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By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Now that the big decision has been made, they are back hard at work preparing for the 100th season in school history. The returning Highlands Bluebirds football players hit the weight room for winter conditioning immediately after the school promoted Brian Weinrich to Head Coach filling in for the retired longtime Head Coach Dale Mueller. Weinrich had been on staff the previous 19 seasons including Defensive Coordinator since 2002. The goal in winter conditioning is to continue laying bricks in the solid foundation. The players are striving to become quicker and stronger during the winter months. Weinrich said the returning players seemed hungry to get back after it following the 13-2 fall campaign. The Bluebirds entered the offseason as defending Class 4A state runner-up after not winning a state championship for the first time since 2006 following a last-minute 37-34 loss to the Collins Titans in the title game. “It’s really amazing how hard they work,” Weinrich said. “We threw a couple new things at them (on Jan. 8) and they responded. The young guys are catching on real quick what it means to work real hard and not waste any reps.” The Bluebirds lost 31 players from that squad. Aside from their absence in addition to players participating in other sports, the only noticeable difference Friday was Mueller not being there. The Bluebirds went 250-36 in 20 years under Mueller with 17 district championships, 11 state titles and three runner-up finishes. The Bluebirds do winter conditioning Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school from 3-6 p.m. The start was delayed two days because of the weather. “That surprises a lot of people because a lot of teams usually don’t go on Fridays,” said Rocco Pangallo, rising Highlands senior linebacker. “Our coaches love changing it up. They don’t like routines. They don’t like for us to know what we’re going to do each day. They can pull anything out and we go do it. We’re going to bump it up a notch every year.” Weinrich often led conditioning in the past when Mueller could not be there. The Bluebirds include the current eighth graders in the winter programs. “We want to challenge them physically and mentally. We want to keep it exciting,” Weinrich said. “They’re in school trying to figure out what we’re going to do that day. We don’t want them to get good at running certain drills. We want to develop them athletically. We’ve felt the best way to do that over the years is continuously stimulating their minds and bodies at the same time.” Many of the players are bouncing back from injuries. One is rising senior running back Josh Watson. He missed all of last year because of a torn Anterior Cruciated Ligament after contributing some as a sophomore. “It’s a lot of motivation right there,” Watson said. “Being out all of last year just killed me. That pushes me to do well this year and not let anyone stop me. We’re just pushing ourselves to the max.” Highlands had about 100 players out last year so they absorbed some of the injuries. But the Bluebirds struggled against balanced offenses defensively, especially in second halves, because of the injuries. Many players did not play at 100 percent. “This is probably any coach in the country,” Weinrich said. “Anytime a guy gets hurt, you’re always questioning, doubting or looking back. You talk to your trainers and look at things. We train about as well as we can in terms of preparing them physically. We try to take care of their bodies year-round. If there was a way to prevent injuries, I’d write a book and retire tomorrow because everyone would buy it.” Spring practice begins the Monday after both the Highlands boys and girls basketball season concludes. It took place in freezing temperatures last spring. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands diversifies winter conditioning

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team advanced to the All “A” 9th Region semifinals with another sound win. NewCath (15-2) handled Heritage Academy, 67-20 Wednesday. The Thoroughbreds led 32-4 at halftime. The Thoroughbreds saw three players reach double-digits. Loren Zimmerman led the way with 13 points and seven rebounds. Teammates Ansley Davenport and Mikayla Seibert followed with 12 and 11 respectively. NewCath faces Covington Holy Cross (11-3) on Friday at St. Henry. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Basketball, Boys: NewCath 73, Lloyd Memorial 38: The Thoroughbreds (12-3) handled the host Juggernauts (4-11) to improve to 7-0 in 9th Region action Wednesday. Jake Schulte paced NewCath with 13 points. Teammate Grant Moeves followed with 11. The Thoroughbreds open the All “A” 9th Region Tournament on Monday at Covington Holy Cross against Bellevue. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Basketball, Girls: Highlands 64, Cooper 55: The Bluebirds (12-3) bounced back from Friday’s home loss to Notre Dame with a 9th Region road win Tuesday. Alex Combs led Highlands with 21 points. She made all seven free-throw attempts including five in the fourth quarter. The Bluebirds had balanced scoring. Sophomores Brianna Adler and McKenzie Leigh followed with 13 and 12 points respectively. Highlands head to Maysville on Thursday to face the Mason County Lady Royals (10-5). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands boys fall to Newport; Girls beat Cooper

