9^th Region Quarterfinals / Semi-Finals Review

Conner 79 – Highlands 76

For the second time in a few weeks Conner was able to beat the Bluebirds. Louden had a monster game with 36 points on 10/17 shooting, including 6/8 from 3 and 10/14 from the foul line. Bushman, Warner, and Rondon were also in double figures for the Cougars. Highlands had five players in double figures, led by 8^th grader Wimizie’s 19 and Lorenzen’s 18. A lot of fouls and free throws in this game – Conner finished 16/27 and Highlands 14/21.

Covington Catholic 71 -- Dixie 41

Dixie was able to keep it reasonably close in the 1^st half before the Colonels went on one of their huge runs to blow the game open. Cov Cath did not shoot the ball well, going 5/28 from 3. Harney led the Blue Colonels with 20, while McGillis finished with 15. Senior Max Rubemeyer had 13 to lead the Red Colonels

Lloyd 63 -- Holy Cross 50

Lloyd was able to jump on Holy Cross early and weather a few Indian rallies to win by a comfortable margin. Blaackar finished with 26 to lead the Juggs on 8/16 shooting (including 3/3 from 3-point range). Lloyd’s overall shooting numbers were not great (40% FG), but they were 6/10 overall from 3 and 17/20 from the foul line. Jason Kabeya and Isiah Coleman were also in double figures for Lloyd. Holy Cross was led by senior Brady Gabbard’s 24 points (on 7/14 shooting) kept Holy Cross in the game, but the rest of the Indians were ice cold from the field (which had a lot do with Lloyd’s stellar defense), going 8/31 from the field, though the Indians did go 16/17 from the foul line.

Ryle 56 – Newport 46

This game was back and forth in the 1^st half before Ryle had a nice run in the 3^rd quarter to put some distance between them and the Wildcats. Newport made a few runs to keep it interesting but Ryle was able to hold them off and win by 10. Ryle was led by senior Anthony Coppola’s 16 points, while AJ Davis and Holden Smith had 12 points each, and Grace Nsuti grabbed 13 rebounds. Ryle’s defense was very good, holding Newport to 36% shooting, including keeping star Amontae Lowe scoreless in the 1^st half (Lowe finished with 11 on 4/13 shooting). Irvan Nichols and Davae Andrews-Glover were also in double figures for the Wildcats.

 

Semi-Finals

Cov Cath 92 -- Conner 41

This game was never close. Cov Cath jumped out to an early 15-2 lead and never looked back. The Colonels had four players in double figures led by Athens McGillis (24) and Cash Harney (18). Donovan Bradshaw dominated the paint with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Louden closed out his brilliant high school career with 12 points on 5/15 shooting.

Ryle 64 – Lloyd 37

After a close 1^st quarter, Ryle took control in the 2^nd quarter and built a double figure lead heading into halftime and led by 15 at the end of 3. Lloyd was unable to get any closer and the Raiders extended the lead to more than 20 in the 4^th. The Ryle defense was suffocating and Lloyd could not get anything to go. Ryle shot better than 60% from the field as Holden Smith (18 points) and Anthony Coppola (12) were both able to get past Lloyd’s pressure defense, get to the rim, and finish. Grace Nsuti (12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks) and AJ Davis (10 points, 7 rebounds) dominated the paint. Anthony Blaackar closed out his fantastic Lloyd career with 16 points (on 6/16 shooting), while fellow senior Isiah Golsby finished with 14.

 

Finals Preview

Cov Cath vs. Ryle

Cov Cath gets a chance to close out their dominant run through the 9^th region against Ryle. Ryle has been the 2^nd best team in the region since their slow start to the season, winning 18 of their last 20 games thanks in large part to a tough, physical defensive style. The Raiders were dominant in their semi-final win over Lloyd and will have to play even better if they want any chance of knocking off the Colonels. If Ryle can limit their turnovers and keep Cov Cath from getting easy transition buckets, they might be able to keep the game close. My prediction is that Cov Cath will be too much and after a competitive first half, the Colonels will pull away and win by 15 or more.

Bump.

It would be great to see Cov Cath and their sister school, Notre Dame bring a trophy home to NKY!

