NewCath drills Conner to finish impressive regular season

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball team wanted to finish the regular season strong and avoid a repeat of last year.

The Thoroughbreds accomplished both feats with a convincing 79-49 win over the Conner Cougars in Hebron on Thursday. Conner (12-14) came to the Hill last year and upset NewCath, 49-47 in the season finale.

The Thoroughbreds finished the season with a 16-game winning streak to record the best regular season in school history at 28-2. NewCath also leads Kentucky with the most wins and finished 11-0 on the road, 9-0 on neutral-site games, and 8-2 at home. The Thoroughbreds also won the All “A” State Tournament in Frankfort in January.

NewCath saw four players reach double-digits in the win. Jake Schulte and Michael Bueter led the way with 18 points each with Colin Dupont adding 13.

NewCath snaps skid with win over Ryle

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The host Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team snapped its five-game losing streak with a 53-51 win over the Ryle Lady Raiders on Wednesday.

NewCath (19-9) had not won since beating Bishop Brossart, 63-37 in the All “A” Semifinals on Jan. 26 in Frankfort. The Thoroughbreds improved to 10-4 in 9th Region play.

Nikki Kiernan once again led NewCath with 17 points. Dawn Johnson led Ryle (9-16) with 19 points.

The Thoroughbreds led 41-32 entering the fourth quarter. Ryle cut the margin to two a couple times. But NewCath made seven straight free throws to hold off the Lady Raiders.

NewCath concludes the regular season at home against Conner (22-6) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Conner beat NewCath, 49-38 in the State Farm Classic at Conner on Dec. 27.

NCC boys down Ryle; Highlands boys defeat Scott

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic head coach Grant Brannen (center) goes over strategy in Tuesday's home game against Ryle. The Thoroughbreds own the most wins in Kentucky with an impressive 27-2 record.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

If there is a time to get a game like this out of the way, it’s before the postseason because a game like this then could mean the end of the season.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds managed to defeat the pesky Ryle Raiders, 63-54 Tuesday on the hill. But they did not put away the visitors from Union like they normally do to opponents.

NewCath won its 15th straight contest to move to 27-2 overall and 15-1 in 9th Region play. Ryle dropped to 10-15.

“(Ryle) is a grind it out, 9th Region team,” said Grant Brannen, NewCath head coach. “I went to watch them against Milford (Ohio). They ended up losing by 19 (61-42). But they were winning midway through the third quarter. We didn’t play NewCath basketball so that’s disappointing. But it’s a win so we’ll take it. I told them we have the most wins in the state of Kentucky and we have to keep that going.”

In the end, the Raiders had no answers for the Thoroughbred size. NewCath won the rebounding battle, 27-18. Sophomore 6-foot-6-inch Drew McDonald led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds. McDonald made all seven free-throw attempts.

“We just have to come out with intensity, match the other team, get big leads and put them away,” McDonald said. “You never know what you’re going to get in the 9th Region. It’s the most competitive region in the state.”

The Thoroughbreds put four starters in double-digits. Zach Pangallo followed McDonald with 14 points on two three-pointers with teammates Jake Schulte and Michael Bueter scoring 13 and 11 respectively. Bueter also nabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists.

Both teams consistently found ways into the paint to create high-percentage shot opportunities. NewCath had 17 assists to nine for Ryle.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the field. NewCath made 23-of-46 attempts including three three-pointers and Ryle hit 20-of-40 with two three-pointers.

Both teams also shot well from the free-throw line. The Thoroughbreds hit 14-of-18 attempts for 78 percent and the Raiders made 12-of-17 for 71 percent.

Drew Mays and Travis King constantly penetrated the lane for Ryle and made things happen. Mays scored 16 points to go with five steals and King scored nine and dished out four assists.

“In past years, Coach Brannen said we’ve had problems with strong guards,” Pangallo said. “We just have to get in the weight room a little more, move our feet and play solid defense.”

The Raiders saw two other players reach double-digits. Post Will Stuhr scored 12 and Mark Fussenegger had 11. Stuhr also had six rebounds.

