9^th Region: Final Rankings & Post-Season Preview

Only one thing remained the same throughout the season – Cov Cath is the best team in the region and one of the best in the state, though they did prove they are not invincible with a tough loss at Madison Central (also one of the best teams in the state). Congratulations to Dixie senior Max Rubemeyer who hit the 1,000 point mark this week and also to Beechwood sophomore Dylan Topmiller who broke Beechwood’s single season 3-point record (with 89 3-pointers made), which was held by Scotty Draud. With the regular season officially coming to a close, I would say that while the region may be down overall compared to previous years, Lloyd, Newport, and Holy Cross all won their 20^th game of the season this week (joining Cov Cath, Highlands, and Beechwood), meaning the top seven teams in the region will have 20 or more wins (Ryle will get their 20^th win this week). If you would have asked me before the season no way I would have believed Beechwood, Lloyd, and Newport would all win 20 games this year.  Also, I don’t know 9^th region history all that well, but I would think that there haven’t been too many years where seven or more teams reached the 20-win mark. Compared to the preseason rankings, Lloyd and Newport made the biggest moves up the rankings (Lloyd 7 to 3; Newport 9 to 5). Holy Cross, Dixie, and Conner saw the biggest declines (Holy Cross 2 to 7; Dixie 6 to 9; Conner 5 to 8). New Cath, St. Henry, and Cooper didn’t get many wins over teams ranked ahead of them, but were competitive in most games and can’t be overlooked to make some noise in the postseason. Will we see some upsets in the district tournaments (New Cath vs. Newport; Cooper vs. Conner; St. Henry vs. Dixie)? Who survives in the 35^th between Holy Cross and Beechwood? Can anyone compete with Cov Cath in the Regional Tournament?

Tier 1: The Favorite

1.       Covington Catholic (26-2) [last week 1; preseason 1]

The Colonels beat Moeller by 12 but lost at Madison Central by 10. The Madison Central game was the first one all year where Cov Cath seem to get rattled and force up some bad shots, though they also missed some open shots they usually make. Athens McGillis (22.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Braeden Myrick (18.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Donovan Bradshaw (12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpb) led Cov Cath this season. McGillis was named 9^th Region KABC and NKBBCA Division I Player of the Year and finished the season as the 3^rd leading scorer in the 9^th Region (tied for 25^th highest in the state of KY). Colonels junior Braeden Myrick led the 9th Region in 3-pointers per game (3.3, 19th in state of KY) and made 3-pointers (91), while shooting 46.9%.

 

Tier 2: Not Cov Cath

2.       Ryle (19-8) [last week 4; preseason 4 (+2)]

Ryle went 2-1 on the week, falling on the road to Great Crossing. The Raiders were led this season by junior Holden Smith (17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and seniors AJ Davis (11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Anthony Coppola (11.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg).

3.       Lloyd (20-4) [last week 3; preseason 7 (+4)]

Lloyd beat Conner this week in a matchup of two of the region’s best players. Lloyd was led this season by seniors Anthony Blaackar (25.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Isaiah Golsby (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and sophomore Jason Kabeya (9.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg). Blaackar was named NKABC Division II Player of the Year and finished the season as the leading scorer in the 9^th Region (tied for 11^th highest in the state of KY), the leading 3-point % (54.4%) in the 9^th Region (and probably in the state), and 4^th in free-throw percentage (80.3%, 42^nd in state of KY).

4.       Highlands (23-5) [last week 2; preseason 3 (-1)]

Highlands went 1-1 on the week against Simon Kenton and Beechwood. Highlands finished the regular season with five players nearly in double figures including seniors Finn Bouldin (12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Nathan Rickard (10.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Owen Ebert (11.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Vincent Listerman (9.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg), and junior Tayden Lorenzen (13.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg).

5.       Newport (20-8) [last week 7; preseason 9 (+4)]

Newport went 3-0 on the week, including a nice home win over Beechwood to move up to #5 in the final rankings. The Wildcats were led this season by juniors Amontae Lowe (21.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Davae Andrews-Glover (8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and senior Keegan Farrell (8.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg). Lowe finished the season as the 4^th leading scorer in the 9^th Region (tied for 46^th highest in the state of KY).

6.       Beechwood (21-8) [last week 5; preseason 8 (+2)]

Beechwood closed out their regular season with a loss to Newport and win against Highlands. The Tigers were led this season by sophomore Dylan Topmiller (20.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg), senior Owen McCormick (12.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg), and junior Kingston Brockett (7.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Topmiller was runner-up for Division II Player of the Year and finished the season as the 5th leading scorer in the 9^th Region (tied for 48^th highest in the state of KY), 2^nd in 3-pointers per game (3.1, tied for 22^nd in state of KY) and made 3-pointers (89 at 42.8%) behind Braeden Myrick, and 3rd in free-throw percentage (81.0%, 37^th in state of KY)

7.       Holy Cross (20-8) [last week 6; preseason 2 (-5)]

Holy Cross beat rivals New Cath and St. Henry this week. The Indians were led by seniors Luke Arlinghaus (16.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Nate Rominger (13.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Brady Gabbard (13.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg). Arlinghaus finished 2^nd in the 9^th Region in free-throw percentage (82.1%, 30^th in state of KY).