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter NEWPORT – They hoped to show how far they’ve come despite their record. That’s especially because the Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team might have to face the Newport Wildcats for the right to head to the 9th Region Tournament later in the season in the 36th District Tournament. But the host Wildcats prevailed in this one 65-53. Highlands (2-9 overall, 0-1 district) attacked the lane better after the first quarter and stayed even with Newport. But it was not enough to overcome an 11-point deficit after the first quarter. Newport (8-4, 2-0) scored the game’s first five points and cruised to the win. “We were down 11 after the first quarter, and it’s on me as coach, because we didn’t come out ready to play,” said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. “We stared and took some punches. Newport was aggressive and made us pay. Give (the Wildcats) credit. When we play free, we look pretty good.” Seniors Drew Houliston and Brandon Hergott led the Highlands effort with 17 and 16 points respectively. Hergott scored 14 of those points in the third quarter. Newport saw three players reach double-digits. Ethan Snapp and Paul Price led the way with 20 each and post Kameron Covington scored 10. “We have four guys who can reach double-digits or be high-scorers each night,” said Rodney Snapp, Newport Head Coach. “I talk to them about letting the game come to you. Some of them want to force the issue. They understand there are times when we need to run our set and get a good shot and we’re trying.” Highlands did have some success with its pressure defense forcing Newport into 19 turnovers while committing just 10. Highlands had nine steals to five for the Wildcats. Houliston and Parker Harris recorded three steals each for the Bluebirds. Newport did better rebounding the basketball and hit its free throws to pull away. The Wildcats had 32 rebounds to 19 for the Bluebirds and made 16-of-18 free throws for 89 percent. Highlands did not make any of its four free-throw tries. Covington grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double. “That’s a little surprising because I didn’t think we boxed out consistently,” Coach Snapp said. “We have to get back to the basics. Our guys want to watch the ball and think they can outjump everyone. They’ll find out in the next few weeks when they face teams taller than them.” The Wildcats also shot better from the field. They made 23-of-41 attempts for 56 percent compared to 25-of-55 for 45 percent for the visitors. Both teams made three three-pointers each. “(Newport) is well-coached,” Listerman said. “They know what they’re doing and who they want to shoot. We tried to switch some defenses. We’ve struggled guarding man-to-man. Ultimately, we have to get some more stops.” Highlands trimmed the margin to six in the second quarter. But Newport finished it with a 6-0 run to go up 31-19 at halftime. The Bluebirds managed to trim the lead to four at 43-39 with 1:05 left in the third. The Wildcats led 48-41 entering the fourth quarter. Highlands came no closer than seven points in the final quarter. Highlands plays host to Ryle (6-6) on Thursday to continue 9th Region action. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands boys fall to Newport; Girls beat Cooper

Basketball, Girls: Louisville Sacred Heart 59, Newport Central Catholic 45: The Thoroughbreds (13-2) finished the tough week with a road loss to the Valkyries (10-3) of the 7th Region. Nikki Kiernan finished with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead NewCath. Teammate Michaela Ware followed with 11 points. DaiJia Ruffin led Sacred Heart with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Teammate Raven Merriweather followed with 16 points and nine rebounds. Neither team shot free throws well. NewCath hit 8-of-14 for 57 percent and Sacred Heart made 6-of-15 for 40 percent. NewCath starts the 9th Region All “A” Tournament on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The Thoroughbreds play host to Villa Madonna (7-5). Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands boys, NC girls drop Saturday games

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team (2-8) fell to 0-4 in 9th Region action with a 58-51 loss to the Cooper Jaguars (8-6) on Saturday. Highlands had two players reach double-digits. They were Brendan Buten and Brandon Hergott with 20 and 11 respectively. The Bluebirds travel to Newport (7-4) on Tuesday for a crucial 36th District contest. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands boys, NC girls drop Saturday games

