HOOPSNUT

It was a game of spurts and NCC had the two most important. They ended the first half on an 8-0 run and the 4th quarter on a 6-0 run. It looked like Hungler's 3 in the 4th quarter was going to be the clincher, but Mayes answered with her third 3 of the half and then Ware hit the winner. Ware also hit a basket in the lane inside of 3 seconds to close out the first half. It was a very exciting game. Kudos to the HC student section. They were very vocal throughout the game.

Pretty certain that the decision came from above the AD. The administration came came thisclose to getting rid of him three years ago. Girls basketball is not taken seriously by the administration at St. Henry. In my mind this decision was not at all about improving the program. This decision appears to be about settling a score.

He had very little support there, particularly in the last 2-3 years. I checked the KHSAA scoreboards for the last 5 years. 98-50 with four district championships, four regional semifinal appearances, and a school record 25 wins in '11/'12 season. I would agree that is a successful run. There is some talent there and the bulk of it is in the sophomore class. The next coach will have something to work with and will benefit from Coach Coburn's hard work. St. Henry should be much improved in the next two seasons.

The margin of victory is quite surprising. Was Villa missing anyone? They gave St. Henry fits in their first two encounters this season.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. -- St. Henry beat Holmes for the third time this season, 43-34, in a 9th Region quarterfinal at Northern Kentucky University. The Lady Crusaders (25-6) came alive in the fourth quarter, turning a slim 1-point lead into a comfortable win behind senior forward Jessica Knaley's eight second-half points. Knaley, who finished the game with 11 points, led a balanced night for St. Henry. Fellow senior Jill Bauer scored 10 in the winning effort, while freshmen Savannah Neace and Jessica Coburn chipped in nine and eight, respectively. "It's tough to beat any team three times in a season, and they played us pretty tough tonight," said St. Henry coach Brian Coburn. "We were very stagnant in the first half, not looking to drive the middle. When they extend the zone that far, there are going to be holes there, but we didn't take advantage of it until the second half, when we started to get a little more confident." Holmes held a lead for most of the deliberate first half after going up 4-0 on Tamra Holder's layup three minutes into play. They kept that four-point cushion until Savannah Neace's turnaround jump shot from the free throw line brought the Crusaders within a point. Holmes responded by pushing their lead back up to five points midway through the second quarter, but St. Henry pulled back to within one on Knaley's basket and free throw with 3:19 left in the half. Jill Bauer's driving jump shot with 17 second before the half knotted the game at 14. St. Henry got the edge in the third quarter, led by Knaley's six points. "Jessica's our leading scorer, our leading rebounder. When we're looking for someone to take over and get something done, she's it," said Coburn. "But we had balance tonight, too." Then, in the fourth quarter, the Crusaders hit 12 of 13 free throw attempts — including a five of six from Annie Fugate — to seal their bid for Friday's regional semifinal against Boone. Holmes finished their season with a top performance by freshman guard Deja Turner, who finished with 17 points, and 12 points from Holder, a junior. HOLMES 8- 6-10-10—34 ST HENRY 4-10-11-18—43 HOLMES (16-14): Turner 5 6 17, Holder 4 4 12, Williams 2 1 5. Totals: 11 11 34. ST. HENRY (25-6): Knaley 5 1 11, Bauer 4 2 10, Neace 4 1 9, Coburn 1 6 8, Fugate 0 5 5. Totals: 14 15 43. 3-pointer: H- Turner. Read more: St. Henry pulls away from Holmes late

St. Henry outscored Holmes 18-10 in the 4th quarter to secure the victory. St. Henry's front line was the difference. St. Henry also shot well from the line down the stretch. It was an ugly game for the first three quarters. St. Henry now 25-6 on the season. I would think the the 25 wins has to be a school record. It's gonna take a heroic effort to make it a game against Boone on Friday night.

Balanced scoring has been a St. Henry trademark this season. No single outstanding scorer, but I believe each of the 5 starters have had multiple games of leading the team in scoring. Sounds like it was an exciting game.

From the KHSAA website. Anyone with details?

Doesn't Billy G have any room for him at Texas Tech?

It is indeed quite an accomplishment. Sadly, a lot of UC fans will never admit to the significance of this accomplishment. For those who wanted Andy Kennedy to remain as coach after Huggins' removal, AK has yet to reach the Big Dance, and he inherited a program in much better shape than what Cronin was handed. I don't like the matchup against Missouri, but I do Like that they're playing in a very familiar arena. It could be interesting if Cronin and Calhoun get to face each other again.

Congratulations to the Lady Crusaders for a great game plan, and another outstanding season. This senior group can leave with their heads held high. In their four years, the Varsity program totaled 68 wins. I have to believe that could possibly be a record for the St. Henry Girls' basketball program. They weren't able to capture an All 'A' championship or a Regional championship, but nevertheless, they have brought some new found respect to the St. Henry Girls basketball program. Three straight Regional Semi-Final appearances is something of which to be proud. These seniors have represented St. Henry very well, both on and off the court. There is talent and new leaders waiting in the wings. The incoming freshman class should be strong. The coaching staff is extremely solid. All part of developing a good program.

It certainly was a 'Grinder'. Ugly doesn't begin to describe certain stretches of this game, but a win, is a win, is a win. St. Henry's 50% foul shooting in the last 1:36 was just enough to hold off the Lady Bluebirds, who got off a heavily contested '3' from the corner at the buzzer. St. Henry did not grab their first lead until midway in the 3rd quarter. Highlands lost two players (Fisse & Abner) to fouls, and St. Henry lost one (Knaley) and had Taylor Gamm play the last 6 minutes with 4 fouls. St. Henry will need the same defensive performance, and a much stronger offensive performance on Friday against Boone. The Lady Cru is right back where they've been the last two years. They need to figure out a way to take it one step further.

Final per KHSAA scoreboard. Lady Crusaders capture their third straight 34th District Championship. Villa will be making its second straight appearance in the 9th Region tournament. Good Luck to both teams.

I'm thinking the same thing. I haven't seen Villa play this year, but I'm assuming they still play a lot of zone. I would think that would work to Hartfiel's advantage.

There is no reason for "gloom and doom", but there is certainly room for concern. They blew 14 point leads on back to back nights and wound up losing both games. One of those losses was to a team (Conner) they had beat by 21 points back in December. Their defense is not as proficient as it was the first 6-7 weeks of the season. Much of that can be traced to recurring foul problems. When either Janszen, Gamm or Knaley have to exit because of foul problems, the Cru is definitely a weaker defensive team. I believe that in all but one of their looses, at least one or more of them has been in foul trouble. Fischer had 10-12 points while Gamm was guarding her. When Gamm had to leave in the 2nd quarter with foul problems, Fischer scored 11 points. She scored 13 more points after Gamm went out with her sprained ankle with about 6-1/2 minutes left in the game. Some of that can be attributed to thurnovers St. Henry committed in the 4th quarter. The Lady Cru was a very cohesive defensive unit for a good stretch of games, but in the last 3 weeks it appears to me that there has not been the same commitment to defense. The Lady Cru can play with everyone of the top teams in the 9th region, but they're not going to beat any of them by trying to run up and down the court and try to outscore them. They're going to need to lock down on them and try to keep the score in the 40's or lower. Hopefully, the players can re-discover their intensity on the defensive side of the ball. I did feel the charging foul on Janszen was the right call. I don't remember it being a late call. I think with all of the excitement and noise in the gym, it may have been hard to hear the whistle.