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By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – They have accomplished many goals this year. But the state-ranked Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball team (29-3) has made it clear it is hungrier for more. They took another step toward one of those goals with a 71-45 win over the 34th District runner-up St. Henry Crusaders (14-11) on Wednesday at the Bank of Kentucky Center on the Northern Kentucky University campus. The Thoroughbreds own 22 consecutive wins. Next up is the long-anticipated 9th Region semifinal battle with Covington Catholic (26-2). The game takes place at Noon on Sunday. CovCath beat Ryle, 74-40 in the earlier game Wednesday. There may have been some concern the Thoroughbreds would look ahead to that game. But they took care of business. The teams played until halftime on Jan. 10 before the game was called because of condensation on CovCath’s court. The Colonels led 32-27 at that point. They lost just once in the regular season before Covington Holmes got them in the 35th District title game, 72-62 in overtime Saturday. NewCath also beat St. Henry, 83-67 in the All “A” 9th Region semifinals on Jan. 24 at Dayton. The Thoroughbreds have won consecutive All “A” State crowns and their eighth straight 36th District championship since then. NewCath had another great inside-outside attack to make a long night for St. Henry. The Thoroughbreds made 27-of-47 shots for 57 percent including eight three pointers to go with 9-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line for 90 percent. “That’s the way we play,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “We don’t have one guy we go to down the floor. We take what they give us. We’re at our best when we’re sharing the ball with each other. Fortunately, we’ve been able to do that most of the year.” The five Thoroughbred starters scored at least seven points. Zack Pangallo made four three-pointers on his way to 22 points. Drew McDonald and Jake Schulte followed with double-doubles of 15 points and 11 rebounds each. Ben Weyer followed with nine and Tanner Moeves had seven. “It’s a good thing,” Pangallo said. “We have many guys who can score. We know if someone’s not playing well, we have trust in other teammates to score and put the ball in the basket.” The Thoroughbreds won the rebounding battle, 33-26 and held the Crusaders to 28 percent (16-of-57) from the field with seven three-pointers. St. Henry made 6-of-7 free throws for 86 percent. NewCath distributed the ball with 20 assists to 12 for St. Henry. Pangallo led the Thoroughbreds with seven assists. The Crusaders saw 11 different players score. But only one made double-figures in Jordan Noble with 11. NewCath grabbed the lead in the first quarter with a 9-0 run and never looked back. Pangallo started it with a jumper and finished it with a three-pointer from the right wing. The Thoroughbreds led 17-10 after the first quarter and used a 5-0 run to end the second quarter and build a 34-19 halftime cushion. Pangallo finished that run with another three-pointer. NewCath ended any St. Henry comeback hopes in the third quarter. The Thoroughbreds made three triples to start the half and build a 43-19 lead. Their biggest lead of the quarter was 27 points twice. The second one came with 2:11 remaining on a Weyer dunk. NewCath led 58-32 entering the fourth quarter. “We got really good looks on those threes,” Dawn said. “We’re a good shooting team. When we take quick threes with a hand in our faces and we rush things, our percentage goes way down.” NewCath continued to build the lead in the fourth quarter. It ballooned to 31 points at 71-40 after Mac Franzen made a three-pointer with 1:35 left in the game. The other semifinal contest takes place Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The championship game takes place Monday at 7 p.m. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Thoroughbreds pummel Crusaders, 71-45

I could see Highlands and Boyle County playing again at some point. But would it happen if the Rebels drop to 3A. The Danville media doesn't see it happening.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The vaunted on-ball pressure defense of the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team is no secret in the 9th Region. But a simple halftime adjustment propelled the Thoroughbreds (27-4) to their first region win in three years, 65-55 over the Conner Lady Cougars (15-16) on Tuesday. The region site is again the Bank of Kentucky Center on the Northern Kentucky University campus. Instead of pressuring Conner full-court, NewCath picked up its pressure at half-court. The Lady Cougars could not drive past them for easy shots. That let the Thoroughbreds erase a 10-point, 31-21 halftime deficit on their way to the win. NewCath had 13 turnovers and seven steals to six steals and 17 turnovers for Conner. “I didn’t have to get on them too much (at halftime). They knew they had to play better,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “But at the same time, it was almost like Conner shot 100 percent from the field in the first half. Every open shot they got, they made. That’s what good teams do. We were leaving them open a bit with our press and gambling some. It didn’t work out. Our depth helped us out. We guarded much better in the second half.” NewCath had not won a region game since its last region crown in 2011. The Thoroughbreds lost in the district semifinals to Highlands last year and lost in the region quarterfinals to Boone County in 2012. Conner made 17-of-46 shots total for 36 percent. The Lady Cougars made 12-of-21 in the first half for 57 percent but just 5-of-25 in the second half for 20 percent. They stayed in the game making 17-of-21 free throws for 81 percent. In a tightly-called contest, Conner finished with 22 fouls to 19 for NewCath. The Thoroughbreds hit 16-of-26 free throws for 62 percent including 8-of-16 for 50 percent in the fourth quarter. Despite a combined 41 fouls, only one player fouled out on either squad. That was Conner post Madi Meyers after scoring nine points. “A lot of the fouls they called were fouls,” Stoll said. “We had to do a better job moving our feet and being in the right position. We did fine.” NewCath made 23-of-52 shots from the field for 44 percent. The Thoroughbreds made three three-pointers. Nikki Kiernan once again led NewCath with a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Kiernan has 1,806 points in her career. She made all eight free-throw attempts. Kiernan had plenty of help in this contest as all five starters scored at least seven points. Point guard Michaela Ware followed with a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists. The Thoroughbreds controlled the boards winning the rebounding battle, 40-26. Lewis also had 13 for NewCath matching Kiernan’s effort. “I follow the ball, find the open spot, jump for it and get the rebound,” Lewis said. “Not everyone on their team was boxing out so I just went past them. It was really physical and you need to fight harder than you usually do.” Conner saw two players reach double digits. That was Taylor Gambrel and Hunter Hendricks with 13 and 10 respectively. Gambrel made 9-of-11 free-throw tries. NewCath used a 5-0 run early to go up 7-2 after a Sarah Neace three-pointer. Following a Meyer score, Conner called timeout. The Lady Cougars proceeded to go on a 14-0 run led by five points from Hendricks. Her three-pointer gave Conner a 16-7 advantage. But Ware scored with 24 seconse left to end the run. The Lady Cougars led 16-9 after the first quarter. The teams exchanged baskets in the second quarter. Conner led by 10 five times in that quarter including the halftime score. But NewCath quickly erased most of the lead quickly in the first few minutes of the second half. Davenport scored all seven of her points in the 9-0 run that trimmed Conner’s lead to 31-30 with 5:46 left in the half. “(Those points) were crucial to help us start our run,” Davenport said. “They were doubling down on Nikki (Kiernan) and packing it in so someone had to start hitting shots. I thought I would try to step up and fill that role.” The Thoroughbreds ties the game at 34 on a Ware score then took the lead at 36-34 with 3:37 left when Alexus Mayes hit a fast-break lay-up. Kiernan and Ware buckets gave NewCath a 40-34 advantage with 2:40 remaining in the quarter. Conner rallied to tie the game at 44 when Meyers hit a three-point play with 49.1 seconds left. But Loren Zimmerman made a free throw with 34.1 seconds left to give NewCath a 45-44 lead entering the fourth quarter. Gambrel tied the game at 50 with two free throws with 4:13 remaining. But NewCath took the lead for good with a 6-0 run. Kiernan made two free throws and an offensive putback and Lewis made a jumper. Two Gambrel free throws trimmed the lead to 56-52 with 1:42 remaining. But NewCath pulled away with an 8-0 run. That run started with a Kiernan jumper. NewCath made 5-of-8 free throws in the final game’s final 1:21. Next up for NewCath is a rematch with rival Covington Holy Cross (21-7) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals. The Lady Indians downed Dixie Heights, 41-28 in the earlier game. NewCath won both meetings earlier this season with Holy Cross. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Simple adjustment helps NC rally past Conner

