36th Boys Final: NCC captures fifth consecutive crown

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball team knows it will have to withstand the best shots from opponents to reach more goals.

But the Thoroughbreds are just fine with that. Battle-tested NewCath has withstood tough challenges all season on its way to Ashland Invitational Tournament and All “A” State Tournament championships. Add a fifth consecutive 36th District Championship to the impressive year with Thursday’s 50-42 win over the Newport Wildcats at Highlands.

“It’s never easy, especially against a Newport team that’s really good and well-coached,” said Grant Brannen, NewCath head coach. “We came and missed some shots. They missed some shots. But in the end, it was a nice win. We’ve built our season with championships. But our toughest road is ahead of us for sure.”

NewCath won its 18th consecutive game with its third win over the Wildcats (20-10) to move to 30-2 on the season. The Thoroughbreds also beat the in-town rivals, 80-51 on The Hill on Jan. 2 before beating them again, 61-54 just 17 days later to capture the All “A” 9th Region title at Bellevue.

“I like it like that because no game is going to be easy,” said Nick Seibert, NewCath senior. “We come in the mindset that we’re going to win every game. We come in and work as hard as we can knowing (opponents) are not going to lay down.”

NewCath also had to beat Highlands a second time on Tuesday to make the district championship. But while the first win meant the Thoroughbreds won’t see the Bluebirds again this season, they could again face the Wildcats in the 9th Region championship game at Northern Kentucky University.

NewCath did a good job in the half-court game on both ends. Offensively, the Thoroughbreds worked the ball inside to its tall players and Newport had no answer for 6-foot-6-inch Tournament Most Valuable Player Drew McDonald. McDonald dominated the Wildcats for 22 points making 10-of-18 field-goal attempts to go with six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

“Drew has been a force all year,” Brannen said. “He didn’t have a very good first quarter. I was wondering if he could walk and chew gum at the same time so I asked him. But in the second quarter, he came through and played really well the rest of the game.”

The Thoroughbreds received their usual balance. Zach Pangallo, Michael Bueter and Seibert scored eight each to follow McDonald. Bueter and Seibert also made the All-Tournament team along with Highlands senior Luke Turner.

NewCath made 20-of-50 shots for 40 percent with no three-pointers and 10-of-14 free throws for 71 percent. Seibert led the Thoroughbreds making 4-of-6 free throws with Pangallo, Bueter and McDonald all making both free-throw attempts.

Defensively, NewCath played a 1-3-1 trapping zone using its size to make things difficult for the Newport guards. The Wildcats turned the ball over 11 times to nine for the Thoroughbreds.

NewCath contained the Newport brother guard tandem of JaSean and JaQuan Short. The duo combined for just nine points after scoring 31 in the All “A” 9th Region title game.

“We wanted to keep pressure on (the Short brothers) and not let them get open shots,” Seibert said. “We knew we could force turnovers with our length and that’s what we did.”

Their teammates tried to pick up the slack. Marquis Commodore led the Wildcats making 4-of-4 free-throw tries for 12 points with Cody Pearson and Aroyal Wright scoring eight each.

The Wildcats hit 17-of-49 shots for 35 percent with three-pointers from JaSean Short and Ethan Snapp. They also made 6-of-8 free-throw tries for 75 percent.

The teams made things difficult near the basket. NewCath rejected eight shots led by four from Jake Schulte and Newport turned away seven led by Commodore with three.

Both teams recorded 33 rebounds. Commodore led Newport with 15 for a double-double and Schulte grabbed 13 for the victors.

The squads battled to an 8-8 tie after the first quarter. Newport led 14-10 early in the second before McDonald scored twice to give NewCath a 16-14 lead with 3:58 remaining.

After the Wildcats tied the game at 16, the Thoroughbreds finished the quarter with an 8-0 run to go up 24-16 for good. McDonald hit a jumper in the center to finish off that scoring.

NewCath built the lead to double-digits in the third quarter. The Thoroughbreds led 38-26 entering the fourth quarter. They led by 14 by a 38-24 score at one point after Bueter hit two free throws after Wright received a technical foul coming up-court and McDonald hit a jumper.

The Thoroughbreds increased the lead to 14 twice in the fourth before the Wildcats used a 6-0 run to cut the margin to eight. Newport cut the margin to 44-37 with 1:36 remaining before the Thoroughbreds made six consecutive free throws to ice the game.

Thoroughbred reserves Ben Weyer, Colin Dupont and Brennan Devoto came in contributed some to give the starters relief. Weyer said the upperclassmen are doing a great job being examples to younger players.

“We’re definitely one big family,” Weyer said. “I’m starting to realize that. Everyone just works really hard.”

NewCath will not know its first-round opponent until the 9th Region draw takes place at Holmes at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Thoroughbreds take on the losing team from either the 33rd, 34th or 35th District championship games to be played Friday.