Basketball, Boys: NC, CovCath Game Suspended: The big showdown in Park Hills between 9th Region contenders Newport Central Catholic and Covington Catholic was called at halftime because of condensation on the CovCath floor. The undefeated Colonels led 32-27 at halftime. Drew McDonald had 10 points to lead the Thoroughbreds and Tanner Moeves had eight. Nick Ruthsatz led the Colonels with 12 points and Bo Schuh pitched in with seven. The Thoroughbreds travel to Lloyd Memorial on Wednesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Notre Dame bests Highlands girls; NC-CovCath boys game suspended

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter A couple big things needed to happen for the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team to pull off another big win. They did not allowing the Notre Dame Pandas to leave Fort Thomas with a 67-59 9th Region win Friday. This game marked the first meeting since the 9th Region title game at Northern Kentucky University in March that the Pandas won 63-44 on March 4, 2013. Notre Dame finished state runner-up last year before Head Coach Nicole Levandusky left for Cooper. Highlands needed to control the rebounding. Notre Dame won that battle 31-25 including 20-11 on the defensive glass. “We talked before the game about how we really had to limit their shots,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. “(Notre Dame) did a good job crashing the boards. They had a lot of offensive putbacks. It was like they wanted it more and they stood and watched it.” The Bluebirds also needed to hit a good amount of three-point shots because the Pandas had a size and length advantage. Highlands made just 5-of-20 three-point shots for 25 percent. Highlands (11-3) came into the game on a three-game winning streak. But Notre Dame (8-5) entered on a three-game losing streak after losing 63-53 to Holmes on Wednesday. “We’re a young team and we just have to learn from it,” Richey said. “It’s about getting better. As a team, we felt we didn’t get better. We have a huge stretch of games where we have to get better each game. We felt we went backwards for a stretch. But you have to give Notre Dame credit. (The Pandas) played a great game.” First-year Head Coach Wyatt Foust’s crew played without three players including starting guard Elly Ogle. Notre Dame also didn’t know if Paige Kellam would play. Kellam led the way with 19 points making 9-of-13 free throws. “We played scared and on our heels against Holmes,” Foust said. “We weren’t going to let that happen again. We didn’t know if (Kellam) would play at Noon. She stayed on the attack the whole game. That was a great turnaround to have her in the capacity we had her.” The Pandas saw four players reach double-digits. Hillary Hellmann followed Kellam with 17 points with post Haylee Smith and Sydney Stallman scoring 12 and 10 respectively. “We were able to go in and out of their zone and get different lineups in to combat their speed,” Foust said. “They played mostly guards. They made a lot of shots. They’re too good of a shooting team. But that’s the kind of defense we can play.” Despite the loss, Highlands saw three players reach double-digits. Lydia Graves made 3-of-5 three-point tries on her way to 16 points. Posts McKenzie Leigh and Alex Combs followed with 11 each. The teams combined for 44 fouls. Combs and Briana Adler fouled out for Highlands while four finished with four fouls for the Pandas. Highlands made 22-of-30 free throws for 73 percent and Notre Dame hit 16-of-23 for 70 percent. Notre Dame made 24-of-43 shots for 56 percent and Highlands hit 16-of-48 for 33 percent. The Pandas made 3-of-6 three-point tries for 50 percent. Notre Dame used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to go ahead for good. The Pandas led 34-27 at halftime. Highlands travels to Cooper (7-6) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Notre Dame bests Highlands girls; NC-CovCath boys game suspended

Basketball, Boys: Highlands 72, Bracken County 48: The Bluebirds (2-7) recorded their first home win of the season and their first win against a Kentucky team Thursday. Balanced scoring played the big role for Highlands as four seniors reached double-digits. Brandon Hergott led the way with 18 points and Drew Houliston had 14. Luke Brockett and Brendan Buten followed with 12 and 11 respectively. The Bluebirds shot 52 percent (30-of-57) from the field, including 7-of-15 from three-point range for 47 percent. They also made 5-of-6 free throws for 83 percent. The Polar Bears made 18-of-54 shots for 33 percent and 5-of-19 three-point tries for 26 percent. They also made just 7-of-17 free-throw tries for 41 percent. Bracken County saw two players reach double-digits. They were Jacob Hamilton with 18 and Aaron Crawford with 14. Highlands plays host to Cooper (7-6) on Saturday. Game time is 2:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC girls post another big win; Highlands boys best Bracken