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – It was simply a matter of time. The Highlands Ladybirds (23-7) trapped the St. Henry Lady Crusaders (18-12) all over the court in Monday’s 9th Region Quarterfinal game. That pressure ultimately hurt the Lady Crusaders in a 67-52 victory at the Bank of Kentucky Center on the Northern Kentucky University campus. This marks the first time in Head Coach Jaime Walz-Richey’s tenure that Highlands has won consecutive region quarterfinal contests and the first time since 2001 and 2002. Highlands knocked off Covington Holmes in last year’s quarterfinals on its way to a region runner-up finish last year. “Each team is different,” Richey said. “I’m just happy for these girls. We have some unfinished business we’re trying to take care of with this group.” The Ladybirds had great balance in the win. Sophomore McKenzie Leigh led the way with an astounding 21 points taking advantage of a mismatch. She made three three-pointers and 10-of-12 free-throw attempts. Highlands made nine three-pointers in the win. Brianna Adler and Alex Combs made two each on their way to 17 and 13 points respectively. “When we got (St. Henry post Savannah) Neace in foul trouble, we kind of put a damper in them,” Richey said. “We took advantage of McKenzie in the low post. She had one heck of a game. She came out on fire from the three-point line and was able to finish inside some. We told the girls we’re a hard team to guard, especially on this big court. If we’re making shots from outside like that, we’re tough. I thought everyone stepped up and played well.” Lydia Graves and Kiersten Clukey made one triple each. Graves finished with 10 points. “We need to be strong on the inside and outside,” Combs said. “(Leigh) stepped it up and going into her gives us both opportunities to drive, dish and shoot threes.” Highlands didn’t make free throws near its season average of 70 percent. But the Ladybirds made enough to pull away down the stretch hitting 12-of-18 in the fourth quarter for 67 percent and 26-of-40 for 65 percent. “It was a matter of getting more comfortable at the line,” Graves said. “In this big gym, the rim seems smaller than it normally is. Once we adjusted to that, we were fine.” St. Henry had 25 fouls to 22 for Highlands. The Lady Crusaders made 18-of-24 free throws for 75 percent. Two Ladybirds fouled out to one Lady Crusader. St. Henry saw one player reach double-digits in Jordan Miller with 13 points. Neace followed with nine points. The game stayed tight in the first quarter. Leigh hit a three-pointer to give the Ladybirds an 8-4 advantage with 4:56 left in the first quarter. But St. Henry fought back to go ahead 11-8. Miller scored five straight during that run. The Ladybirds answered with a 5-0 run to go up 13-11. Combs tied the game with a three-pointer and Zoie Barth recorded a steal and score. After St. Henry tied the game on a Karly Lehmkuhl offensive rebound, Clukey hit a three-pointer to put Highlands up 16-13with 10 seconds left in the quarter. But Lehmkuhl hit another triple as time expired to tie the game at 16 after the first quarter. Highlands took the lead for good with 4:40 left in the second quarter after a Combs score. She made a triple 20 seconds later to put the Ladybirds up 28-23. Highlands led by nine twice in the final 1:02. Adler made two free throws with 9.1 seconds left to put the Ladybirds up 38-29 at halftime. The Ladybirds started the third quarter with a 5-0 run to go up 43-29 with 6:50 left. Adler made a triple and Leigh two free throws. But St. Henry responded with a 6-0 run to trim the margin to 43-35 with 5:28 left. Neace scored two baskets during that run. Highlands extended the lead back to double-digits. The Ladybirds finished the quarter with a 5-0 run on an Adler three and two more Leigh free throws. Highlands led 55-38 entering the final quarter. The Ladybirds hit their largest lead to start the fourth quarter. Two more Leigh free throws gave them a 57-38 lead with 7:14 left in the game. Highlands went to a triangle look and held the ball near mid-court. The Ladybirds only shot wide-open lay-ups at that point. The Lady Crusaders made a run scoring five straight to cut the margin to 58-48 with 2:38 left in the game. But they came no closer after that point. Highlands plays in the semifinals on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Ladybirds face Notre Dame in a rematch of last year’s region title game. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands rolls past St. Henry