8.       Conner (13-11) [last week 7; preseason 5 (-3)]

Conner beat Elder but lost to Lloyd in the final week of the regular season. The Cougars were led by senior Finn Louden (24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and junior Tyler Warner (13.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Louden finished the season as the 2^nd leading scorer in the 9^th Region (19^th highest in the state of KY) and leader in free-throw percentage (82.4%, 29^th in state of KY)

9.       Dixie Heights (17-11) [last week 9; preseason 6 (-3)]

Dixie lost to Tates Creek and was upset by Cooper, before salvaging a win against Bluegrass United in their finale. Dixie was led this season by seniors Max Rubemeyer (15.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Tyson Metzger (11.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and junior Hunter Seng (10.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg).

10.   Newport Catholic (11-18) [last week 11; preseason 13 (+3)]

NewCath lost a close one to rivals Holy Cross, while blowing out Ludlow and Brossart.  The Breds were led this season by senior John Luhn (14.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg).

11.   St. Henry (12-16) [last week 12; preseason 10 (-1)]

The Crusaders went 0-2 in the closing week, falling on the road to Holy Cross and Campbell County. This season the Crusaders were led by sophomore Tyler Detzel (10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and senior Caden Kunstak (8.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

12.   Cooper (5-20) [last week 10; preseason 11 (-1)]

Cooper went 2-0 on the week, finally getting a good region win by beating Dixie on the road. The Jaguars were led this season by juniors Julienne Knuckles (12.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Cole Stanton (11.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and senior Elijah Philpot (9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

 

The Rest

13.   Holmes (12-16)

The Bulldogs finished their regular season with losses to Cooper and Harrison County. The Bulldogs were led this season by seniors Mark McCutchen Jr. (18.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg), Rashad Whitfield (13.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg), and sophomore Michael Chames (10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

14.   Ludlow (13-15)

The Panthers finished their regular season with wins against Augusta and Williamstown and loss to New Cath. The Panthers were led this season by sophomore Logan Day (17.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and juniors Jayden Stone (14.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Gage Grider (10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg).

15.   Dayton (17-10)

The Greendevils finished their regular season with a win over Boone County and loss to Newport. Dayton was led this season by sophomores Malachi Kennedy (18.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Mykah Foster (11.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and junior Anthony Hull (11.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg).

16.   Boone Co (6-23)

 

The Rebels finished their regular season with losses to Gallatin County and Dayton. The Rebels were led this season by sophomore Joel Montanya Brown (9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg).

17.   Bellevue (9-16)

The Tigers finished their regular season with a win against Bracken County and a loss to New Cath. The Tigers were led this season by seniors Adam Kues (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Arion Stuckey (9.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and sophomore Jordan Watson (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg).

18.   Villa Madonna (6-23)

The Vikings finished their regular season with a loss to Newport and wins over Robertson County and Heritage. The Vikings were led by senior Michael Popham (14.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg).

19.   Heritage (7-21)

The Eagles finished their regular season with losses to Brown and Villa and a win against Landmark Christian. The Eagles were led this season by Trent Stone (17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Oscar Kawanishi (13.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg).

 

 

First, fantastic work as always. You have done an exceptional job with the 9th this year.

Second, let me throw this out there for everyone - I assume Arlinghaus is the coach's son, correct? If so, that means the head coaches at Highlands, NCC, and HC all have their kids graduating. And not only that, their kids are fairly important to the team's success. Do you see any of the 3 leaving after the season?

Kevin Listerman is going nowhere.  Dom is only a sophomore.

32 minutes ago, se7ens said:

First, fantastic work as always. You have done an exceptional job with the 9th this year.

Second, let me throw this out there for everyone - I assume Arlinghaus is the coach's son, correct? If so, that means the head coaches at Highlands, NCC, and HC all have their kids graduating. And not only that, their kids are fairly important to the team's success. Do you see any of the 3 leaving after the season?

Arlinghaus is not the head coach at Holy Cross.

43 minutes ago, 4 Quarters said:

Arlinghaus is not the head coach at Holy Cross.

Ugh, yep, I had just read the NKY girls rankings and hadn't shifted my brain over yet from Ted to Ricardo. 