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team followed up a big win Wednesday with a bigger one Thursday. After handing rival Bishop Brossart its first loss Wednesday in Alexandria, the Thoroughbreds (13-1) ventured to Independence and beat the 8th Region contender Simon Kenton Lady Pioneers (13-3), 72-50. NewCath had lost the previous two meetings against Simon Kenton. Nikki Kiernan turned in a dynamite performance to lead the Thoroughbreds. She made all seven free-throw attempts on her way to a double-double of 36 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. Two of Kiernan’s teammates also scored in double-digits. Stephanie Lewis had 13 and Michaela Ware had 10. Ware also guarded Simon Kenton guard Abby Owings. Owing scored 15 and teammate MacKenzie Hester had 11. Three-pointers made the difference in this game. NewCath had eight and Simon Kenton had just one. Kiernan made three triples with Lewis adding two. The Thoroughbreds also hit most of their free throws. They made 10-of-13 for 77 percent. NewCath concludes the big week with a road trip to Louisville on Saturday. The Thoroughbreds face Sacred Heart (8-3) at 3:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC girls post another big win; Highlands boys best Bracken

Yes. That was a typo on my part. It's been corrected in the main story.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter ALEXANDRIA – There are no more undefeated girls basketball teams left in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds took care of the last of them Wednesday with a 50-40 victory here over the Bishop Brossart Lady Mustangs (11-1). The Thoroughbreds (12-1) grabbed the lead in the second quarter with an 8-0 run and never looked back. “We didn’t play great,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “But we gutted out a victory. That’s what good teams need to do.” NewCath made seven three-pointers in the win compared to one for Brossart. The Thoroughbreds made 20-of-49 shots for 41 percent compared to 18-of-53 for 34 percent for the Lady Mustangs. Both teams made 3-of-6 free-throw attempts for 50 percent in the loosely-called game. NewCath finished with 11 fouls and Brossart had 10. NewCath posts Alexus Mayes and Nikki Kiernan did their usual damage. Mayes made four three-pointers on her way to 18 points and Kiernan scored all 13 of her points in the second half. Kiernan also had 10 rebounds for a double-double and blocked four shots. But the Thoroughbreds received other contributions that Stoll had been looking for since NewCath’s lone loss Friday to Highlands. Starters Michaela Ware and Stephanie Lewis finished with eight points each. Lewis made both three-pointers in the first quarter and Ware had six assists. “They learned their lesson from Friday,” Stoll said. “We (coaches) had them watch the video of that game by themselves. They critiqued themselves on it.” Sarah Neace also got in on the outside shooting act in the second quarter. She made her lone three-pointer from the left wing with 2:50 left in the quarter to put NewCath up 19-12. Ware’s jumper with a second left in the quarter then put NewCath up 21-14 at halftime. “It gives other players confidence that we can score also,” Neace said of hitting shots. “It pulls (opponents) off Nikki and Alexus. You just need to have confidence to shoot the way you’ve always been taught.” Sarah Futscher and Emily Schultz kept Brossart within striking distance. Futscher finished with 15 points including 10 in the third quarer and Schultz had 13. Futscher blocked two shots and grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double. “We did a great job defensively,” Stoll said. “We didn’t get much out of our press. But that was okay. We weren’t as aggressive because we felt we could guard them in the half-court.” The Lady Mustangs had 11 turnovers and two steals to just seven turnovers and four steals for the Thoroughbreds. Lewis and Kiernan had the other two NewCath thefts. The Thoroughbreds limited Morgan Verst and Abby Stadtmiller to three points each. “We win by our defense,” Kiernan said. “We get most of our points from it. We put (Ware) on Verst. We put (Lewis), who is one of our best defenders, on Stadtmiller then I guarded Futscher. We tried pressuring them because they don’t like a lot of pressure.” One area of improvement for NewCath is rebounding. Brossart won that battle 39-30. The Lady Mustangs earned some second shots with 15 offensive rebounds compared to six for the Thoroughbreds. NewCath scored the game’s first five points. After two Brossart scores, Lewis it consecutive three-pointers to give the Thoroughbreds an 11-4 lead with 4:40 left in the first quarter. The Thoroughbreds tried to pull away in the third quarter. They led 37-22 with 2:49 left after Ware recorded a steal and score. But Brossart trimmed the margin to 39-29 entering the fourth quarter. The Lady Mustangs cut the lead to 45-39 with 1:57 left in the game. But Kiernan recorded a three-point play and Mayes made two free throws to seal the deal. NewCath continues a tough week in Independence tonight against Simon Kenton (13-2). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath girls hand Brossart first loss; Highlands girls, NC boys win

