Bluebirds Move On in 9th Region Tournament

Highlands has won 11 Straight

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Lauren Deckert boots the ball ahead in the 9th Region semifinal game against St. Henry on Wednesday. The Bluebirds won 2-0 to advance to the region championship Thursday against Notre Dame.

One thing the Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team players and coaches said in the preseason that they did not want to see happen in the postseason is games going to penalty kicks.

In last year's 9th Region semifinals at Dixie Heights, the St. Henry Lady Crusaders eliminated the Bluebirds, 1-0 in that fashion. The feeling of another one of those presented itself in the semifinals at Ryle on Wednesday. But Highlands (18-4 overall) found the back of the net long before overtime recording a 2-0 win over the Lady Crusaders (13-4-1) to move into the championship game against the Notre Dame Pandas (13-6-3) Thursday at 7 p.m. back at Ryle.

"It's always good to win before you have to go into overtime," said Hanna Buecker, Highlands senior midfielder. "It's a lot less stressful. It was nice to play a good game and get the goals in (before the end of regulation). I think (with) this game especially, we did a pretty decent job with communication with knowing who's going where and cover for each other when we went up to get the ball and win it out of the air."

Tuesday Highlands Notes

Bluebirds Win Fifth Straight Against Thoroughbreds

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Alexander Foubert (2) goes after the ball in a recent game. Highlands beat Newport Central Catholic, 5-1 Tuesday at Tower Park.

It could not have been a better start for the hosts.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (8-0-1 overall, 4-0 9th Region) put four balls in the back of the net in the first 12 minutes. For a team that had given up just two goals all season up to that point, it was more than enough for a 5-1 victory over the 36th District rival Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (4-2) at Tower Park.

"You never really know how NC squares up defensively so we were very intentional about making sure that we came kind of full steam ahead right from the get go," said Chad Niedert, Highlands Head Coach. "Our first goal wasn't anything pretty. But they all count the same. Sometimes those balls just go in the right direction. It set the tone for the rest of the game. Our guys didn't let up."

Victories for Highlands Basketball

Bluebirds take care of Tigers in district action

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Luke LaFrange (3) puts up a shot against Bellevue on Friday. Highlands finished the regular season at 3-1 in 36th District action with a 79-61 win over the Tigers.

They wanted nothing more than to lock up no less than their highest seed since the 36th District went to a seeded format for its annual postseason basketball tournament four years ago.

The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team (10-12 overall) took care of that goal with a huge 79-61 victory over the Bellevue Tigers (6-14) on Friday in Fort Thomas. Bellevue had beaten Highlands in each of the past two seasons to push the Bluebirds down to the fourth seed. The Bluebirds finished 3-1 in district action and will be the second seed in the district tournament if Newport Central Catholic wins either of its final two district games against Bellevue and Dayton. The Bluebirds also moved to 7-5 in 9th Region action and Bellevue dropped to 0-3 in district play.

Monday Briefs: Highlands girls soccer, volleyball win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior goalkeeper Olivia McQueary boots the ball ahead in a recent game.

The Highlands Ladybirds made it three in a row with a 3-0 victory over the St. Henry Lady Crusaders on Monday.

This marked the second win of the year by the same score for Highlands (13-1-1 overall) over the visitors (5-8-2) from Erlanger. The Ladybirds moved to 7-0 in 9th Region action with the win.

Thursday Briefs: Highlands soccer teams record wins

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior outside hitter Hannah Harris (right) bumps the ball while senior defensive specialist Emma Delagrange (20) watches.

The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team moved to 3-0 on the season with a 3-0 blanking of the St. Henry Lady Crusaders (0-2-1) at Tower Park.

Ladybirds snap four-game losing streak

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Lauren Epperson (24) puts up a shot in a recent game. Epperson scored 12 to help Highlands to a 65-34 victory over St. Henry on Tuesday.

The Highlands Ladybirds snapped their first four-game losing streak since the 2006-07 season with a 65-34 victory over the St. Henry Lady Crusaders on Tuesday.

NewCath girls take care of St. Henry

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbred girls basketball team moved to 16-10 with a 72-58 9th Region road win Thursday.

Adler scores 1000th career point as Highlands tops St. Henry

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Brianna Adler (10) puts up the shot that put her in the 1,000-point club while St. Henry's Connor McGinnis (10) and Taylor Potts (20) get in position. Adler scored 15 points as the Ladybirds downed the Lady Crusaders, 61-42.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team quickly put to rest the bad taste from Saturday.

