What a week.
Matchups of No. 1 vs No. 2 on both the boys and girls side, an All “A” region championship down to the final seconds and three other NKY teams headed to Richmond for the All “A” state tournament as both the Holy Cross and Bishop Brossart boys and girls teams will participate.
First, Conner handed Covington Catholic their first in-state loss of the season last week in Park Hills with an impressive, nearly wire-to-wire victory over the Colonels. It bumps the Cougars to the top spot and rightfully so even with their loss to Hamilton (Ohio) on Saturday. But that matchup between the Cougars and Colonels proved this isn’t a one-team race for a 9th Region title at NKU in late February, early March, rather so a handful of teams capable of cutting the nets down.
And how about Newport and Holy Cross on Saturday night for the 9th Region All “A” title? Wow. What a game. Holy Cross executed their gameplan early on, forced the tempo to their liking, built a big lead and hung on just enough for a Newport team that is light years ahead of their time. Those two put on an epic matchup and one I wouldn’t mind seeing again in the future. Oh wait, the two meet again on January 30 at Newport.
On the girls side, Ryle showed Friday night this won’t be a cakewalk for Cooper in the 9th Region, yet alone the 33rd District. The Raiders took the Jaguars down to the wire in the district battle and the two look to be the class of the region. But the girls 9th Region is extremely deep and should make for a very competitive region tournament.
Here goes, the look at the top 10 LINK nky area teams for boys and girls prep basketball (Boone, Campbell and Kenton County):
BOYS
- Conner (11-5, Previous Week: 2) – Had their five-game winning streak snapped by Hamilton (Ohio) on Saturday, but with a 6-1 record in region play, the lone loss to St. Henry way early in the season means the Cougars take the top spot this week. Landen Hamilton hit the 1,000-point marker for his career in the victory over CovCath, as Dalton Kramer also had an impressive night. Hamilton, Kramer, Daniel Campbell and Ayden Lohr pack the punch nightly, all of them shooting around or over 40% from three helps too. A tough Grant County team on Tuesday followed by a district tilt with Ryle on Friday for the Cougars this week.
2. Covington Catholic (13-2, Previous Week: 1) – They just didn’t shoot it well in the loss to Conner, 35% from the field. The schedule for the rest of the Colonels season certainly doesn’t lack any punches. The final 13-game stretch starts with Highlands, Lloyd Memorial and North Laurel this week.
3. Holy Cross (11-5, Previous Week: 5) – In a one possession game with it all on the line, who else would you rather have with the ball other than Jacob Meyer? Meyer clinched the 9th Region All “A” title with the closing bucket against Newport in the final seconds, his 40th point of the night. Now they’ll head to Richmond next week as one of the top teams in the tournament. First is Campbell County and Holmes this week.
4. Newport (14-4, Previous Week: 3) – Hard to warrant much of a drop for the Wildcats, coming up just short to Holy Cross after a furious comeback. It was fun to watch a freshman take over that game in the fourth as Taylen Kinney did just that. But foul trouble came back to haunt Kinney, fouling out late. He’ll learn, as will this Wildcats team that continues impress despite their youth. NewCath in a district contest and Aiken (Ohio) on the docket for Newport this week.
5. Highlands (14-5, Previous Week: 6) – An impressive win over Simon Kenton in which senior Will Herald knocked down 10 three-pointers. Herald leads the state in hitting 54.3% from three and is top 20 all-time for 3-pointers made in KHSAA history. Bluebirds get CovCath on Tuesday and NewCath on Saturday.
6. Simon Kenton (12-5, Previous Week: 4) – Couldn’t overcome a hot shooting team at Highlands and rallied for a victory against Walton-Verona in a district battle last week. The district battles continue this week with Williamstown on Tuesday and what looks to be a marquee game on Friday against Grant County, most likely for the No. 1 seed in the district. The Pioneers follow that up with Collins on Saturday in a rematch of last month’s Ashland Invitational Tournament championship in which the Titans came out victorious.
7. Campbell County (11-7, Previous Week: 8) – Aric Russell became the Camels all-time wins leader in a win over Lloyd Memorial on Thursday. They followed that up with a wide-margin victory over Harrison County. The Camels have cemented themselves into the top three of the top 10th Region and with a narrow loss to Mason County, have shown they’re not far off from the top. Holmes on Monday, Holy Cross on Wednesday and Boyd County on Saturday for the Camels this week.