Highlands 48, Newport 36: The Bluebirds (11-2 overall, 3-0 36th District) won their third straight and clinched the top seed in the district tournament in February. Highlands improved to 6-0 in 9th Region action as well. Haley Coffey paced Highlands with 23 points. She made 9-of-11 shots and 5-of-6 free throws in the win. Teammates Lydia Graves and Alex Combs followed with six each. Highlands made 13-of-18 free throws for 72 percent. The Lady Wildcats (9-3) made just 1-of-2 attempts for 50 percent. Newport saw two players reach double-digits. Kylie Orr led the way with 14 points and Katlyn Hoeh had 10. Highlands plays host to Notre Dame (7-5) on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath girls hand Brossart first loss; Highlands girls, NC boys win

Basketball, Boys: Newport Central Catholic 58, Cooper 37: The Thoroughbreds (11-3) built a 31-9 halftime lead on their way to improving to 6-0 in 9th Region action. NewCath once again had balanced scoring. Zach Pangallo, Jake Schulte and Ben Weyer led NewCath with 10 points each. The Thoroughbreds travel to Covington Catholic (11-0) for a huge 9th Region showdown Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Park Hills. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath girls hand Brossart first loss; Highlands girls, NC boys win

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter There may not be a smoother transition than this one. The search committee that consisted of Highlands High School Principal Brian Robinson, former Head Football Coach and Director of Athletics Dale Mueller among others knew they had their guy the moment he came in for the interview. They just had to make it official. Brian Weinrich became the 19th head coach of the vaunted Highlands Bluebirds football program Wednesday. That program is the second-winningest in the country with an overall record of 855-227-26 since the program began in 1915. Only Valdosta (Georgia) has more wins with an overall record of 882-214-34 dating back to 1913. “I have never seen a position where one candidate had such overwhelming support,” Mueller said. “I am so excited for the football players at Highlands because they are going to have a tremendous, hard-working, positive and fun coach. He is a wonderful role model for all of our students.” The press conference was originally scheduled for Monday. But freezing temperatures forced school cancellations Monday and Tuesday. Weinrich had been the leading candidate to replace Mueller for a long time. Weinrich said he’d apply for the job when Mueller announced his retirement in December. The Bluebirds finished 250-36 in Mueller’s 20 years at the helm with 11 state championships, 11 state runer-up finishes and 17 district championships. Weinrich came on staff in 1995 as a volunteer assistant and worked his way up through the ranks. Weinrich became Defensive Coordinator in 2002 and has been the Assistant Head Coach since 2001. “The foundation is already set,” Weinrich said. “We talk to them all the time. You have to put another brick in it every day. That’s what I’m the most excited about. That’s all these guys know how to do. That’s go, go, go.” Weinrich unofficially served as head coach in the 2012 Class 4A title game, a 47-0 win over Collins. Mueller’s mother-in-law passed away so he had to miss the game. Weinrich is the lone person the staff interviewed for the job. Unlike openings Ryle, Logan County and Paducah Tilghman, the administration did not post the job on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association web site. It is not required like teaching jobs are with the Kentucky Department of Education. Those teaching jobs have to be posted for 30 days. Weinrich has been a teacher in the district for a while. He teaches Eighth grade Social Studies at Highlands Middle School. “We were looking for someone who was completely dedicated to the success of our program, student-centered, inclusive, focused on constant growth and excellence, someone who had respect and pride in our program, and someone who had a keen understanding of what has led to the success of Highlands High School,” Robinson said. “All great programs look inward first. They look at those who have been working with the program and have that keen understanding. (Weinrich) is obsessed with the football program. One of the comments he made is he is focused on improving every guy every day. I’ll believe he’ll work harder than anyone I know and is dedicated to helping the guys work harder than they believe they can work.” Weinrich also experienced success as a player. Weinrich played wide receiver and defensive back on the 1989 Class AAA state championship team led by Tom Duffy that edged Paducah Tilghman, 7-3. He had three catches for 36 yards in that game. The news came as relief to the players. They will not have to adjust to someone that had not been on staff unlike the last two hirings. “I think I speak for the whole team,” said Matt Gall, rising Highlands senior defensive lineman. “We were really hoping Coach Weinrich would get the job. All of us like him. We think he can take us to the next level and hopefully bring state (championships) back to the school.” Weinrich knows about the many pros of the job. The main thing is the extreme dedication of the players. He even said the returning players were sad they could not get to work immediately after losing 37-34 to Collins in the Class 4A state championship on Dec. 7. Weinrich will also be able to ask Mueller for advice. Mueller will be the Director of Athletics through the 2014-15 school year. Weinrich joked that he’s burning Mueller’s e-mails up already. Weinrich also had tremendous support from his family and community including the Fort Thomas Youth Football League. Weinrich and his wife Ashley have a daughter in the fifth grade in McKenzie. “The night before the state game this past year, we’re sitting around the house and McKenzie says, ‘Bring home a winner or don’t come home for dinner,” Weinrich said. “I’m kind of hungry so hopefully, she’ll let me eat next year. I can’t thank (Ashley and McKenzie) enough for all the support.” Weinrich is also familiar with some of the challenges. One of the big ones is scheduling teams from Northern Kentucky. Only three teams from Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties have been on the schedule in recent years. Campbell County Head Coach Stephen Lickert, a 1997 Highlands alum, has said the Camels will continue to play the Bluebirds. The schedule is in place for next year in the second year of many two-year contracts. “We’ll take that as it comes,” Weinrich said. “We’re looking to try to develop some relationships and get some games with them. It would be a good thing.” He also knows the high expectations of the program. The Bluebirds are 100-5 in the last seven years. “I look forward to making the program better,” Weinrich said. “I think Coach Mueller would be a bit aggravated with us if we didn’t do better this year than we did last year. I am excited to be here and can’t wait to get started.” Highands owns 22 state championships in school history. The Bluebirds began working on another one Wednesday with winter weights and conditioning. They will work out after school three times a week until spring football practices start. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Weinrich only one interviewed in extremely smooth transition