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter NEWPORT – Both boys basketball teams showed why they could be tough to deal with in the 9th Region Tournament. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds used their size and depth to dominate teams all season and that didn’t change Friday. They won their sixth consecutive 36th District championship, 65-36 over the rival Highlands Bluebirds on The Hill. NewCath (28-3) won its 21st in a row in the process and owns a record of 6-0 against the regional field. The Thoroughbreds won the regular-season contest, 56-28 on Jan. 28, also on The Hill. “I didn’t feel like we executed well,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “I think that was part of it. We wanted to get to next week. It’s something we’ve been shooting for. We hope to be ready to go.” Despite the score, Highlands (9-14) battled NewCath hard and made sure the starters stayed in the game until midway through the third quarter. The Bluebirds will be making a return to the region tournament after a one-year absence and own two wins over tournament qualifiers Conner and Ryle, both from the 33rd District. “I’m so proud of our kids,” said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. “We’re undersized and NewCath is such a good ballclub. They really had a hard time shaking us.” NewCath won the rebounding battle, 37-21 and placed three players in double figures. Drew McDonald led the Thoroughbreds with 16 points and a blocked shot. Fellow post Ben Weyer followed with 15 points and Tanner Moeves contributed 13. Weyer and Moeves made the all-tournament team. Senior Jake Schulte won Tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the Thoroughbreds. He had 11 rebounds to go with seven points, five assists, two steals and five blocked shots. Brendan Buten and Parker Harris made the all-tournament team for Highlands. Harris recorded another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. NewCath made 29-of-53 shots for 55 percent and 2-of-4 free throws for 50 percent. Highlands made 13-of-44 shots for 30 percent and all six free-throw attempts. The Bluebirds spaced out the floor attempting to drive to the hole. They had some success with it until the Thoroughbreds switched to a zone defense in the second half. While many post players struggle with smaller players pulling them out of the paint and driving by them, that generally has not been an issue with Schulte, McDonald and Weyer. “We have a great defense all the way around,” Schulte said. “We have help everywhere. It gives us some comfort in case someone gets by us.” The Thoroughbreds held Buten, Drew Houliston and Mitch Cain to a combined 10 points after all three scored in double-figures along with Harris in the district semifinal win over Newport. Brandon Hergott followed Harris with eight points for the Bluebirds. “Once we started doubling (Buten) and went to a 1-3-1 (defense) in the fourth quarter, that was really big,” Moeves said. “That stopped their penetration and got us some big stops ultimately putting the game out of reach.” NewCath distributed the ball better with 15 assists to seven for Highlands. Zack Pangallo followed Schulte with four assists and Houliston led the Bluebirds with four assists. The Thoroughbreds scored the game’s first four points and never looked back. NewCath led 9-7 before finishing the quarter on a 10-2 run to go up 19-9 after the first quarter. NewCath extended its lead to 19 in the second quarter. The Thoroughbreds used an 11-0 run to go up 30-11. Moeves finished the run with a triple and hit another toward the end of the half to make the halftime score of 37-18 NewCath. The Thoroughbreds increased the margin to 20 points several times in the third quarter. But Highlands did use a 5-0 run to trim it to 43-28 with 4:10 left in the quarter. Harris made two free throws and Buten made a three-pointer. The Thoroughbreds led 50-32 entering the fourth quarter. NewCath started the final stanza with an 8-0 run and outscored the visitors, 15-4. The only field goal of the quarter for the Bluebirds came with 4:40 remaining when Harris scored. The 9th Region Tournament starts Wednesday with the drawing taking place Sunday. The Bank of Kentucky Center on the Northern Kentucky University campus is once again playing host to it. Fort Thomas Sports: Thoroughbreds claim sixth straight district crown

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter NEWPORT – The games in this rivalry are always physical. That’s especially the case near the rim. The winner of the annual 36th District girls basketball title game between the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds and Highlands Ladybirds fought through the contact and finished better near the hoop. It turned out to be the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds by a 55-45 count over the Highlands Ladybirds on Thursday. The Thoroughbreds have won five of the last six 36th District contests. Highlands won it last year. “We’re at our best when we have a lot of people scoring,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “It was a little bit tough to get into a groove. They switched man and zone when Nikki (Kiernan) went out (with foul trouble in the first half). Both teams played well.” Neither team shot exceptionally well. But NewCath (26-4) managed .98 point per possession to .81 for the visitors. Highlands (22-7) also scored 45 points in the regular season match-up on Jan. 3. The Ladybirds won that game also played on The Hill, 45-40 to earn the top seed in the tournament. That marked their first win on The Hill since 1999. Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds each. But NewCath had 14 offensive rebounds to 12 for Highlands. The Thoroughbreds had 16 second-chance points to 11 for the Ladybirds. “We told the girls we missed a lot of lay-ups that we’d been making,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. “We also gave up a lot of offensive rebounds and that was the difference in the game. They executed when they needed to.” NewCath made 18-of-49 shots for 37 percent, including 2-of-9 from three-point land for 22 percent. The Thoroughbreds also made 17-of-31 free throws for 55 percent. Highlands made 15-of-44 shots for 34 percent, including 2-of-6 three-pointers for 33 percent. But the Ladybirds made an uncharacteristic 13-of-24 free-throw tries for 54 percent. Highlands had 22 fouls to 19 for NewCath. “I thought there were a lot of fouls not called, but you have to adjust,” Richey said. “We were going in thinking we were going to get fouled instead of going in and scoring. We have to be able to do that better.” Nikki Kiernan led NewCath with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds to go with one blocked shot. She had several crucial offensive put-backs to help the Thoroughbreds to the win. Seven different Thoroughbreds scored in the contest. Michaela Ware followed Kiernan with 10 points scoring some tough points in the paint. “In the past few games, I’d been struggling finishing at the room so I knew I had to go to the basket strong because every possession counts,” Ware said. “I know (posts) are taller than me so I focus on finishing and not worrying about getting fouled.” Eight different Highlands players scored. Haley Coffey led the way with 12 and Lydia Graves had nine. Both teams put a lot of pressure on the ball trapping at different spots. NewCath had eight turnovers and four steals with Highlands turning the ball over 11 times and making five steals. Zoie Barth led Highlands with three thefts with Ware and Kiernan recording two each for the Thoroughbreds. The first quarter stayed close. NewCath led 7-2 before Highlands used a 6-0 run to go up 8-7. Alexus Mayes had a three-point play with 44.3 seconds to put the Thoroughbreds up 12-10 after that quarter. Graves made two free throws to tie the game at 12. But Sarah Neace put NewCath up for good at 15-12 with a three-pointer from the right corner. Neace made both Thoroughbred triples. “You just find the open spot on the wing,” Neace said. “You just have to believe in yourself and it will go in.” NewCath used a 5-0 run to go up 27-16 with 1:22 left in the game following an Ansley Davenport offensive putback. Following a Tomi Blanton score, Chelsea Schack scored just more the first-half horn to give NewCath a 29-19 halftime advantage. NewCath took its biggest lead at 15 twice in the third quarter. Kiernan scored with 3:27 left to put the Thoroughbres up 40-25. But the Bluebirds finished the quarter on a 10-0 run to trim the margin to 40-35 entering the fourth quarter. McKenzie Leigh sparked it with seven points. “They just got hot there for a second,” Stoll said. “They’re a good team. I told the girls, ‘They had their run. Let’s go finish it.’ We just had to contain it, then we had a run of our own to end the game.” Highlands cut it down to three at 41-38 with 6:23 left in the game following a Coffey three-pointer. But Davenport hit a jumper and made a free throw to put NewCath back up 44-38. Highlands cut it down to four with 4:19 remaining following a Graves score. But NewCath made 7-of-10 free throws down the stretch to pull away. The region tournament starts Monday at the Bank of Kentucky Center at Northern Kentucky University. The drawing takes place Saturday. Fort Thomas Sports: Thoroughbreds re-claim 36th district crown