8. Cooper (10-6, Previous Week: 7) – Fought off a scare against Ryle and knocked off Beechwood the following day, allowing 89 points in two games. The Jahs continue to get contributions in a variety of ways as Trevor Ollier stepped up in the win over Ryle, Gavin Lutz and Andy Johnson in the win over Beechwood. Yamil Rondon is the one they can county on nightly, leading the team with 11.7 points per game. Cooper gets Lloyd Memorial on Wednesday, Boone County on Friday and Bracken County on Saturday.
9. Walton-Verona (12-5, Previous Week: 10) – Just missed on a big district win over Simon Kenton last week and followed it up with a tight victory over Ryle. Now they get Oldham County and Augusta this week. Five players in double figures makes the Bearcats a scary matchup nightly.
10. Lloyd Memorial (7-6, Previous Week: 9) – A tough week for the Juggernauts that included losses to Campbell County and Scott for their third loss in a row. An opportunity to bounce back with NewCath on Tuesday, Cooper on Wednesday and CovCath on Friday.
Next up: St. Henry, Scott
GIRLS
- Cooper (13-2, Previous Week: 1) – After winning their previous 10 games by an average of 36.5 points, it was probably a good thing for Cooper to get tested on Friday against Ryle. But it was a lot more than a test, a steal late sealing the victory for the Jaguars. Those two could meet two more times, once in the district final and again in the 9th Region final. Boone County on Friday before they head to Mercy in Louisville to face Bowling Green on Saturday. The 36.3 points they allow per game is best in the area and tied for seventh in the state.
2. Ryle (15-5, Previous Week: 2) – Continue to trend upward despite two losses last week, the one to Cooper and another to Sacred Heart, who looks untouchable in the state this year. Big district contest with Conner on Friday before they head to Mercy to face the hosts in the Raatz Fence/Oshea’s Classic.
3. Dixie Heights (12-5, Previous Week: 3) – Three wins last week over East Central (Indiana), St. Henry and Mason County. Foul them and you’ll pay, the Colonels the best free throw shooting team in the area at 71% and good for 12th in the state.
4. Holy Cross (14-5, Previous Week: 4) – Went 1-1 last week with a loss to CAL and followed it up with a win over Ashland. Three games this week before they head to the All “A” state tournament with a good shot to win it. Beechwood on Tuesday, Notre Dame on Thursday and Holmes on Friday.
5. Conner (11-5, Previous Week: 8) – An impressive week earns them a bump into the top five after blowout wins over Simon Kenton, Boone County and Central Hardin. Junior Anna Hamilton hit the 1,000-point marker for her career, doing so just a couple nights after her older brother Landen did so. The Conner-Ryle matchup on Friday is most likely for the 2-3 seed in the 33rd District which is also a reminder that one of these two top-tier teams in the region will have to watch from home come region tourney time. Conner follows up the Ryle matchup with Campbell County on Saturday.
6. Notre Dame (10-4, Previous Week: 6) – Bounced back from three straight losses with a tight win over North Laurel on Saturday. Grant County on Monday, Holy Cross on Wednesday and Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) on Saturday.
7. Highlands (12-6, Previous Week: 7) – Had a 2-1 week with wins over Newport and NewCath before losing to Ursuline Academy (Ohio). Marissa Green continues to impress with yet another double-double in the win over NewCath. Alyssa Harris had one too in the victory. Highlands gets Walton-Verona, Dayton and St. Henry this week.
8. Simon Kenton (9-8, Previous Week: 5) – In a bit of a rut since the calendar turned 2023, losing four of five, but the one win over Notre Dame was an impressive one. Losses to Conner and Assumption caused the drop and will have plenty of practice time with just two games over the next two weeks with St. Henry on Tuesday.
9. Newport Central Catholic (10-6, Previous Week: NR) – Defeated St. Henry and Scott before a lopsided loss to Highlands last week. Plays Jennings County on Tuesday and Bishop Brossart Saturday. Caroline Eaglin lit up the nets in the win over Scott, scoring 41 points and hitting 13-of-14 free throws.
10. Bishop Brossart (13-5, Previous Week: NR) – The 10th Region All “A” champs make the top 10 this week as they’ll head to EKU next week. After a 4-3 start, Brossart is 9-2 over their last 11 games.
Next up: Scott, Walton-Verona