8 minutes ago, Beechwoodfan said:

It would be great to see Cov Cath and their sister school, Notre Dame bring a trophy home to NKY!

Would Ryle and Notre Dame be okay?

I was late posting a regional tournament recap and late to the party for the Cov Cath - St. Xavier discussion. Making my final 9th region post here (before we get into the 2026-2027 off-season discussion).

Kentucky 9^th Region basketball is officially over for the 2025-2026 season.

St. Xavier 75 – Cov Cath 61

I didn’t see this coming. After a fast start (leading 28-17 early in 2^nd quarter), Cov Cath was dominated by a more athletic, physical St. Xavier team. Early in the game it looked like Cov Cath might run away with it, forcing turnovers and getting easy buckets in transition like they have all season. But St. Xavier responded, forcing several turnovers of their own and knocking down one 3-point basket after another. St. Xavier senior Chief Cameron was a menace, finishing with 4 steals and forcing several Cov Cath turnovers. The biggest factor in the game was St. Xavier’s shooting. They finished the game better than 60% from the field, and a blistering 12-18 from the 3-point line. Cov Cath did not shoot the ball as well as it usually does (47% FG and 8-22 3FG), which had a lot do with St. Xavier’s long, athletic defenders. That being said, I feel confident saying that no one in Kentucky (and not many teams across the country) are beating St. Xavier if they make 12 3-pointers on 18 attempts. I really do think these are the best two teams in the state and it will be interesting to see if anyone can challenge St. Xavier the rest of the way.

Myrick led Cov Cath with 19 points on 6-16 shooting, while Athens McGillis finished with 11 points on 5-15 from the field. Dylan Gaiser and Teegan Stava were also in double figures for the Colonels. Donovan Bradshaw dominated inside early and finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. Cash Harney left the game early with an injury and finished with 3 points.

 

9^th Region Tournament Finals Review

Cov Cath 82 – Ryle 51

As expected, Cov Cath cruised to a regional championship over the Ryle Raiders. Cov Cath’s dominant run through the 9^th Region included wins by 30, 51, and 31 points. Cash Harney was named the MVP, with Athens McGillis and Donovan Bradshaw joining him on the All-Tournament Team.

9^th Region All-Tournament Team: Cash Harney (MVP), Donovan Bradshaw, Athens McGillis (CCH); Holden Smith, Anthony Coppolla (Ryle); Finn Louden, Tyler Warner (Conner); Isiah Golsby, Anthony Blaackar (Lloyd); Amil Wimzie (Highlands); Hunter Seng (Dixie); Brady Gabbard (Holy Cross); Amontae Lowe (Newport)

 

Final 9^th Region Top 10 (2025-2026)

1.       Covington Catholic (31-2) [last week 1; preseason 1]

Returning starters: 2 (Braeden Myrick, Teegan Stava)

2.       Ryle (23-9) [last week 2; preseason 4 (+2)]

Returning starters: 3 (Holden Smith, Grace Nsuti, Blake Broz)

3.       Lloyd (23-5) [last week 3; preseason 7 (+4)]

Returning starters: 2 (Isiah Coleman, Jason Kabeya)

4.       Highlands (25-6) [last week 4; preseason 3 (-1)]

Returning starters: 1 (Tayden Lorenzen)

5.       Newport (21-10) [last week 5; preseason 9 (+4)]

Returning starters: 3 (Amontae Lowe, Davae Andrews-Glover, Sean Hurry)

6.       Holy Cross (21-10) [last week 6; preseason 2 (-4)]

Returning starters: 1 (Amir Henderson)

7.       Beechwood (21-9) [last week 7; preseason 8 (+1)]

Returning starters: 2 (Dylan Topmiller, Kingston Brockett)

8.       Conner (15-13) [last week 8; preseason 5 (-3)]

Returning starters: 1 (Tyler Warner)

9.       Dixie Heights (18-13) [last week 9; preseason 6 (-3)]

Returning starters: 2 (Hunter Seng, Parks Vondehaar)

10.   Newport Catholic (12-18) [last week 10; preseason 13 (+3)]

Returning starters: 2 (Gabe Waggoner, Andrew Verst)