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter For the visitors, playing in this game and another is a major accomplishment in the rebuilding process. On the other side, the hosts came into the season huge favorites to six-peat as district champions and contend for a 9th Region title. The reason is their depth and size. Like every other region and 36th District opponent, the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (27-3) own a huge size advantage on the Highlands Bluebirds (9-13). NewCath’s three players standing at 6-foot-6-inches and above in senior Jake Schulte, junior Drew McDonald and sophomore Ben Weyer make it tough to do things in the paint both offensively and defensively. “Our thing is we need to play our game,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “People try to take us out of our game doing different things. We just can’t let that happen. If we stick to our game plan, we do well and we should be in good shape.” But then you add their outside game and things really become difficult. Zack Pangallo along with brothers Tanner and Grant Moeves have also exploded for big games at different times this season. That potent combination led the Thoroughbreds to their second straight All “A” state title in January. The big key for NewCath is staying focused. Dawn said that has not been much of an issue this year. “I think we just know we have to come out ready every game,” Weyer said. “We obviously want to make it to Rupp (Arena for the state tournament). But we don’t want to look past too many games. We don’t want to come out, not play well and end up getting beat. We just prepare the same for every game.” The Bluebirds found that out the tough way in a 56-28 Thoroughbred win on The Hill on Jan. 28. NewCath saw three players score in double-digits in its eighth straight win in the series. Weyer led the way with 13 points. Tanner Moeves and Schulte followed with 11 and 10 respectively. The Thoroughbreds scored the game’s first 19 points and never looked back. “They are probably the best frontcourt in the state,” said Parker Harris, Highlands junior post. “They’re huge and have handled some great teams in some tournaments this year. Drew McDonald is tough. For us, we just have to work harder. The details are important. You have to be in the right position and hit first. They’re going to make some shots. They’re going to throw some great punches. We have to throw some back.” NewCath has won 20 in a row including a huge win at Louisville Trinity last week. On the other side, the Bluebirds have gone 8-7 since an 0-6 start to the season. Highlands made a big stepping stone back toward where it used to be with one of its best games of the season in the district semifinal win over Newport. Harris led the way with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds. “The pressure is to get to the regional and we’ve done that,” said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. “We want to go play well. We played well against Covington Holmes a couple weeks ago. We want to go out there, make it a four-quarter game and see what happens.” Highlands may need to hit some outside shots to stay within striking distance. The Bluebirds hit seven against Newport on Wednesday in addition to making 26-of-30 free-throw attempts. Brendan Buten, Harris, Mitch Cain and Justin Weyer hit some triples for Highlands in the win. The Bluebirds have not won a district crown since 2008. Their last region crown came in 2001 and the last region crown for the Thoroughbreds came in 2000. The two programs battled for district and region crowns between 1997 and 2001. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Size, depth gives Thoroughbreds huge advantage in 36th Title game

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter NEWPORT – Toward the end of the second game of the tournament doubleheader, the respective student sections began the, “We got sprit” chants among others at each other. That simply meant the Highlands Bluebirds and Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbred boys basketball teams emerged victorious in the 36th District Semifinals on Wednesday on The Hill. Top-seeded NewCath (27-3) won its 20th in a row with a sound 71-24 victory over the Bellevue Tigers and the third-seeded Highlands Bluebirds (9-13) downed the second-seeded Newport Wildcats (15-11) by a 75-64 count. The Highlands OZone and Newport Central Catholic Pep Club will be back at it Friday as the teams battle for the championship at 7 p.m. Their girls teams battle for the crown at 7 p.m. on Thursday on the Hill. The Thoroughbreds are seeking their sixth straight district championship. The last time they didn’t win it came in 2008 when the Bluebirds won their last crown. The second game saw Highlands accomplish a goal that first-year Head Coach Kevin Listerman set when he took the job in the offseason. That’s get back to the regional tournament after a one-year absence. Highlands avenged a 65-53 loss at Newport on Jan. 14 by grabbing the lead in the first quarter and never letting go. “All the credit goes to the kids,” Listerman said. “They stayed with it. The regular season is a growing process. Every one of our kids bought into it. That showed (Wednesday). We’ve grown up a lot. This was probably the closest we’ve played to a complete game all year.” The Bluebirds finished that quarter with a 5-0 run as part of a monstrous night from junior post Parker Harris. He hit a jumper from the right side and buried a three-pointer from the right wing to put the Bluebirds up 17-12 after the first quarter. Harris finished with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds to go with two blocked shots. The Bluebirds put four starters in double-figures. Point guard Brendan Buten followed with 19 points with Drew Houliston and Mitch Cain scoring 12 and 10 respectively. Highlands had just four turnovers to nine for Newport, won the rebounding battle, 32-28 and made things count at the free-throw line. The Bluebirds made 26-of-30 including 17-of-19 in the fourth quarter for 87 percent. Harris led the way making 11-of-13 with Houliston making all six attempts. “We just try to simplify things with our kids,” Listerman said. “We told them to relax. You have to play with a clear mind. We found attacked and found the openings. That’s the reason why we didn’t turn it over.” The Bluebirds made 21-of-50 shots for 42 percent including seven three-pointers. The Wildcats made 21-of-48 shots for 44 percent and 11-of-16 free throws for 69 percent. Highlands controlled the paint not letting Kameron Covington score. But the Newport guards kept them within striking distance. Ethan Snapp scorched the net for eight three-pointers on his way to 28 points with Paul Price and Michael Turner scoring 16 and 14 respectively. “I thought our bigs played really well down low,” Cain said. “They contained Covington. Snapp had a great game. We struggled with him at times.” Both teams also distributed the ball well. Highlands had 17 assists to 11 for Newport. Houliston led the Bluebirds with five assists and Turner had nine to lead the Wildcats. Highlands continued its run in the second quarter with seven more points. The Bluebirds led 24-12 before Snapp made a triple. Snapp made four threes in that quarter. Highlands led 38-29 at halftime after Turner made a buzzer-beating three-pointer. The Wildcats trimmed the margin to six once in the third quarter. But Buten answered with a three-pointer. The Bluebirds led 51-43 entering the fourth quarter. Newport cut the margin to six at 57-51 with 5:23 left in the game. But Buten came through again with a three-pointer and three-point play to extend the margin to 65-51 with 2:59 left in the game. The Wildcats came no closer than nine after that point. “We were struggling to score at that point,” Buten said. “That three got the crowd back into it and got our players back going again. We started scoring. Our JV squad pushed us all week. They got us ready for (Newport’s) pressure.” The first game saw 14 different Thoroughbreds score as NewCath built a 40-12 halftime lead. That let NewCath rest its starters in the second half. Jake Schulte led the Thoroughbreds with 12 points. “I just wanted to make sure we came out, played hard and played good defense,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “I felt we did a really good job with that. I tell (the reserves) they’re all part of the team. They sometimes don’t get in during big games, but they contribute in practice.” The second half saw reserves Mac Franzen, John Ludwig, Eric Anderson, Brian Anderson, Tyler Rawe, Jacob Smith and Josh Verkamp score. Ludwig made two three-pointers and Eric Anderson had a three-point play. Rawe said the reserves are still having fun despite not playing as much as players may like. But they took advantage of the opportunity Wednesday. “For the most part, we try to have fun by cheering for our teammates out there,” Rawe said. “We have a great time on the bench actually. We act like we’re in the game.” The Thoroughbreds continued to shoot free throws well. They made 14-of-18 attempts for 78 percent compared to 2-of-6 for 33 percent for the Tigers. Fort Thomas Sports: Thoroughbreds, Bluebirds handle 36th Semifinal opponents