The Thoroughbreds used a 6-0 run in the first quarter to take the lead for good at 12-8. They led 12-10 after the first quarter and 27-22 at halftime. The Raiders cut the margin to 20-19 at one point in the second quarter.

The teams traded baskets constantly in the third quarter as NewCath managed to increase its lead by just a point and lead 46-40 entering the fourth quarter.

The Raiders cut the lead to four with 6:50 remaining at 48-44 after a Fussenegger score. But the Thoroughbreds answered with a 10-0 to give themselves some breathing room at 58-44 with two minutes left following two Pangallo free throws.

Ryle did not cut the margin back to single digits until 35.2 seconds remained when Mays recorded a steal and score. The NewCath reserves got into the game in the final two minutes.

NewCath concludes the regular season with another 9th Region battle at Conner (12-13) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Thoroughbreds hope to avoid what happened last year when the Cougars won 49-47 on the hill.

“That’s going to be tough out there on their Senior Night,” Brannen said. “We just have to be ready to go.”

Highlands boys 46, Scott 38:

The Bluebirds won their second straight with a home win Tuesday.

Highlands improved to 11-15 after winning just 10 games last year. The Eagles fell to 13-12.

The Bluebirds trailed 33-28 entering the fourth quarter. But they erased with four minutes remaining winning the quarter, 18-5.

Luke Turner led Highlands with 27 points. He made two three-pointers and 13 free throws.

The Eagles saw eight players score. But only Nick Jackson reached double-digits with 10 points.

The Bluebirds conclude the season Friday against Beechwood (8-19) in Fort Thomas. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

NCC girls continue struggles at NDA; boys roll past Beechwood

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic point guard Michaela Ware (11) looks for a teammate against Notre Dame's Carlee Clemons in Saturday's game. Notre Dame won 57-30.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

PARK HILLS – The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team currently finds itself in Search Mode.

The Thoroughbreds continued to struggle putting the ball in the hoop in a 57-30 loss to the Notre Dame Pandas here Saturday. NewCath made just 10-of-48 shots for 21 percent, including 1-of-8 for 13 percent from three-point range. The Thoroughbreds also made just 9-of-20 free throws for 45 percent.

“Defensively, we haven’t been too bad,” said George Stoll, NewCath head coach. “We weren’t very good defensively in the second half. We missed a ton of lay-ups (Saturday). That gets to your head. We have a couple players that are in a slump right now. We just have to get out of it.”

NewCath (18-9) has lost five in a row since beating Bishop Brossart, 63-37 on Jan. 26 in the All “A” Semifinals in Frankfort. The Thoroughbreds fell to 9-4 in 9th Region action.

“We constantly on our girls talking about what our goals are,” said Nicole Levandusky, Notre Dame head coach and former Xavier University standout. “We nitpick about a lot of different things. We’re shooting for perfection. But let’s be realistic, it doesn’t exist. When you make a mistake, what do you do next? That’s the important thing. We just have to keep playing and play through some things.”

On the other hand, Notre Dame (19-5) has won eight in a row and improved to 9-0 in region play. The Pandas entered the season as favorites to win the region.

Notre Dame scored 1.01 points per possession compared to .51 for NewCath. The Pandas came into the season as favorites to win the 9th Region. They hit 22-of-50 shots for 44 percent and used a 23-4 run to pull away in the second half. Their largest lead was 47-18 with 4:21 left in the game following a Carlee Clemons offensive putback.

The Pandas also shot a lot better from three-point range and from the free-throw line. Notre Dame made 6-of-12 from beyond the arc for 50 percent and 7-of-13 free throws for 54 percent.

Olivia Voskuhl led the Pandas with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Cleveland State signee had plenty of help as Elly Ogle, a Louisiana State volleyball commit, and Kindsey Bernhard scored eight each. Bernhard made two three-pointers.

Voskuhl also rejected two NewCath shots as the Throughbreds tried to pump-fake and drive to the rim because they were not hitting outside shots. Notre Dame used its size to collapse on NewCath junior standout Nikki Kiernan.

“Obviously, you want to contest every shot they take and not leave people open,” Levandusky said. “We tell our girls to try to get a hand in their face and make them shoot over you.”