Tuesday Sports Briefs

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands sophomore Lauren Epperson (5) sets the ball while Kaitlin Hall (30) watches in Tuesday's match against St. Henry.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

ERLANGER – The Highlands Ladybirds volleyball team learned what it will take to ultimately compete for a 9th Region title.

That is not beating yourself.

Ladybirds nip Lady Crusaders, 3-2

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands goalkeeper Olivia McQuery (left) gets ready to boot the ball away from the goal while Peyton Bankemper (7) gets in position. McQuery made six saves in the win.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team showed how far it has come in terms of mental toughness Monday.

Highlands found itself down by a goal at various points on the first half. But the Ladybirds came back to post a 3-2 win over the visiting St. Henry Lady Crusaders in the season opener for both teams at Tower Park.

Highlands rolls past St. Henry

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands point guard Haley Coffey dribbles against St. Henry's Karly Lehmkuhl (32) in Monday's 9th Region quarterfinal contest. The Ladybirds won 67-52 to advance to the region semifinals for the second straight year.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – It was simply a matter of time.

The Highlands Ladybirds (23-7) trapped the St. Henry Lady Crusaders (18-12) all over the court in Monday’s 9th Region Quarterfinal game. That pressure ultimately hurt the Lady Crusaders in a 67-52 victory at the Bank of Kentucky Center on the Northern Kentucky University campus.

NCC Girls Hoops improves to 2-0

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team scored in the 80s for the second straight game Wednesday.

The Thoroughbreds moved to 2-0 with an 87-59 domination of the St. Henry Lady Crusaders (0-1) on the Hill. They saw five players reach double digits.

Highlands softball moves on

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The Highlands Bluebirds softball team knew it needed to play error-free ball to advance in the 9th Region tournament.

Conversely, the Bluebirds also knew they needed to take advantage if the opponent did make errors. They found out the importance of both in a 3-1 quarterfinal win over the St. Henry Lady Crusaders at Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday.

This marked the first region win for the Bluebirds since 2008. That team also beat St. Henry, 10-0 before losing 7-0 to Ryle in the region semifinals.

Highlands plays in the region semifinals back at NKU at 6 p.m. against Notre Dame (26-7). Conner faces Dixie Heights at 4:30 p.m. in the other semifinal game with the championship on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

St. Henry (20-12) made three errors to none for Highlands (18-11). The three errors came in the bottom of the third. Payton Leighty and Whitney Quillen reached on errors. Two outs later, they scored when Brennah Dutcher hit a grounder to third. St. Henry third baseman Molly Dietz threw it wild allowing Leighty and Quillen to score to give the Bluebirds a 2-0 lead.

“Defense has been an evolution,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “We had players out of position in trying some things early in the year. We gave up a lot of runs on errors. We feel like we’ve solidified our defense in the past month. The girls are executing and making the right throws and not the unnecessary throws. That’s really helped keep us in the game.”

That lead gave Highlands freshman pitcher Bailey Spencer and the defense enough to work with. Spencer struck out four and the Lady Crusaders left runners at first and third in the top of the sixth.

The Lady Crusaders outhit the Bluebirds, 5-4. Gabby Stewart went 2-for-3 to lead St. Henry with Noelle Butts and Dietz recording doubles. Stewart singled home Dietz in the fourth for St. Henry’s only run.

The only extra-base hit for Highlands came in the first inning when Haley Coffey tripled. Quillen, Shelby Graybill and Ashley Grosser added singles for Highlands.

The Bluebirds had opportunities to add more runs. But they left Haley Coffey on third in the first and left the bases loaded in the fifth.

“When our sticks are hot, we’re unstoppable,” Quillen said. “We’re going to have to be patient in the box and make contact. If you make contact, it’s eventually going to fall. That’s how we produce our runs.”

Butts finished with three strikeouts for St. Henry. Highlands also beat St. Henry, 8-6 on April 8.

“(Butts) is not only a great competitor. She doesn’t like to lose,” Coach Coffey said. “You can tell by the way she handles herself on the mound. She is in charge out there. When she’s pitching like that and we’re not hitting, it’s tough to get runs.”

But Highlands did add an insurance run in the sixth. Grosser singled and Spencer landed a sacrifice bunt. Grosser moved to third when no one from St. Henry covered the bag. Grosser then scored when Kendall Turner grounded out.

“We really needed that because we always wait until the last second, I feel like, to get it,” Spencer said. “It’s really nice to be on a team that can play together like that.”

