the cheers. Laycock’s favorite cheers are the spirit cheers and “Hey Freshmen.”

“It’s really hard-core this year,” Laycock said. “They’re really proud of themselves for doing that. They want to get everyone involved instead of just the main leaders.”

Roy said her favorite cheer is the Cake cheer. The team has been doing that for years after winning one of their 21 state championships.

“It is such a tradition,” Roy said. “Even the parents would chime in at away games. Many of the times, they wouldn’t do the chants with us. But it’s such an easy and common cheer that everyone gets involved in it. It’s the main cheer that Highlands has.”

Foellger and Wiseman like both the hip hop and pom moves. The dance team won state in hip hop last year. Minsterman is a former dancer at Western Kentucky University in addition to dancing with the Ben-Gals for a couple years.

Academically, the Dance Team has done well in recent years. Wiseman said they girls can’t be failing two classes to be on the team. But that has not happened in the team’s seven-year existence.

“It’s hard to squeeze time in for homework but I always finish and do it pretty well,” Wiseman said. “We’re all pretty good in the academic areas.”

Roy announced some other good news for the Ladybirds. She said the rivalry between the cheerleading and dance teams ended this year.

“We’re never bickering,” Roy said. “I don’t know why there was bickering in the first place. It’s two different sports but we both do things to get the crowd going.”

As for the soccer team, things are not going well so far. The Ladybirds are 2-8-2 after three losses in the Lexington Catholic Cup. They’ve scored just eight goals all season.

“(Coach) Tommy (Kearns) always tell us to try really hard and focus on the next play,” Wiseman said. “After games, we’re usually really hard on ourselves but we work harder in practice and hope to get better. It’s hard because I don’t want it to end up like last year.”

Wiseman and Foellger will continue to dance in the winter and Laycock and Roy will also cheer on the basketball teams. Daley plays basketball so she’ll only cheer competitively.

But Daley hopes to make an impact for the Ladybirds this winter. Highlands finished 17-16 last season losing 13-8 in the Ninth Region quarterfinals.

“We have a lot of veterans so we’ve all been playing basketball since we were in middle school,” Daley said. “So there’s really no reason we shouldn’t get focused. State is our goal like it is every other year. But this year, it’s really serious and we’re ready to go.”

The five will be cheering on the Bluebirds in a huge game Friday. Highlands welcomes arch-rival Covington Catholic to Fort Thomas for a 7 p.m. contest.
The Ladybirds next contest is Saturday at 8 p.m. at Woodford County.

Photo by G. Michael Graham. Five Highlands seniors play soccer or either cheer or dance. They are, from left, Taylor Roy, Courtney Wiseman, Jesse Daley, Alli Foellger and Ally Laycock.

Ladybirds soccer loses heartbreaker

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
It looked good for a while.
But things changed for the Highlands Ladybirds soccer team in a matter of 20 seconds. Highlands led 1-0 until Stephanie Rowland scored two goals in 14 seconds to lead the visiting South Oldham Lady Dragons to a 2-1 win Saturday at Tower Park.
Highlands fell to 2-5-2 overall and South Oldham improved to 4-4. Highlands is 1-1-2 in games decided by one goal or less.
"I thought we played pretty well," said Tommy Kearns, Highlands head coach. "We made two costly mistakes. You end up losing 2-1 when you probably should be winners. It's frustrating. The good thing we can take from (Saturday) is we played a good team and had more of the play (on offense)."
Highlands had plenty of chances to score. The Ladybirds had eight shots and eight corner kicks to six shots and no corner kicks for the Lady Dragons. They had a number of chances in front of the opposing net on those corner kicks, but could not punch the ball in past South Oldham goalkeeper Maddie Malueg. Malueg made seven saves on the day.
"You have to be willing to put your body on the line sometimes to get that ball past the goal line," Kearns said. "We had two or three chances cleared off the goal line in the first half. (Malueg) was all the way in the goal and managed to keep it out. The reason we got corner kicks is we applied pressure to their defense."
At the other end, Sarah Owen and Jesse Daley again split halves in net. Owen made one save in the first half and Daley had three in the second half.
Highlands broke through with its first goal in three games just 3:48 into the second half. Taylor Vaughn took a shot before Brooklynn Rivers hit in the rebound.
Rivers has six on the year. That happens to be all but one of Highlands' goals this season.
That lead held up until 10:18 remained in the game. Rowland scored in front of the net. Highlands had two chances to clear the ball on the play.
Rowlands scored just 14 seconds later when she received a pass and drove past a Highlands defender. She placed the shot perfectly for the game-winning goal.
Highlands is missing two key seniors to injury now in Ava Abner and Kara Painter. Painter tore her left Anterior Cruciated Ligament and is out for the season. But Painter does not want her teammates to dwell on the injuries.
"Each player on our team is strong," Painter said. "Our team can win no matter who is out. We just need to get our heads up and move on to the next play. That's our motto."
The Ladybirds take on Louisville Assumption at 6 p.m. in the Lexington Catholic Cup on Tuesday.