Kiernan still managed another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. But no one else scored more than five points for the Thoroughbreds.

NewCath did hold the lead a couple times in the first quarter. Alexus Mayes hit the only triple for the Thoroughbreds to put them up 5-2 with 4:50 left.

Notre Dame took the lead for good at 6-5 with 28 seconds left when Paige Kellman scored. The Pandas led 21-13 at halftime.

The Thoroughbreds play host to Ryle (9-15) on Wednesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

NCC boys 62, Beechwood 44:

The Thoroughbreds (26-2) rolled to their 14th straight win on the hill Saturday afternoon.

They improved to 14-1 in 9th Region action against the Tigers (7-18) behind 18 points from Michael Bueter and 13 from Jake Schulte. The Thoroughbreds made 30-of-32 free-throw attempts for 94 percent. Schulte made all nine attempts.

NewCath takes on Ryle (10-13) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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.

Highlands earns 20th win of season at Lloyd Memorial

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands guard Haley Coffey (center) brings the ball upcourt in Friday's game at Lloyd Memorial while Ava Abner (22) gets in position. Coffey scored six points in the Bluebirds' 73-59 win. That marked Highlands' 20th win of the season.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

ERLANGER – One magic number for them has been 71.

When the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team has scored that many points or more in a game, the end result is a victory. The Bluebirds did that for the sixth time this season and third time during the current four-game winning streak in a 73-59 victory over the host Lloyd Memorial Lady Juggernauts on Friday.

Highlands moved to 20-7 with the win and Lloyd fell to 7-16. The Bluebirds have averaged 17.5 wins per season since Jaime Walz-Richey took over as head coach in 2002 but have not reached the 20-win plateau since the 2008-09 campaign. Highlands moved to 12-2 in 9th Region play.

Highlands saw 11 different player score during the win. The Bluebirds made 25-of-61 shots for 41 percent and 16-of-23 free-throw attempts for 70 percent in the win. They also made seven three-pointers.

“We’ll continue to shoot in practice a lot,” Richey said. “I think that helps in games. They’re confident in one another that they’ll make that extra pass for their teammates to shoot.”

The senior Twin Towers once again led the way for Highlands. Jesse “Dirt” Daley finished with 14 points. The other Twin Tower in Leah Schaefer and sophomore Alex Combs followed with 11 each. Another senior in Emilie Parton finished just shy of double-digits with nine points as she made two three-pointers. Schaefer also recorded six rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

Five different Highlands players made three-pointers. Parton and McKenzie Leigh made two each with Schaefer, Combs and Vanessa Fisse making one each.

“When we get (the ball) in to Jesse and Leah, they collapse on them,” Leigh said. “They have to kick it out to the shooters. Then we can drive and shoot. That opens up scoring (opportunities) for everybody.”

Highlands trapped the perimeter a lot and forced 23 Lloyd turnovers while committing just 10. The Bluebirds recorded nine steals to five for the Lady Juggernauts. Haley Coffey, Ava Abner and Schaefer led the way with two thefts each.

“We pressed some and when we did, we got some steals, which was good for the team,” Richey said. “But we also gave up some lay-ups. We can’t do that with the two regular-season games we have left and in the postseason against (Newport Central Catholic).”

In the process, Highlands committed just nine fouls to 15 for Lloyd. Only one player had more than one foul for the Bluebirds.

“It’s very difficult,” Parton said of balancing between being aggressive and not fouling. “You just have to stay on your feet and make sure you’re keeping the ball in front of you and you’ll be fine.”

The Bluebirds also won the rebounding battle, 34-26. They scored a lot of second-chance points outrebounding the hosts, 18-6 on the offensive glass.

Highlands would still like to tighten up its defense heading into the postseason. Lloyd made 22-of-41 shots for 54 percent and 8-of-12 free throws for 67 percent.

The Lady Juggernauts saw nine different players score led by Shelby Rudd’s double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds. Rudd made all seven of Lloyd’s three-pointers.