The next challenge for Highlands is to beat a loaded Notre Dame Panda squad. The Pandas are 20-0 against region opponents, including 3-0 against the Bluebirds this year. They have outscored the Bluebirds, 27-4.

“I took the job to try to get wins like we’re going to try to get (today),” Coach Coffey said. “You’re talking about an outstanding team. It’s a team we knew we can compete with. If we can get a victory, that puts us back on the map and shows folks we’re up and coming. It’s going to be a challenge. We have to believe we can do it or we won’t be able to beat these teams in the future.”

NCC girls capture another All "A" 9th Region crown; boys snap streak

 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team tends to find itself at the All “A” State Tournament on a yearly basis.

This group did not want to end that run. So the host Thoroughbreds used their trademark stingy defense to keep the string alive for their seventh consecutive 9th Region All “A” crown with a convincing 49-34 win over the St. Henry Lady Crusaders on Saturday.

The last time NewCath did not win the crown was 2006 when Covington Holy Cross won it. St. Henry has not won the title since 1996.

The Thoroughbreds put constant pressure on the Lady Crusaders. St. Henry committed 20 turnovers to just eight for NewCath. The Thoroughbreds (13-4) recorded 10 steals to just two for the Lady Crusaders (8-9). Michaela Ware led NewCath with three steals with teammates MiKayla Seibert and Loren Zimmerman recording two each.

“(Ball pressure) is what we wanted to do coming into the game,” said George Stoll, NewCath head coach. “We wanted to get some easy lay-ups if we could. We didn’t get as many as we like. But we got enough to get by so we’ll take it.”

NewCath standout junior forward Nikki Kiernan once again dominated the paint. She recorded another double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds to with two blocked shots, an assist and steal. Kiernan earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors as a result.

“You just have to keep your ground and not go for ball fakes,” Kiernan said of controlling the paint. “I just go straight up (defensively). I try to watch (the opponent’s) stomach.”

The Thoroughbreds did record 13 more shots than the Lady Crusaders as a result of the turnovers. They made 21-of-55 shots for 38 percent and held St. Henry to 29 percent shooting (12-of-42).

But NewCath still had a hard time making outside shots. Kiernan made all three Thoroughbred three-pointers. Ware was the only other NewCath player to reach double-digits with 10 points.

“That’s part of having one of the best players in the region on the team,” Stoll said. “She has to step up when we need her. We needed her down the stretch. She was able to step up and make some shots down the stretch. But we need to have other players step up too.”

NewCath also hit just 4-of-12 free throws for 33 percent compared to 9-of-14 for 64 percent for St. Henry. Kiernan said the team needs to concentrate better in practice to hit them better.

Defensively, NewCath focused on guard Kelly Coburn and 6-foot-1-inch post Savannah Neace. Coburn had five and Neace finished with two. Trisha Marks picked up the slack some scoring 12 for the Lady Crusaders. Stephanie Lewis guarded Coburn most of the game with Kiernan and Alexus Mayes guarding Neace.

“It was a matter of stopping some of their back-door (cuts),” Stoll said. “We actually didn’t do a very good job of that at all. But a win is a win and we’ll take it.”

Jordan Miller hit a three-point play on a back-door cut to open the game for St. Henry. But Lewis hit a jumper with 4:20 left in the first to give the Thoroughbreds the lead for good.

NewCath outscored St. Henry, 10-2 in the second quarter to go up 19-11 at halftime. The Thoroughbreds increased the lead to double-figures in the third quarter after Kiernan’s first three-pointer.

The Thoroughbreds pulled away in the fourth quarter. But the lead did not feel safe until Kiernan nailed her other two three-pointers in the fourth quarter to put NewCath up 40-21 with five minutes remaining.

A Lewis jumper gave the Thoroughbreds their biggest lead at 42-21 just 35 second after that. That let NewCath put in the reserves for the game’s final two minutes.

NewCath placed three players on the all-tournament team. Lewis and Ware joined Kiernan on the squad.

NewCath travels to Dixie Heights (8-10) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

NCC boys 68, Campbell County 64

The Thoroughbreds snapped their two-game skid against a rival with a deceiving record Saturday.

Campbell County (7-10) took the court with Nate McGovney and Corey Holbrook in the starting lineup together for just the second game this year. McGovney tore his left Anterior Cruciated Ligament over the summer and did not return until Jan. 5 in a loss to Bishop Brossart. Holbrook received two technical fouls in that game and had to sit out the last two games.