NewCath boys run away for All "A" State Title

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

FRANKFORT – It came down to a battle of size against speed and whichever basketball team controlled the tempo to its liking would most likely come out victorious.

That turned out to be the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds in the All “A” Boys State Championship on Sunday at the Frankfort Convention Center. They slowed the tempo down, pounded the ball inside to their tall posts and ran away for a 75-54 win over the Bardstown Tigers for their second state championship. The other title came in 2000.

The Thoroughbreds have won 10 in a row to move to 22-2 since dropping consecutive games to defending state champion Louisville Trinity and Covington Catholic. They had lost in their four previous appearances in the state semifinals, including 2011.

“I told the guys this morning that we have to play to our identity,” said Grant Brannen, NewCath head coach. “We have to move the ball around and execute our plays. Those kids did it to perfection. They came ready.”

The Tigers (19-6) also came into the game with hopes of winning their second title, but had to settle for runner-up honors to another 9th Region opponent. They lost 52-51 on a last-second shot to Covington Holy Cross last year.

“They used their mismatches and we should have used ours and capitalized on them as well,” said James Brewer, Bardstown head coach. “That’s a good team. My guys played hard from day one until now. I’m very proud of them. It just wasn’t God’s will for us to come out victorious.”

NewCath again had balanced scoring as four of the five starters reached double-figures. It started in the paint with Drew McDonald. The tournament’s Most Valuable Player tore Bardstown up in the interior for a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. McDonald made 8-of-13 shots and 5-of-6 free-throw attempts. He added four assists and two blocked shots.

“Our size just killed them,” McDonald said. “They couldn’t guard Jake and me down low, and we took advantage of it. I have two years (of high school) left and I’m looking forward to them. But I’m definitely going to enjoy this.”

Senior guard Michael Bueter matched McDonald’s efforts with 21 points and four assists. He made 5-of-8 shots including 2-of-4 from downtown and 9-of-11 free-throw attempts.

Bueter and Jake Schulte joined McDonald on the All-Tournament Team. Schulte had 12 points making 6-of-8 shots and nabbing eight rebounds to go with two blocked shots.

Nick Seibert and Zach Pangallo also had good games for the Thoroughbreds. Seibert finished with 11 points making 3-of-6 shots and all five free-throw attempts and added three steals.

Pangallo directed the offense against Bardstown’s 2-2-1 press. He finished with eight points making the other 2-of-4 NewCath three-point shots.

“We saw the scouting report and saw the middle was wide open so we wanted to get the ball to the middle,” Pangallo said. “We do our best to stay calm and get the ball up the court as fast as we can. We don’t try to rush things because we don’t want any dumb turnovers.”

Seibert again drew a tough defensive task against Bardstown guard Devonte Grundy. Seibert used his 6-foot-5-inch frame to limit Grundy to 14 points and 12 rebounds. Grundy made just 5-of-20 shots, including one three-pointer and all three free-throw attempts.

“We know that defense wins games,” Seibert said. “My job is to make guys go to the basket. I have two tall bigs that are going to help me at all times. We just played hard. That’s what got the job done.”

Elijay Cowherd came off the bench and led Bardstown with 21 points on 3-of-5 from three-point range. He added three assists.

But the Thoroughbreds held Marcus Cosby to seven points. Cosby made just 2-of-6 shots including 1-of-4 from three-point range.

Bardstown won the rebounding battle, 35-26 including 21-6 on the offensive glass. But the Tigers still did not shoot better than the Thoroughbreds and outscored NewCath just 16-11 on second-chance points.

NewCath again shot an astounding 25-of-42 from the field for 60 percent and made 21-of-25 free throws for 84 percent. Bardstown made just 19-of-60 shots for 32 percent and 11-of-12 free throws for 92 percent.

The Thoroughbreds put the game away with an 18-0 run in the second half. That ballooned their 38-37 lead with 3:25 left in the third to 56-37 with 6:31 left in the game. McDonald scored seven during that run.

“Getting that double-digit lead was huge,” Brannen said. “We went on a nice run and were able to put it away.”

The Tigers cut the margin to 11 once after that when Cosby scored on a three-point play. That made the score 60-49 in favor of NewCath with 4:14 remaining in the game.

McDonald had given NewCath the lead for good at 35-33 with 6:06 remaining in the third. Schulte assisted on the play.

NewCath finished the first half with a 5-0 run to go up 31-26 at halftime. Schulte scored on an offensive putback and Pangallo made a triple.

There were 10 lead changes prior to that point. Bardstown’s largest lead was one point on three separate occasions.

The Thoroughbreds return to action Tuesday. They cross the Ohio River to face North College Hill at 7:30 p.m.

NewCath advances to sixth All "A" Semifinals since 2000

 

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic guard Brennan Devoto (23) gets in defensive position in Friday's 60-46 All "A" State Quarterfinal win over Louisville Holy Cross.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

FRANKFORT – Many expected the Newport Central Thoroughbreds boys basketball team to use its size to run away with this All “A” State Quarterfinal contest.