“You have to give Shelby credit,” Richey said. “She made some three’s with people in her face. All of her shots were not open. We have to make sure we do a better job of not helping off her and making sure she doesn’t get the ball.”

Lloyd led 4-3 early, but Highlands surged ahead for good with a 13-0 run. Dayley scored six points during that run and Parton had five. The Bluebirds led 20-9 at halftime. The Lady Juggernauts came no closer after that point.

Highlands used a 9-0 run to go up 38-15 with 2:05 left in the half following a Tomi Blanton steal and score. The Bluebirds led 41-22 at halftime.

The lead expanded to 20 at 54-34 entering the fourth quarter. Schaefer led Highlands with four points in that stanza.

Highlands plays host to Walton-Verona (16-7) at 2:30 p.m. today. Walton-Verona won the All “A” State Championship and 8th Region crown last year.

Highlands pulls away from Lloyd, 41-30

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands guard Drew Houliston (right) looks to make a move in Friday's game at Lloyd Memorial. The Bluebirds downed the Juggernauts, 41-30 to snap a nine-game losing streak to 9th Region opponents.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

ERLANGER – The odds may be against them making the 9th Region Tournament this season.
 

But that does not mean the Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team won’t try. They’re trying to find some positive things to build on as tournament time approaches.

Highlands found some things to build on Friday with a 41-30 win over the host Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak against 9th Region opponents and let the Bluebirds avenge a season-ending 42-39 loss to the defending 34th District champions in last year’s region quarterfinals at the Bank of Kentucky Center at Northern Kentucky University. Highlands improved to 10-15 overall and 4-10 in region play and Lloyd Memorial fell to 6-15.

“Our word for (Friday) was hope,” said Mike Flynn, Highlands head coach. “When you have hope you have everything. When you have no hope, you have nothing. That’s what we need to hang our hat on.”

Both teams slowed the pace and tried to work the ball around for good shots. Highlands shot the ball better making 14-of-32 shots for 44 percent compared to 10-of-39 for Lloyd for 26 percent. The Juggernauts made just 3-of-19 three-point attempts for 16 percent while the Bluebirds missed all four three-point shots.

Highlands tried to take advantage of its size down low with Jake Gronotte and 6-foot-6-inch Nick True. The duo scored eight points each to follow Luke Turner’s game-high 12 points. True also grabbed seven rebounds.

“We’re practicing hard every day trying to get our fundamentals up,” True said. “All we’ve been doing is shooting in practice. It’s starting to help a little bit and will get better down the road.”

Lloyd won the rebounding battle, 26-25. But Highlands recorded 10 second-chance points to two for the Juggernauts.

Jarice Ewell led the Juggernauts with 10 points. He recorded two three-point plays in the second quarter. But the Bluebirds switched to a mixture of 3-2 and 2-1-2 zones to take away the Lloyd penetration after that.

“That slowed (the Juggernauts) down and kept them away from the rim,” Flynn said. “They’re a very quick team. They cut very hard probably better than anyone in the region. They were hurting us with that.”

The Bluebirds made their free throws when the Juggernauts fouled in the fourth quarter. They hit 13-of-19 attempts for 68 percent compared to 7-of-10 for 70 percent for Lloyd.

Highlands used a 6-0 run to go up 10-6 after the first quarter. Gronotte and Drew Houliston made two free throws each before True rejected a Lloyd shot then hit a jumper with 45 seconds remaining.

Lloyd tied the game at 14 before Highlands went on a 5-0 run. Bailey Witte hit a free throw before Turner scored four points. The Bluebirds led 21-18 at halftime.

The Juggernauts tied the game at 25 with 3:10 left in the third before the Bluebirds used a 6-0 run to go ahead for good. Turner hit a jumper and two free throws in that run and Gronotte hit another jumper.

Highlands then pulled away in the fourth. The Bluebirds hit 6-of-9 free throws in the game’s final 2:26 to pull away.

“You just have to take care of the ball and slow it down a bit,” Houliston said. “They were going to keep coming at us and trap us. We had to make smart decisions. I felt we did a good job of that.”

Highlands has two games left in the regular season. The Bluebirds play host to the Scott Eagles (13-11) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.