“This is a little bit of (McGovney and Holbrook’s) coming out party,” said Grant Brannen, NewCath head coach. “Campbell County is a 10th Region contender. I told the guys we didn’t have much game tape on them because those two haven’t played together much. We knew it would be a tough one.”

Holbrook and NewCath sophomore post Drew McDonald scored 27 points each to lead their teams. Holbrook made 11-of-11 free-throw attempts and McDonald added 13 rebounds for a double-double.

The Thoroughbreds (13-2) made enough free throws to hold off the Camels. They hit 18-of-35 for 51 percent compared to 15-of-17 for 88 percent for Campbell County.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the field. NewCath made 23-of-46 shots including four three-pointers and Campbell County made 21-of-42 including seven three-pointers.

The Thoroughbreds also needed help from the reserves as the starters struggled with foul trouble. After McDonald, Michael Bueter added 13 points and Colin Dupont scored eight off the bench.

NewCath played without senior forward Nick Seibert and Brennan Devoto started in his place. Seibert sprained his left ankle in the loss to Covington Catholic on Thursday and said he could be out for four weeks. He came out on crutches.

“It was good to have people step up,” Dupont said. “It’s going to be tough with Nick Seibert being out. But I felt like we did well. We all have to take a role and do our best. We hope to jell together and play well.”

The Camels also had scoring balance. McGovney scored 12 points and Deandre Jackson finished with 11.

The teams combined for 48 fouls. Campbell County saw two players foul out and NewCath had three starters finish with four each.

NewCath took the lead for good with an 8-0 run early in the third quarter. Campbell County cut the margin to three twice in the fourth, but came no closer.

The Thoroughbreds open the All “A” 9th Region tournament at Dayton on Monday. They take on the Villa Madonna Lightning at 6 p.m.

 

Highlands pounds St. Henry; NCC loses

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team bounced back from Friday’s loss to Newport Central Catholic with an impressive 9th Region win in Erlanger.

The Bluebirds (11-5) dominated the St. Henry Lady Crusaders (6-8), 71-37 and snapped a three-game losing streak in the series. Highlands last beat St. Henry, 67-43 on Feb. 4, 2010 in Fort Thomas.

The Bluebirds jumped out to a 21-3 advantage after the first quarter and never looked back. They recorded 20 steals on 23 St. Henry turnovers and yielded just one theft on 12 turnovers. Brianna Adler led Highlands with four steals with Haley Coffey, Vanessa Fisse and Leah Schaefer recording three each.

Offensively, the Twin Towers once again led the way for Highlands. Jesse Daley scored 15 points and Leah Schaefer had 12. Adler also hit double-digits in the scorebook with 11.

Highlands made 26-of-56 shots for 46 percent, including 8-of-18 from three-point range for 44 percent. The Bluebirds also made 11-of-18 free throws for 61 percent. Adler made 3-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc with Coffey, Fisse, Lydia Graves, McKenzie Leigh and Alex Combs all making one each.

On the other side, St. Henry made just 12-of-28 shots for 43 percent and 3-of-6 three-point shots for 50 percent. The Lady Crusaders also hit just 10-of-22 free-throw attempts for 46 percent.

St. Henry saw just Jordan Miller score in double-digits with 11 points. Senior Libby Leedom decided to focus on soccer this year.

Highlands travels to Notre Dame on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart 61, NCC girls 43:

The Thoroughbreds (10-4) could not come up with another big win Saturday at home against the Valkyries (13-1).

NewCath had no answers for DaiJia Ruffin. Ruffin scored 36 points and teammate Kristin Matula added 11. Ruffin made six three-pointers and 6-of-7 free-throw attempts.

MiKayla Seibert led NewCath with 11 points and Alexus Mayes had eight. Sacred Heart held Nikki Kiernan to four points and four rebounds.

The Valkyries made 26-of-43 shots from the field for 61 percent and 8-of-12 free throws for 67 percent.

The Thoroughbreds hit 14-of-49 shots for 29 percent and 10-of-20 free throws for 50 percent. They continued to struggle from outside making just 1-of-6 three-point shots for 17 percent.

NewCath plays host to the All “A” 9th Region tournament this week. The Thoroughbreds will take on either Newport (8-7) or Covington Holy Cross (11-2) at 6 p.m. Wednesday. NewCath has won the last six tournaments and finished state runner-up to Walton-Verona last year.