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter NEWPORT – They may have entered the 36th Girls Basketball District Tournament eagerly anticipating a rematch with each other. But the first order of business for the Highlands Ladybirds and host Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds was to take care of their semifinal opponents and nab a spot in next week’s 9th Region Tournament at the Bank of Kentucky Center. That did not turn out to be a problem as the Highlands cruised past the Dayton Lady Devils, 70-27 and NewCath ran away from the Newport Lady Wildcats, 63-39. Highlands and NewCath play for the district championship on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Ladybirds won the crown last year and eliminated the Thoroughbreds in the semifinals. The teams received seeds this year. In the first game, Highlands jumped out to a huge lead and never looked back. The Ladybirds led 28-8 after the first quarter and 51-13 at halftime to enforce the running clock to start the second half. The starters rested in the second half. “We told the girls, ‘Let’s just worry about ourselves,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. “Don’t look at the scoreboard. We had to defend well and convert on steals and we did that for the most part.” Highlands (22-6) saw four players reach double figures. McKenzie Leigh led the way with 13 points, three blocks and five rebounds. Haley Coffey and Zoie Barth followed with 11 each and Brianna Adler scored 10. Barth made all four free-throw attempts. “We came out focused,” Coffey said. “Winning is good, but we’re here to get better. It’s about how we play. If we’re expected to win, Jaime will say we need to execute our plays, play right and do the best we can.” The Ladybirds once again made many trips to the free-throw line. They hit 22-of-38 attempts for 58 percent compared to 6-of-9 for 67 percent for the Lady Devils (7-19). Highlands made 21-of-45 shots for 47 percent, including 3-of-7 three-point attempts for 43 percent. Dayton hit 10-of-37 shots for 27 percent, including 1-of-11 three-point tries for nine percent. The Lady Devils did not see anyone reach double-figures. Their leading scorer was Sadie Boles with eight points. The second game saw NewCath (25-4) use its patented pressure defense to pull away. Nikki Kiernan led the way with 14 points and seven blocked shots. Ansley Davenport and Sarah Neace followed with nine each. “Our defense got to them a bit,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “We had a decent amount of turnovers. That’s what we want to do. They’re not a bad basketball team.” Neace played a huge role in opening things up in the paint for NewCath. Newport collapsed on Kiernan down low. But Neace made two three-pointers to force the Lady Wildcats out of that strategy. NewCath made nine three-pointers to two for Newport. Neace made three and MiKayla Seibert followed with two for the Thoroughbreds. Sophomore Kylie Orr led Newport (19-9) with 16 points. She made both Lady Wildcat triples. Newport scored most of its points driving to the rim. NewCath limited that in the second half. “We tried to get out in the passing lanes,” said Loren Zimmerman, NewCath junior. “If they can’t pass the ball, then it’s harder to drive. We’re very good at speeding teams up and getting them out of their comfort zone.” NewCath shot better at the free-throw line making 6-of-9 for 67 percent. Newport hit just 5-of-14 attempts for 36 percent. Prior to last season, NewCath had won four straight district titles. The Thoroughbreds own three 9th Region crowns since 2003. Fort Thomas Sports: Ladybirds, Thoroughbreds run away from 36th Semifinal opponents

