| Bluebirds Put Up 90 Points in Second Straight Game
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| PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Oliver Harris (13) gets in defensive position in a recent game. |
The Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team (17-6 overall) had one game left in 36th District play and quickly took care of business besting the host Bellevue Tigers (3-18) on Monday.
Highlands finished the season 4-0 against district competition for the third straight season. The district tournament takes place at Bellevue this year. Bellevue switched with Dayton last year because Dayton’s bigger gym allowed for social distancing better.
Highlands Head Coach Kevin Listerman said the Bluebirds took control of the game in the first quarter. The Bluebirds made 39-of-67 shots for 58 percent including 8-of-20 from three-point range for 40 percent and 4-of-7 free throws for 57 percent.
“We were able to cause some turnovers early, especially with our pressure,” Listerman said. “We got some easy baskets. We talked about respecting the game and respecting our opponents by playing hard and I thought that our kids did that. We really shared the basketball, which we’ve done a great job of here in the last several ballgames. We knocked down shots and played very solid.”
The lopsided win allowed 16 players to see action for Highlands. Senior Zach Barth led the way scoring 16 points and senior forward Cole Kocher scored 12. Junior guard Will Herald made three three-pointers on his way to 11 points.
Highlands also had 43 rebounds, 22 assists, 12 steals and just eight turnovers. Sophomore Cam Giesler led the Bluebirds with five assists and sophomore Brody Benke had five rebounds.
Sophomore forward Nathan Kirst and freshman guard Hank Shick are two younger players that saw extensive playing time in the second half. Shick scored six points and Kirst scored five.
“I just try to make sure I execute everything as well as possible,” Kirst said. “It was good to get out there and get the experience.”
Sophomore guard Noah Frommeyer led Bellevue with eight points. The Tigers made 10-of-49 shots for 20 percent including 2-of-21 from three-point range for 10 percent and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line for 50 percent. The Tigers also had 22 rebounds, three assists, one steal and 17 turnovers.
Highlands plays host to Lloyd Memorial (17-5) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.