Newport Central Catholic 78, Lloyd Memorial 39: The Thoroughbreds (11-1) bounced back from Friday’s tough loss dominating the visiting Lady Juggernauts (4-4). The game hit the running clock in the third quarter. NewCath saw four players reach double-figures. Posts Nikki Kiernan and Alexus Mayes scored 11 and 10 points respectively. But they did not lead the Thoroughbreds in scoring like usual. Senior Stephanie Lewis had a breakout game of 16 points and Sarah Neace followed with 12. The Thoroughbreds begin a tough stretch Wednesday at undefeated Bishop Brossart (11-0). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Saturday Basketball Roundup

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team did not suffer a letdown Saturday. Highlands (10-2) followed Friday’s big win at Newport Central Catholic with a 60-50 win over the Green County Lady Dragons (5-5) in the Centria Metals/Staxx BBQ Shootout at Franklin County. The Lady Birds have won two in a row. Brianna Adler and Haley Coffey led Highlands with 22 and 15 points respectively. Adler hit 8-of-12 shots including 5-of-7 from three-point range and Coffey made 5-of-6 free-throw attempts to go with four steals and three assists. Green County also saw two players score in double-digits. They were Kayla Bale with 15 and Mya Schrembs with 12. Bale made 3-of-5 three-pointers. The game saw five lead changes and four ties. But Highlands pulled away in the fourth quarter. Highlands plays at Newport (9-2) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Saturday Basketball Roundup

Newport Central Catholic 68, Beechwood 31: The Thoroughbreds (10-3) dominated another 9th Region opponent to move to 5-0 in region play. NewCath saw three players reach double-digits in this road game. Tanner Moeves led the way with 16 points. Zach Pangallo and Drew McDonald followed with 11 each. NewCath travels to in-town rival Newport (6-4) on Monday for a 36th District contest. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Saturday Basketball Roundup