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter High school football teams normally do not have to find new opponents in the second year of two-year contracts. The Highlands Bluebirds had to find a fill-in opponent in 2012 after Dixie Heights dropped the second year of a two-year contract. But the Bluebirds found a game with Scott County. They find themselves in a similar situation after Head Coach Brian Weinrich confirmed the University Christian Fighting Christians of Jacksonville (Fla.) could not return to Fort Thomas because of financial reasons. Highlands beat the 2012 Class 2A state champions, 47-17 in a nationally-televised game on ESPN to open last year. But the Bluebirds reached out to schools on the mass e-mail program Listserv and another Florida team contacted them. The Bluebirds are working on finishing the contract to take on the all-male Miami (Fla) Christopher Columbus Explorers of Florida’s largest Class 8A. Christopher Columbus is the lone private school to compete in 8A. Weinrich said the school’s Jesuit beliefs are similar to Cincinnati St. Xavier. The Head Coach of Explorers is Chris Merritt. Christopher Columbus finished 7-5 last year losing 34-26 to Coral Park in the second round of the playoffs. The Explorers have two state runner-up finishes in football in 1980 and 1982 since forming in 1958. Alums of the school include former University of Alabama Head Football Coach Mike Shula, former Cincinnati Reds player Rob Murphy, and former Michigan Wolverine quarterback Brian Griese. Finding schools to play this late in the year is tough for several reasons. Aside from schools that have filled their schedules, Weinrich said Kentucky teams that had openings did not have openings in the Zero week or Week Seven. Weinrich also noted playing an Ohio team to open the year was not option because Ohio opens the same week of Week One for Kentucky teams. Highlands is hoping to bring the gold back to Fort Thomas after losing 37-34 to Collins in the Class 4A state championship game last year. The Bluebirds are tied with Louisville Trinity for most football state championships with 22. That game will be one of two Saturday games this fall. The Bluebirds take on Paducah Tilghman on Saturday, Sept. 20. Highlands played four times on Saturday last year including three in a row in September. The schools will play in Week 7 on Oct. 11 leaving the Zero Week as the bye week for the Bluebirds. Highlands will open its season at Campbell County on Aug. 29. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebirds finalizing 2014 football schedule with 8A Florida opponent

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter INDEPENDENCE – The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team knows where it stands with the state’s elite. The Ladybirds finished the regular season facing the state’s fourth-ranked Simon Kenton Lady Pioneers in a year with no clear-cut favorite. Highlands (21-6) hung with Simon Kenton (25-3) halfway through the third quarter before the hosts pulled away for a 55-41 victory. “We just told the girls we schedule Simon Kenton this time of the year because it is a great out-of-region opponent that is going to get us ready for our district and regional tournaments,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. “We’re not going to see Simon Kenton again this year. We just have to learn from the mistakes we made in this game and get better for the district and regional tournament games.” Rebounding, turnovers and missed shots near the rim kept Highlands from the victory. Simon Kenton forced 14 turnovers on eight steals and turned the ball over just six times on four Highlands steals. Christina Cook led Simon Kenton with two thefts. The Lady Pioneers outrebounded the Ladybirds, 33-24 including 14-5 on the offensive glass. Rachel Cox led the way for Simon Kenton with seven rebounds to go with nine points. Alex Combs grabbed seven rebounds to lead Highlands and added a team-high two steals. Those two combined to let Simon Kenton take 19 more shots. The Lady Pioneers hit 23-of-53 attempts for 43 percent including 3-of-15 three-point tries for 20 percent. The Ladybirds made just 11-of-34 shots for 32 percent and 4-of-16 three-point tries for 25 percent. “You play by how well you play defense,” said Jeffrey Stowers, Simon Kenton Head Coach. “Everything else goes around that. We feel we have enough bodies we can throw at people. We felt like they couldn’t dribble around us so we got up, crowded them and tried to keep them off the three-point line.” Free throws kept Highlands in striking distance. The Ladybirds made 15-of-17 attempts for 88 percent and the Lady Pioneers made just 6-of-12 for 50 percent. Point guard Abby Owings paced the Simon Kenton attack with 20 points making 7-of-12 shots. “We wanted (Owings) to have to dribble with her left hand,” Richey said of Owings. “We felt we gave up some easy points in the first half letting her go to her right. But she’s a great player and great outside shooter.” No one else made double-figures for Simon Kenton. But the Lady Pioneers had better balance with five players scoring at least seven points to just two scoring more than six for the Ladybirds. Sophomore Brianna Adler led Highlands with 12 points making all eight free-throw attempts. Senior Tomi Blanton followed with nine making all four free-throw tries. Simon Kenton scored the game’s first five points before McKenzie Leigh hit a triple. The lead became 9-3 before Blanton made a triple. Adler drew a foul on a three-point try with .2 seconds left and made all three free throws to cut the margin to 13-9 after the first quarter. Highlands came back and took the lead three times in the second quarter. Leigh made her second three-pointer with 50 seconds left in the half to put Highlands up 26-24. Highlands looked to go up by four in the closing seconds. The Ladybirds had numbers in fast-break opportunity. But the ball was deflected and Owings fired down-court to teammate Maggi Bosse for the old-fashioned three-point play as time expired to put Simon Kenton up 27-26 at halftime. The Ladybirds cut the lead to one three times in the first four minutes of the second half. Lydia Graves hit a jumper to cut it to 33-32 at one point before Simon Kenton went on a 9-0 run to go up 42-32. Zoie Barth ended the run with two free throws with 1:16 left in the third to trim the margin to 42-34. But Kelsey Schmiade’s bucket with two seconds left put Simon Kenton up 44-34 entering the fourth quarter. “It was their Senior Night,” Richey said. “We knew we’d have to match their intensity coming into the third quarter. We struggled with that a little bit.” The Lady Pioneers then iced it with a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter. An Owings score gave Simon Kenton a 50-34 advantage with 4:31 left in the game. The biggest lead for Simon Kenton came with 1:38 left in the game. MacKenzie Hester hit two free throws at that point for the Lady Pioneers. “This is the last practice game for district and regionals,” Stowers said. “That’s why I like to play them. We’re going to see good, solid teams like them. It was a good way to end the season on a note like that.” Highlands earned the top seed in the 36th District Tournament and plays either Dayton (6-17) or Bellevue (14-13) in the semifinals Tuesday. Game time is 6 p.m. at Newport Central Catholic. Highlands won the district tournament last year. Fort Thomas Sports: Simon Kenton pulls away from Ladybirds

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team finished the regular season with some momentum. The Blue birds (8-13) handled the host 11-15 Beechwood Tigers, 67-48 on Friday. Highlands has won two in a row and went 8-7 after an 0-6 start. The Bluebirds saw five players reach double-figures in a balanced effort. Brendan Buten led the way with 19 points and Drew Houliston followed with 14. Brandon Hergott and Mitchell Cain scored 11 each with Parker Harris scoring 10. Highlands earned the third seed in the 36th District Tournament at Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday. The Bluebirds face the Newport Wildcats (15-10) for the right to advance to the 9th Region Tournament at 7:45 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands boys, NC girls conclude regular season with wins