The Thoroughbreds (20-2) did that en route to their eighth straight victory. But it took some time in a 60-46 victory over the 6th Region champion Louisville Holy Cross Cougars (6-16) on Friday at the Frankfort Convention Center.

Holy Cross started off the season losing its first 14 games. But things turned around in the All “A” 6th Region Tournament. The Cougars lost five of those contests by five or fewer points.

NewCath used that size to make 27-of-49 shots for 55 percent. That included 15-of-24 in the first half for 63 percent. Holy Cross made 17-of-44 shots for 39 percent, including 8-of-20 in the first half for 40 percent.

The Thoroughbreds also won the rebounding battle, 33-23 including 23-16 on the defensive glass. They also rejected six shots to two for the Cougars.

Drew McDonald and Jake Schulte did most of the damage for NewCath. McDonald had 17 points and seven rebounds and Schulte had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocks.

“Our game plan was to make them play up and down,” said Mike Durham, Holy Cross head coach. “We didn’t turn them over as well. But they got the ball inside. Our biggest kid is 6-foot-2. It’s hard to defend that. They probably had 15 pounds per kid on us, too.”

But NewCath did not shoot the ball well from outside making just 2-of-9 shots for 22 percent. Michael Bueter hit both of them on his way to 12 points. NewCath also made just 4-of-12 free-throw attempts for 33 percent compared to 9-of-12 for 75 percent for the Cougars.

“Teams are going to pinch in and we’re eventually going to have to knock down some outside shots if we’re to keep winning,” said Grant Brannen, NewCath head coach. “We’ve only made two three-pointers this whole tournament so far. I think the rest of our opponents have a decent amount of size so they’ll try to match up with our bigs.”

NewCath ventured down the road to battle arch-rival Highlands on Tuesday. The Thoroughbreds pounded the Bluebirds, 59-22 before beating Somerset, 47-33 to open the tournament Thursday.

“Playing Highlands right before we came down here was big,” Schulte said. “It was a great game for us to get our mindset ready for this. We wanted to show who’s number one in the (36th) District.”

Guards Dominique Mack and Jack Schmitt kept Holy Cross in the game in the first quarter. Mack finished with 18 points and Jake Schmitt made two three pointers on his way to 13 points.

Mack had 11 points at halftime. Holy Cross made 3-of-11 three-point attempts for 27 percent.

“You had to stay down on (Mack),” said Nick Seibert, NewCath forward. “He was strong like Coach (Brannen) said. You had to move your feet and make him shoot it over you.”

Holy Cross led most of the first quarter. Schulte had an offensive putback with 1:18 left in the quarter to give the Thoroughbreds their first lead at 12-11. After Bueter scored, Schmitt hit a triple with two seconds left to tie the game at 14 after the first quarter.

But the Thoroughbreds took the lead for good with a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. McDonald scored twice and Schulte added two more buckets during that run that gave NewCath a 24-14 lead with 6:14 left in the first half.

The Thoroughbreds led by as many as 13 three times in the second quarter. They led 30-17 after a Bueter score and took a 34-21 advantage into halftime after Zach Pangallo hit Seibert for an alley-oop lay-up with three seconds left.

“You have to give them credit,” Brannen said. “(Schmitt) hit two big threes there to start (the first quarter) off. Obviously, Mack is a strong guard. We’ve been having our issues with strong guards this year. Luckily, in the second quarter, we executed our game plan and got it inside. That made a difference.”

Holy Cross did trim the margin to nine once at 34-25. But NewCath continued to dominate inside and expanded the margin to as many as 23 points in the third quarter. Ben Weyer gave the Thoroughbreds that advantage of 53-32 with an offensive putback with 1:23 left in the quarter.

NewCath held that lead going into the fourth quarter and that gave some reserves playing time. Holy Cross won the final stanza, 14-7 to make the score more respectable.

The Thoroughbreds face the 14th Region champion Knott County Central Patriots (20-3) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. back at the Frankfort Convention Center. Knott County Central held off 8th Region champion Owen County, 57-49 to punch its ticket to the semifinals.

 

Thoroughbred basketball aims for elusive 9th Region crown

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It’s been a case of being close, but not quite over the mountain.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds basketball team has been to the 9th Region championship two consecutive years, but has not been able to nab its first crown since 2000. The Thoroughbreds fell 54-49 to Boone County last year and 79-76 in quadruple-overtime to Dixie Heights in 2011.

“These guys have been working their tail ends off,” said Grant Brannen, NewCath head coach. “Last two years, it’s been heartbreaking to get to that point and not be able to get over the top, including the four-overtime game. It’s definitely been a motivation to get back to that point, succeed and get one more game in. But it’s a long road ahead. These guys know that. The 9th Region is a grind. There’s going to be no easy nights. We still have a ways to go. But the kids are working hard.”