Playing for a Championship

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands senior forward Leah Schaefer (23) sets up for a free-throw attempt in the third quarter of Sunday's 9th Region semifinal contest against Ryle at Northern Kentucky University. Schaefer scored 10 points in Highlands' first semifinal win since 2002. The Bluebirds beat the Lady Raiders, 60-44 and will battle the Notre Dame Pandas for the crown Monday at 7 p.m.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – It’s been a theme all year for the Blue and White.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team has had to overcome tough stretches to win games and Sunday was no different. The Bluebirds found themselves down just 21-19 at halftime despite a rough half.

But Highlands (26-7) turned things up 10 notches in the second half to beat the Ryle Lady Raiders, 60-44 in the 9th Region semifinals. The Bluebirds outscored Ryle, 19-6 to turn the halftime deficit into a 38-27 lead entering the fourth quarter before pulling away.

The end result for the Bluebirds is their first trip to the 9th Region title game since 2002 when current Dixie Heights head coach Tara Boothe-Smith was a senior. Jaime Walz-Richey became head coach the following year and Highlands had lost in its previous three region semifinal appearances in 2004, 2007 and 2009.

“These six seniors set a goal when they started playing that they wanted to be in the region championship,” Richey said. “They just continued to play hard. They didn’t get down after the first half. We played one of our worst halves in the first half. We told them what they needed to do and they came out and executed. All the credit goes to the girls. They did what we asked them to do in the second half.”

Highlands played in nine straight region championship games from 1994 to 2002. Walz-Richey led the Bluebirds to region crowns from 1994 to 1996 and Boothe-Smith led Highlands to crowns in 2000 and 2001. Highlands finished state runner-up in 1994.

Highlands faces Notre Dame at 7 p.m. for the title Monday. The Pandas won the regular-season meeting, 63-48 on Jan. 8 in Park Hills. But Highlands hopes to play more relaxed.

“We just have to come out and play our game and we’ll be fine,” said Emilie Parton, Highlands senior. “They’re the ones with all the pressure.”

Notre Dame has won 14 in a row and 18 of its last 19 contests and four in a row against Highlands. The Bluebirds last beat the Pandas, 66-43 on Jan. 4, 2010 in Park Hills.

Highlands ended up shooting an amazing 46 percent from the field with three three-pointers making 17-of-37 shots. The Bluebirds made 11-of-18 shots for 61 percent in the first half after hitting 6-of-19 in the first half for 32 percent.

They made 23-of-31 free throws for 74 percent including 10-of-16 in the fourth quarter for 63 percent. Vanessa Fisse made 8-of-10 attempts for Highlands on her way to 12 points and freshman Brianna Adler made all six attempts on her way to nine points. Ava Abner scored all five of her points at the free-throw line making 5-of-6 attempts.

“If you look at teams that have won region championships, they’re not led by freshmen or eighth-graders, they’re led by seniors,” Richey said. “We’ve been telling her. When Vanessa plays well, we win. We have a bunch of seniors with this group. They’re displaying it with what they do.”

Ryle made 16-of-48 shots for 33 percent, including five three-pointers. The Lady Raiders (12-18) also made just 7-of-12 free throws for 58 percent.

Highlands once again saw balanced scoring as eight players scored. The Bluebird bench outscored Ryle, 27-3. After Fisse, Leah Schaefer and Parton tallied 10 points.

“I was really focused,” Fisse said. “I knew if we lost, our senior season would be done. I didn’t want that to happen yet. We did what we needed to do to win.”

McKell Oliverio led Ryle with 12 points and Anna  Monobe added 11. Highlands held guards Dawn Johnson to nine and Katie Connor to no points. Freshman Carly Lange added nine for the Lad Raiders. Johnson did not play in the regular-season contest Highlands won 76-56 on Jan. 11 in Fort Thomas.

“We knew we had to watch (Connor) and not let her get hot on the three-point line,” Richey said. “We did a great job.”

Highlands did a much better job taking care of the basketball. The Bluebirds had 16 assists, eight steals and just seven turnovers to 10 assists, three steals and 12 turnover for the Raiders.

Abner led Highlands with four assists and four steals and Adler made four assists. Monobe led Ryle with six dishes.

The Bluebirds also won the rebounding battle, 31-25. Schaefer led Highlands with eight and Lange grabbed nine for Ryle.

Highlands used a 9-0 run to go up 9-3 with 3:30 left in the first half. The Bluebirds attacked the Ryle 2-3 zone. Haley Coffey made a three-pointer to tie the game at three and Schafer followed with an offensive putback before Fisse made two free throws and Parton hit a jumper on the right side.

But after a timeout, Ryle finished the quarter on an 11-0 run. Monobe hit a jumper in the center with 36 seconds remaining to put the Lady Raiders up 14-9 entering the second quarter.

Ryle led by six twice in the second quarter. But Highlands finished the half with a 6-2 run. Jesse “Dirt” Daley made two free throws and Schaefer scored twice near the rim.

“Leah and Ava dressed for a semifinal game (as eighth-graders in 2009) when we lost,” Richey said. “I think it was just tightness. I told them before the game, ‘You don’t look relaxed.’ Just go out there and play the game of basketball. This is what you like to do. I think they finally did that in the second half.”

The Bluebirds used a 7-0 run to start the second half and go up for good at 26-21 with 5:30 left in the third. Schaefer scored again near the rim and made two free throws before Adler made a three-pointer.