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team finished the regular season with some momentum. The Blue birds (8-13) handled the host 11-15 Beechwood Tigers, 67-48 on Friday. Highlands has won two in a row and went 8-7 after an 0-6 start. The Bluebirds saw five players reach double-figures in a balanced effort. Brendan Buten led the way with 19 points and Drew Houliston followed with 14. Brandon Hergott and Mitchell Cain scored 11 each with Parker Harris scoring 10. Highlands earned the third seed in the 36th District Tournament at Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday. The Bluebirds face the Newport Wildcats (15-10) for the right to advance to the 9th Region Tournament at 7:45 p.m. Basketball, Girls: Newport Central Catholic 50, Conner 42: The Thoroughbreds (24-4) finished the impressive season with a three-game winning streak. NewCath finished 5-1 following the All “A” Tournament. The Thoroughbreds won just twice after that tournament last year. NewCath saw three players reach double-digits. Ansley Daveport finished with 14 points scoring nine in the fourth quarter to help the Thoroughbreds pull away. The dynamic post duo of Nikki Kiernan and Alexus Mayes had double-doubles for the Thoroughbreds. Kiernan had 10 points and 14 rebounds with Mayes scoring 10 points and nabbing 10 rebounds. The host Thoroughbreds open the 36th District Tournament on Tuesday against Newport (19-8). Game time is 7:45 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands boys, NC girls conclude regular season with wins

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds basketball team has a ton of momentum entering the postseason. The Thoroughbreds (26-3) concluded the regular season with a bang taking out the Conner Cougars, 73-54. NewCath has won 20 in a row. The Thoroughbreds saw three players reach double-figures. Zack Pangallo and Jake Schulte scored 19 each and Tanner Moeves had 14. Host NewCath earned the top seed in the 36th District Tournament and takes on either Dayton or Bellevue on Wednesday in the district semifinals. Game time is 6 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Thoroughbreds thrash Cougars to conclude regular season

Newport Central Catholic 40, Ryle 31: The Thoroughbreds moved to 23-4 with a road 9th Region win Wednesday. NewCath senior Nikki Kiernan put together another stellar game with 16 points and 15 rebounds. She helped the Thoroughbreds build a 16-2 lead after the first quarter. NewCath finishes the regular season at Conner on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands teams, NC girls pick up 9th Region wins

Basketball, Girls: Highlands 64, Lloyd Memorial 36: The Ladybirds (21-5) won their seventh straight winning their final home game of the year. Highlands saw two players reach double digits in Lydia Graves with 12 and McKenzie Leigh with 10. Tomi Blanton and Brianna Adler had nine each. That marked a career high for Blanton. Blanton is the team’s lone senior. Highlands made 25-of-41 shots for 61 percent including 8-of-15 three-pointers for 53 percent. The Ladybirds also made 6-of-10 free throws for 60 percent. Lloyd made 12-of-28 shots for 43 percent including 3-of-6 triples for 50 percent. The Lady Juggernauts also hit 9-of-11 free throws for 82 percent. Lloyd saw one player reach double-figures. That was freshman Devin Cheatum with 18 points. Highlands ventures to fourth-ranked Simon Kenton on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands teams, NC girls pick up 9th Region wins

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak with a home win Wednesday. The Bluebirds (7-13) downed the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts, 44-40 in a make-up game. It marked the last home game of the season for Highlands. The Bluebirds saw three players reach double-digits. Brendan Buten led the way with 13 points. Teammates Brandon Hergott and Drew Houliston followed with 11 and 10 respectively. Highlands finishes the regular season at Beechwood on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands teams, NC girls pick up 9th Region wins

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Exactly one-fourth of this past season’s seniors will be taking their talents to the next level. Two schools picked up more than one Bluebird. Offensive lineman Scott Turner recently signed to play at NCAA Division III Wittenberg University and quarterback Drew Houliston joined him this week. The Tigers finished 10-2 last year, won the North Coast Athletic Conference and lost in the second round of the Division III playoffs to eastern Ohio power Mount Union. Turner and Houliston played vital roles for a Bluebird offense that averaged 50.6 points per game. Houliston completed 231-of-339 passes for 4,045 yards, 50 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Highlands finished state runner-up in Class 4A with a 13-2 record. The leading rusher for the Bluebirds last year in Zach Harris will attend Georgetown College along with linebacker Thomas Wrobleski and offensive lineman Tyler Schweitzer. The Tigers finished 7-4 last year. Harris rushed for 1,103 yards and 24 touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 485 yards and nine touchdowns. Wrobleski had six tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery last year. “(Thomas) Wrobleski might be the most physical kid I watched on film this year,” said Brian Landis, Georgetown assistant in a release on the web site. “He plays angry – the type of kid that causes train wrecks when he tackles.” Newport Central Catholic linebacker Jack Sutkamp will join them in Georgetown. Sutkamp led the 2A runner-up Thoroughbreds with a school-record 215 tackles last year. Former NewCath Head Coach Eddie Eviston is the Offensive Coordinator at Georgetown. Senior defensive lineman Braden Hicks recently committed to Morehead State. The Eagles finished 3-9 last year. Hicks had 7.5 tackles for a loss, two quarterback sacks and an interception last year. Offensive lineman Nick True and Seth Hope verbally committed before the season began. True will still play for Western Kentucky despite the recent coaching change. Bobby Petrino went back to Louisville as Head Coach after guiding the Hilltoppers to an 8-4 mark. Former Louisville assistant and Trinity standout Jeff Brohm took over that job. “It’s a great day to be a Hilltopper,” Brohm recently told the press on signing day. “This recruiting process started at this time last year and is a long, thorough process that involves a lot of time and effort put into it. We feel like we got outstanding football players who have outstanding character and we think will develop into great people on and off the field and in the classroom and that’s very important to all of us.” Hope will attend Cornell University of the Ivy League. The Big Red finished 3-7 overall and 2-5 in Ivy League play last year. Hope had 13.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks last year. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Headed to the next gridiron level

Basketball, Boys: Scott 57, Highlands 51: The visiting Bluebirds (6-13) dropped the road contest. Highlands placed two players in double-digits. Justin Weyer led the way with 13 points and Drew Houliston scored 10. The Bluebirds play host to Lloyd Memorial on Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC boys, girls post huge wins; HHS boys fall at Scott

Basketball, Girls: Newport Central Catholic 55, Covington Holmes 39: The Thoroughbreds (22-4) rebounded from a tough outing Thursday with a huge 9th Region win. Senior Nikki Kiernan led the way with a double-double of 28 points and 14 rebounds. Kiernan also had two blocks and two steals. Sarah Neace came off the bench and made three triples on her way to nine point. She keyed a second-quarter NewCath run that gave the Thoroughbreds a 26-19 halftime advantage. NewCath travels to Ryle on Wednesday in a make-up 9th Region contest. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC boys, girls post huge wins; HHS boys fall at Scott