Covington Catholic 67, Highlands 29: The undefeated Colonels (10-0) dominated from start to finish in this contest. Highlands (1-7) fell to 0-3 in 9th Region play. The Bluebirds have lost four straight to the Colonels. Highlands last beat Covington Catholic, 61-45 on Jan. 5, 2010. The Bluebirds had problems all game against the Colonels’ man-to-man pressure defense. They turned the ball over 17 times on 15 CovCath steals. CovCath had just seven turnovers on four Bluebird steals. Highlands put up just 24 shots making 10 for 42 percent and made just 3-of-8 free throws for 38 percent. Drew Houliston led the Bluebirds with seven points. Ten Colonels scored. Post Mark Schult led the way with 14 points and Nick Ruthsatz added 10 on two three-pointers. Ruthsatz will play college basketball at National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics power University of Findley in northwest Ohio next year. CovCath also dominated the boards, 32-23. Schult led the way with nine. Highlands returns home Tuesday against Bracken County (8-5). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Saturday Basketball Roundup

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter NEWPORT – The latest trend in the regular season in this 36th District rivalry is to be the underdog on the road. In a reversed role from last year, the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team came into Friday’s game on the Hill against the undefeated Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds in that underdog role. But Highlands pulled off a huge 45-40 district victory for its second straight win in the series. NewCath came to Fort Thomas last year and won 56-54. But Highlands later ended NewCath’s season with a 48-40 win in the district semifinals. That snapped NewCath’s eight-game winning streak in the series. Highlands also won on the Hill for the first time since a 55-36 win on Feb. 25, 1999 in the district championship. NewCath had won the previous eight meetings at home, including the seven meetings since Jaime Walz-Richey became Highlands Head Coach in 2002. The Bluebirds (9-2 overall, 2-0 district) did it with primarily a 2-3 zone defense. They made sure Thoroughbred posts Nikki Kiernan and Alexus Mayes did not get anything easy in the paint and kept Michaela Ware from penetrating for lay-ups. Highlands outscored NewCath, 6-2 in the paint. “The girls listened to the game plan and didn’t get rattled when they went up a couple (points),” Richey said. “We knew who we wanted to shoot and who we didn’t want to get the ball. They made a couple threes early and we told the girls to let those people shoot.” Kiernan finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. But no one else scored more than seven for NewCath. Highlands held Mayes to four. NewCath (10-1, 2-1) could not hit enough outside shots to make Highlands extend its defense. The Thoroughbreds made 16-of-56 shots for 28 percent including 5-of-26 from three-point range for 19 percent and the Bluebirds made 15-of-38 shots for 40 percent with no three-pointers on seven tries. “We struggled stepping up and hitting outside shots,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “Forty points is not very good. We gave up 45 points which is not bad at all. When (opponents) take away (Mayes and Kiernan), other girls have to step up and make some shots. That’s the bottom line.” Both teams saw seven players score each. But Highlands put two players in double-digits. Junior post Alex Combs made all six free throws on her way to 14 points and sophomore Brianna Adler made 4-of-5 on her way to 10 points. Highlands committed just eight fouls to 15 for the hosts and the Bluebirds made the most of their free throws. They hit 15-of-22 for 68 percent compared to 3-of- 7 for 43 percent for the Thoroughbreds. The Bluebirds edged the Thoroughbreds in the rebounding departments, 36-34. Combs and McKenzie Leigh led Highlands with six each. That was not the case for Highlands in the loss Saturday to Bishop Brossart in the Conner State Farm Classic title game. “We were pretty confident,” said Lydia Graves, Highlands junior. “We just had to find a girl and box her out. We felt we could put in our free throws if they fouled us.” Highlands also handled NewCath’s vaunted on-ball pressure defense. The Bluebirds turned the ball over 14 times and recorded seven steals and the Thoroughbreds turned it over 10 times and made just six steals. Adler led Highlands with four thefts and Kiernan led NewCath with two. “The nerves are there in the beginning,” said Zoie Barth, Highlands guard. “But after tip-off, you have to be yourself, play your game and not play their game. We knew we needed to come out strong and jump on top of them fast. We knew we could do it.” The game stayed close the entire way. Neither team led by more than four points entering the final quarter tied at 31. Highlands used a 6-0 run to go up 37-31. Graves spearheaded it for the Bluebirds with a three-point play hitting a jumper and making 1-of-2 free throws. But NewCath came back and tied it at 37 with 2:37 left in the game when Ware scored in the middle of the paint. “I couldn’t be more proud of Lydia Graves,” Richey said. “A green light went off and she took the ball strong to the basket. We told the girls if they press us, we have five ball handlers that can take the ball to the basket.” Highlands pulled away for good with an 8-0 run. Combs led the way making four free throws and a lay-up on the right side. Graves had a crucial rebound and made two free throws with 6.4 seconds left before Zimmerman hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. Both teams return to action today. Highlands takes on Green County (5-4) in the Centria Metals/Staxx BBQ Shootout at Franklin County at 1 p.m. today. NewCath faces Lloyd Memorial (4-3) at 7:30 p.m. back on The Hill. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands pulls off huge win on The Hill