33rd DISTRICT (Hosted at Ryle)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Boone County vs. Heritage 5:30pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Boone County/Heritage) vs. Ryle 5:45pm
Conner vs. Cooper 7:30pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm


34th DISTRICT (Hosted at Lloyd Memorial)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Ludlow vs. Villa Madonna 7:45pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Ludlow/Villa Madonna) vs. Lloyd Memorial 6:00pm
Dixie Heights vs. St. Henry 7:45pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm


35th DISTRICT (Hosted at Holy Cross)

Semifinals - Feb 25
Covington Catholic vs. Holmes 5:30pm
Beechwood vs. Holy Cross 7:30pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:30pm


36th DISTRICT (Hosted at Bellevue)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Bellevue vs. Dayton 6:00pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Bellevue/Dayton) vs. Highlands 6:00pm
Newport vs. Newport Central Catholic 7:45pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

10 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

33rd DISTRICT (Hosted at Ryle)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Boone County vs. Heritage 5:30pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Boone County/Heritage) vs. Ryle 5:45pm
Conner vs. Cooper 7:30pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

Boone County beat Heritage 68-39 to advance to the 33rd District semifinals. They'll face Ryle on Wednesday at 5:45pm.

2 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

34th DISTRICT (Hosted at Lloyd Memorial)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Ludlow vs. Villa Madonna 7:45pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Ludlow/Villa Madonna) vs. Lloyd Memorial 6:00pm
Dixie Heights vs. St. Henry 7:45pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

Ludlow beat Villa Madonna 72-63 to advance to the 34th District semifinals. They'll face Lloyd Memorial on Wednesday at 6:00pm.

5 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

36th DISTRICT (Hosted at Bellevue)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Bellevue vs. Dayton 6:00pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Bellevue/Dayton) vs. Highlands 6:00pm
Newport vs. Newport Central Catholic 7:45pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

Bellevue beat Dayton 66-64 in overtime to advance to the 36th District semifinals. They'll face Highlands on Wednesday at 6:00pm.

9 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Boone County beat Heritage 68-39 to advance to the 33rd District semifinals. They'll face Highlands on Wednesday at 5:45pm.

Boone  will face Ryle.

1 hour ago, 4 Quarters said:

Boone  will face Ryle.

Good catch. Haha I was looking at too many district tournament schedules and got my wires crossed ?

On 2/24/2026 at 1:29 AM, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

35th DISTRICT (Hosted at Holy Cross)

Semifinals - Feb 25
Covington Catholic vs. Holmes 5:30pm
Beechwood vs. Holy Cross 7:30pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:30pm

Cov Cath beat Holmes 101-43 and Holy Cross beat Beechwood 45-31.

The Colonels and the Indians will face off in the 35th District Finals on Friday. Game will be at Holy Cross's Msgr. Thomas B. Finn Activity Center with a 7:30pm tip.

Cov Cath won the regular season round over Holy Cross back on February 10th by beating the Indians 80-45 at The Finn.

On 2/24/2026 at 1:29 AM, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

36th DISTRICT (Hosted at Bellevue)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Bellevue vs. Dayton 6:00pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Bellevue/Dayton) vs. Highlands 6:00pm
Newport vs. Newport Central Catholic 7:45pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

Highlands beat Bellevue 89-32 and Newport beat Newport Central Catholic 49-47.

The Bluebirds and the Wildcats will face off in the 36th District Finals on Friday. Game will be at Bellevue High School with a 7:00pm tip.

Highlands won the regular season round over Newport back on February 6th by beating the Wildcats 80-57 at Newport.

On 2/24/2026 at 1:29 AM, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

33rd DISTRICT (Hosted at Ryle)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Boone County vs. Heritage 5:30pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Boone County/Heritage) vs. Ryle 5:45pm
Conner vs. Cooper 7:30pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

Ryle beat Boone County 79-33 and Conner beat Cooper 65-51.

The Raiders and the Cougars will face off in the 33rd District Finals on Friday. Game will be at Ryle High School with a 7:00pm tip.

Ryle won the regular season round over Conner back on January 23rd by beating the Cougars 75-86 at Conner.

On 2/24/2026 at 1:29 AM, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

34th DISTRICT (Hosted at Lloyd Memorial)

Quarterfinals - Feb 23
Ludlow vs. Villa Madonna 7:45pm

Semifinals - Feb 25
Winner (Ludlow/Villa Madonna) vs. Lloyd Memorial 6:00pm
Dixie Heights vs. St. Henry 7:45pm

Finals - Feb 27
7:00pm

Lloyd Memorial beat Ludlow 74-45 and Dixie Heights beat St. Henry 52-37.

The Juggernauts and the Colonels will face off in the 34th District Finals on Friday. Game will be at Lloyd with a 7:00pm tip.

Lloyd Memorial won the regular season round over Dixie Heights back on February 12th by beating the Colonels 43-41 at Dixie.