Jaime Walz-Richey has been the Head Coach since the 2002-03 season.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The win over Covington Holmes on Friday loomed large in terms of the 9th Region. But the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball team followed it up with an even bigger win Tuesday in Louisville. The sixth-ranked Thoroughbreds won their 19th straight nipping the fourth-ranked and host Trinity Shamrocks, 45-44. Trinity (23-5) won the state championship two years ago. The Thoroughbreds (25-3) saw two post players lead the way. Drew McDonald had 14 points and Jake Schulte followed with 11. NewCath also saw senior guard Tanner Moeves return from injury. NewCath finishes the season Thursday at home against Conner. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC boys, girls post huge wins; HHS boys fall at Scott

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The same strategy that’s helped them all season helped again in another big game. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds like to find the hot hands and use their versatility to overwhelm opponents. It helped them to a crucial 72-57 9th Region win over the Covington Holmes Bulldogs on Friday. NewCath has won 18 in a row to move to 24-3 on the season. The Thoroughbreds moved to 14-0 in region play and avenged a 55-50 loss to Holmes in the first round of last year’s tournament. The Bulldogs won the region and lost to eventual state champion Madison Central in the state quarterfinals last year. “I can usually tell when they’re ready to go,” said Ron Dawn, NewCath Head Coach. “There were a few times where we weren’t ready against a lesser opponent. When we’ve played big games against good competition, we come out ready to play. (Holmes is) one of the top 20 teams in the state.” The Thoroughbreds saw all five starters score at least eight points. Post Drew McDonald led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds. He made 7-of-9 free throws. Guards Grant Moeves and Zack Pangallo followed with 17 and 15 respectively. Pangallo made two three-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws with Moeves making three triples starting in place of brother Tanner Moeves. Pangallo added six assists. Tanner Moeves injured his left elbow in the All “A” State semifinals against Lexington Christian. He did not play Friday, but Dawn expects him back to full health in a few days. Posts Jake Schulte, Ben Weyer and guard Mac Franzen also made big contributions. Weyer had nine points and five rebounds with Schulte grabbing 18 rebounds to go with eight points and four blocked shots. Franzen gave Grant Moves and Pangallo some crucial rest and played a huge role in moving the ball up-court against the Holmes press. Schulte and McDonald had one dunk each. The Thoroughbreds can now say they’ve experienced success on the court where the 9th Region Tournament takes place. The game took place as a Valentine’s Day doubleheader. Covington Catholic defeated Dixie Heights, 79-62 in the earlier game. “It’s good to get some playing time on the regional floor so we can get a feel for it,” Grant Moeves said. “It’s a longer court. There is more area to move.” The Bulldogs also had three players reach double-digits. NCAA Division I recruit James Bolden led the way with 21 points. He made three triples and all six free-throw attempts. The Thoroughbreds wanted to limit his penetration. “We were trying to take some of his penetration away,” Dawn said. “He’s going to get his points. If we could make him step back a bit and take something longer, I feel he’s good at 27 feet (shots). But I think he’s better at 20.” Teammates Markel McClendon and Quinton Chames followed with 13 and 11 respectively. McClendon, a sophomore, transferred in from nearby Holy Cross in the offseason. He made two three-pointers, but did nothing after receiving a technical foul with 7:01 left in the game. NewCath won the rebounding battle, 33-28 and shot better from the field making 22-of-41 shots for 54 percent. Holmes made 19-of-55 shots for 35 percent. “One of the keys to the game was definitely getting on the boards,” McDonald said. “McClendon and Chames are great rebounders. We knew if we played hard, we’d come out on top. We did that really well. We all boxed out, got the ball and held them to one shot most of the time.” The Thoroughbreds also cashed in on their free throws. They made 23-of-27 for 85 percent compared to 12-of-15 for 80 percent for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs received three technical fouls. Aside from McClendon, Holmes Head Coach Jason Booher received one late in the game and the other came for having six players on the floor in the second quarter. Holmes came out of the gates with an 8-0 run following a Grant Moeves score. Bolden made two three-pointers to put Holmes up 8-2. But following a timeout, NewCath came back and finished the quarter on a 6-0 run to go up 14-12 after the first quarter. McDonald took over in the second quarter for NewCath. He scored eight of his points in a crucial 12-0 Thoroughbred run that put the Thoroughbreds up 30-21 with 2:06 left in the half after they trailed 21-18 following a McClendon three-pointer. Weyer scored with six seconds left to put NewCath up 32-23 at halftime. The Thoroughbreds garnered some breathing room in the third. They used a 6-0 run to go up 52-36 in the third and led 52-41 entering the fourth quarter. Grant Moeves finished off the run with a three-point play. NewCath led 56-46 with 6:42 left in the game before going on a 7-0 run to expand the margin to 17 points. Grant Moeves made a triple during the run and McDonald hit a jumper in the center. The Thoroughbreds made their free throws from that point on to pull away. NewCath has another tough test Tuesday. The Thoroughbreds travel to Louisville Trinity (22-4) at 7:30 p.m. The Shamrocks won the state championship two years ago. Fort Thomas Sports: Thoroughbreds earn huge win over Bulldogs

Basketball, Boys: Covington Holy Cross 60, Highlands 52: The Bluebirds (6-12) could not put together another home 9th Region win Tuesday falling to the Indians (6-16). The Bluebirds placed three players in double-digits. Brendan Buten led the way with 13 points with Parker Harris and Justin Weyer scoring 10 each. Highlands takes on Lloyd Memorial on Friday. Game time is 8 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Ladybirds move to 19-5; Bluebirds fall to Holy Cross

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The next step toward respectability for them was to beat a team that made the 9th Region Tournament last year. Highlands earned it step with a 60-56 double overtime win over the Ryle Raiders (7-11) on Saturday in Fort Thomas. Highlands (6-11) entered the game with an 0-6 mark against 9th Region teams that played past districts last year. The Bluebirds will not play the make-up contests against Campbell County, Boone County, Pendleton County or Cincinnati Shroder. Two seniors led the charge as Highlands won for the third time in four games. Brandon Hergott had 19 points and Drew Houliston pitched in with 15. The Bluebirds play host to Covington Holy Cross on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands squads, NC girls earn 9th Region victories