Thursday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
The Highlands Ladybirds volleyball team moved above .500 with a 25-9, 25-10 victory at the Holmes Lady Bulldogs on Thursday.
Highlands also beat Holmes in the September Slam on Saturday at Scott. The Ladybirds moved to 8-7 to move above .500 for the first time since starting the season 2-0. Holmes is 5-14.
Highlands travels to Conner on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Ladybird soccer ties Campbell County:
Highlands turned things around in just more than 48 hours Thursday.
The Ladybirds turned in a much better showing in a 0-0 tie against the Campbell County Lady Camels.
Highlands lost 5-0 at Bishop Brossart on Tuesday. Highlands is 2-4-2 overall and the Lady Camels are 6-3-1.
The Ladybirds allowed just four shots after allowing 17 Tuesday. Senior goalkeeper Jesse Daley played the entire game and saved all four. Campbell County is led by senior Taylor Robinson.
Highlands plays host to South Oldham (3-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Highlands, Simon Kenton soccer cancelled:
Highlands' originally scheduled game against Simon Kenton was called off because of powder puff football.
The Bluebirds (5-3-1) hit the road to Louisville on Saturday to take on state power Louisville St. Xavier at 2:45 p.m. The Tigers are 8-0 entering the contest.
NCC volleyball falls to Boone County:
The Newport Central Catholic Lady Breds volleyball team dropped a close one to the Boone County Lady Rebels, 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 28-26, 27-25) Thursday.
The Lady Breds fell to 4-9 with the loss and Boone County moved to 8-5. Nikki Kiernan had 13 kills and six blocks to lead NewCath. Alyssa Maier added 34 assists with Whitney Fields tallying five aces and Maria Froendhoff making 29 digs.
NewCath plays in the Louisville Volleyball Invitational Tournament today and Saturday.
NewCath, Cooper soccer cancelled:
The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds soccer game at Cooper was cancelled because the field was too wet. The game will be made up on Sept. 18.
NewCath plays host to St. Henry at 3 p.m.

Highlands struggles in 5-0 defeat to Bishop Brossart

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
MELBOURNE - The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team may be dealing with some injuries now.
But head coach Tommy Kearns does not want that to be an excuse. The Ladybirds (2-4-1 overall) faced the Bishop Brossart Lady Mustangs at Pendery Park here Tuesday and fell 5-0 mostly because they did not clear balls in their box allowing Brossart (5-3) many more shot opportunities.
"We did not do a good job defending," Kearns said. "It's a physical battle to win the ball. We have to come out on top in that situation."
Highlands has been playing without the services of senior midfielder/forward Ava Abner. Abner is having surgery today on her right Meniscus. She hurt it against St. Henry and it became worse as she took more hits. Abner said the surgery could leave her out for four weeks or four months meaning she could miss part of basketball season. If it is just four weeks, she could be back in time for the soccer postseason.
Abner missed part of her junior year in basketball last year. She tore her right Anterior Cruciated Ligament, Medial Collateral Ligament and Meniscus in December when Sydney Moss undercut her when the two were going for a loose ball.
"We have some sports where some people are going to have to step up and fill shoes," Kearns said. "There are some adjustments we still have to make."
The Lady Mustangs outshot the visitors, 18-3. Highlands goalkeepers Jesse Daley and Sarah Owen once again split halves. Daley made six saves in the first half including one on a rebound shot and Owen made seven in the second.
Brossart junior goalkeeper Sarah Futcher did not have a lot of action at her end. She saved all three Highlands shots.
Both teams ran 4-4-2 attacks. But Brossart showed its balance as five different players scored. The Lady Mustangs scored four goals in the second half to pull away.
Highlands freshman Brooklynn Rivers makes things happen when the Ladybirds get the ball to her. She had just a few touches Tuesday.
Brossart dented the scoreboard in the first half when Micaela Smith scored. Teammates Madison Linebach, Allison Greely, Abby Stadmiller and Amanda Hasl added goals for the Lady Mustangs in the second half.
Kearns also hopes a return to a turf field will help. The Ladybirds played on grass fields at Pendery and in the recent win at Boone County.