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball team crossed the Licking River and brought back a convincing victory Friday. The Thoroughbreds (9-3) pounded the Covington Holy Cross Indians (3-9), 72-36 in 9th Region action. NewCath moved to 4-0 in region play with the win. The guards led the Thoroughbreds in this one. Tanner Moeves scored 17 and Zach Pangallo added 14. The Thoroughbreds travel to Beechwood (5-5) for another region game tonight. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC boys dominate Holy Cross

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The anticipation will come to a climax Monday. Peggy Hughes, spokesperson for the Fort Thomas Independent School District, sent out an e-mail announcing Highlands High School will have a press conference announcing the successor to Dale Mueller as Head Coach of the vaunted Highlands Bluebirds. It will take place at 3 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Everyone is invited to attend. Mueller announced his retirement from the position on Dec. 9 of this past year after 20 years on the job. Mueller guided the Bluebirds to a record of 250-36, 11 state championships and three state runner-up finishes making him the winningest and longest-tenured coach in the 99 years of the program. Mueller finished with an overall record of 309-67 in 29 years as a Head Coach. He coached at Cincinnati Withrow and Cincinnati Sycamore before succeeding Tom Duffy as Head Coach of the Bluebirds in 1994. Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Brian Weinrich has long been the leading candidate to succeed Mueller. Weinrich came on staff in 1995 as a volunteer assistant and worked his way up to Defensive Coordinator in 2002. Weinrich helped the Bluebirds to the 1989 Class AAA state championship in a 27-3 win over Paducah Tilghman. Highlands owns the second-most wins in the country with an overall record of 855-227-26 since the program began in 1915. Valdosta (Georgia) has the most wins in the country with an overall record of 882-214-34. The selection culminates with the start of winter conditioning. That first day was Monday. The new head coach will have a lot of talent to work with. Beau Hoge is the leading candidate to take over at quarterback and the offense returns wide receivers Jensen Feggins and Alex Veneman. The defense returns players like Griffin Urlage, Andrew Abner, Rocco Pangallo, Bo Hebel and D.J. Mills. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Mueller's Successor to be named Monday

NC boys 64, Cordia 63: The Thoroughbreds (6-2) held off Cordia to open the Republic Bank of Kentucky Tournament at Lexington Catholic in double overtime. NewCath’s three bigs led them in scoring. Drew McDonald had 23 with Jake Schulte and Ben Weyer following with 16 and 15 points respectively. The Thoroughbreds take on Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park (7-2) at Noon today in a rematch of the King of the Bluegrass third-place game. PRP rallied to win it 78-70. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: NC Basketball teams garner big wins

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team survived a battle of 7-0 teams Friday. NewCath downed the Glasgow Lady Scotties, 54-50 to open the Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County. Glasgow had recently recorded a huge win over Louisville power Sacred Heart. Nikki Kiernan and Alexus Mayes once again led the charge for the Thoroughbreds. Kiernan recorded a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds with Mayes scoring 15. Point guard Michaela Ware added 10 points. Sophomore Bree Glover led Glasgow with 30 points. The University of Kentucky has already offered her a scholarship. “(Glover) is good at going to the basket,” said George Stoll, NewCath Head Coach. “She can do a little bit of everything. We had a tough time keeping her in front of us.” NewCath did hold Glasgow senior center Shalika Smith to six points. Smith is committed to Western Kentucky University. The biggest difference in the game is NewCath handled the ball better. The Thoroughbreds forced 23 turnovers and committed just 14. Glasgow did shoot free throws a little better making 13-of-19 for 68 percent. NewCath hit 15-of-24 for 63 percent. The Thoroughbreds return to tournament action today against LaRue County (6-2) at 5:30 p.m. in Mount Sterling. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: NC Basketball teams garner big wins