“Jaime said at the beginning it would be a game of runs,” Schaefer said. “We got on a little run and tried to stay up (intensity-wise). It gave us a lot more confidence.”

Highlands led by as much as 12 at one point in the quarter after two Adler free throws. Adler added two more free throws with 14.5 to finish the quarter and give the Bluebirds their 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Bluebirds extended their lead to 15 at 48-33 midway through the fourth quarter before the Lady Raiders made their run. They trimmed the margin to six twice in the final 2:03. But Parton answered with two breakaway lay-ups. The second one put Highlands up 52-44 with about a minute and half left in the game.

“They were coming back so we had to do something,” Parton said. “We finally broke the press. We didn’t freak out when they started pressing us so that really helped.”

The Blubirds finished the game with a 10-0 run. Parton made three lay-ups during that run.

Ryle graduates four seniors. They are Johnson, Connor, Monobe and Oliverio.  

 

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.

Schaefer hits 1,000 points as Highlands dominates Dixie Heights

Photo by G. Michael Graham. Highlands senior Leah Schaefer (23) fires up a free throw in Tuesday's game against Dixie Heights. She made it for the 1,000th point of her career. Schaefer scored 14 points as Highlands opened with a 64-30 win over Dixie Heights. Schaefer became the 13th player in school history to reach 1,000 points in her career.
 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Highlands Ladybirds basketball head coach Jaime Walz-Richey and staff would love to see this remain consistent the entire season.

All 12 players who saw action contributed in host Highlands’ 64-30 win over the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels on Tuesday. This marked the season-opener for both teams.

Nine different Ladybirds scored. But senior forward Leah Schaefer hit a scoring milestone with at least two predecessors watching. With 5:19 remaining in the third quarter, Schaefer drew a foul and hit two free throws to score her 1,000 career point.

Schaefer came into the season needing 14 points to become the 13th player in Highlands history to hit the plateau. Those 14 points marked the game-high for both teams. Schaefer added five rebounds. Richey hit 1,000 points as an eighth-grader on her way to the state-record 4,948 points.

“I really wanted to get it over with this game with everyone here cheering me on,” Schaefer said. “I’m glad I have the teammates that I do. They’re really awesome. They pass me the ball and I tried to get it to them as much as I could so we really helped each other out.”

Dixie head coach and former Highlands standout Tara Boothe-Smith also hit the plateau before going to Xavier and setting Xavier records for career points with 2,324 and rebounds with 1,004. Smith is in her second year as head coach of the Lady Colonels after serving as an assistant at Highlands.

The guard play turned out to be the difference in this game. Dixie Heights turned the ball over 25 times and only took 22 two-point attempts.

“We feel we can go pretty deep on the bench to where we can wear teams down,” Richey said. “That’s what I felt we did.”

Highlands turned a number of those turnovers into steals and points. Schaefer led Highlands with four steals with Ava Abner and Alex Combs recording three each. The Ladybirds constantly pressured the ball all over the court doubling the guards at certain locations.

“(The Ladybirds) are number two in the region for a reason,” Smith said. “They have very quick, athletic guards. Luckily, not a lot of people can simulate the kind of pressure they do.”

Highlands made eight three-pointers and 14-of-17 free throws for 82 percent. Dixie Heights hit three triples and just 3-of-7 free throws for about 43 percent.

After Schaefer, one other player for both teams made double-figures. Senior guard Vanessa Fisse made three three-pointers and two free-throws for 11 points.

“I was really, really happy,” Fisse said. “My shots are falling more this year than they have been and I’m more confident to shoot. We’ll see how it goes.”

Jesse Daley and Alex Combs followed with eight each for Highlands. Combs made two triples with Brianna Adler, Tomi Blanton and Lydia Graves added one three-pointer a piece.

Highlands scored the game’s first eight points and never looked back. Richey credited Daley for two buckets in the post there because Dixie Heights started to double the paint after that point.

The Ladybirds used a 12-0 run to pull away and lead 27-9 after the first quarter. Adler and Graves made three-pointers during the run.

Highlands extended the lead to 38-10 at halftime. The Ladybirds would have shut out the Lady Colonels in the second quarter if Molly Diamon had not drawn a foul as time expired and made 1-of-2 free throws for Dixie Heights.

“We just told them to relax on offense,” Richey said. “Get the ball and attack. We didn’t mind the turnovers real bad because we were attacking the basket as opposed to just throwing it out of bounds.”

Highlands won the second half, 26-20. The Ladybirds made five three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Liza Tibbs, a 6-2 sophomore, led Dixie Heights with nine points. She scored five in the fourth quarter, but did battle foul trouble the entire game.

Dixie Heights finished 10-22 in Smith’s first season. The Lady Colonels lost 72-38 to Ryle in the 9th quarterfinals in their first appearance in the regional tournament since 2008. Dixie Heights last won region in 1992.

“It’s just about the change in the style we play,” Smith said. “I think we’re headed in the right direction. I think the players we have want to be here and win. They show up, play hard and work hard. You don’t go from where we are to the number one team in the region overnight.”

Highlands travels to Cincinnati Ursuline on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Thoroughbreds open with big win at Ludlow:

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds opened the season with a convincing 69-46 win at Ludlow on Tuesday.

The Thoroughbreds face another District 34 team Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. They travel to battle the Dixie Heights Colonels. It will be the season-opener for Dixie Heights.