Things were off to a rough start for Newport.
A four-point first quarter and unable to establish any sort of rhythm thanks to a stingy Lloyd Memorial defense.
But the Wildcats found themselves down just 21-18 at half, then it was their turn to be stingy.
The Wildcats locked in defensively in the second half and made the plays down the stretch to earn a 49-42 victory and their first berth into the Ninth Region championship since 2010.
“Positive reinforcement helped. We got their best hit. They were physical and hit us in the mouth and we responded. It was like the Detroit Piston basketball back in the day and I love it. We told them to not get flustered and they were for a bit, but we responded,” Wildcats coach Rod Snapp said.
It was a heated battle, met with a couple of skirmishes during and even one after the game in the handshake line. But the Wildcats were able to keep their cool and stay calm down the stretch.
After seven first half turnovers, Newport committed just one miscue in the second half.
“We ran our offense. We reversed the ball, get into motion and made them guard a little bit harder. We made hard cuts, screens, in the first half we thought we were Superman and could just dribble right through them,” Snapp said.
They were led by their power four, Jabari Covington with 14 points, Marquez Miller, Taylen Kinney and James Turner with 10 apiece. Miller had eight rebounds, Kinney with seven.
But it may have been DaShawn Anderson’s defense that saved the day, holding NKU signee Jeremiah Israel to just five second half points.
Lloyd jumped out to a 11-4 lead after one, Newport going the final six minutes without a point.
The Juggernauts remained in control, leading by as much as nine in the second. EJ Walker’s two-handed throwdown gave Lloyd a 21-16 lead with under a minute to play in the half, Taylen Kinney’s last second shot making it 21-18 at the break.
“Ten of those 18 points were second chance points. Thought we played everything right. That was one of the biggest things we were focusing on and it came back to bite us,” Juggernauts coach Mike Walker said.
James Turner gave the Wildcats their first lead since it was 4-3 with two free throws in the third, Newport up 22-21. Lloyd responded with five straight, Elijah Collins’ triple making it 26-22 Juggernauts.
Jabari Covington stayed on the attack after some missed bunnies in the first half, scoring six straight for Newport to give them the lead back at 28-27 with 2:45 left in the third.
“I started getting to the basket. I started making layups and then the jumper started falling, hit a few mid-range shots,” Covington said.
Walker and Miller traded buckets to end the quarter, Newport entering the fourth with a 30-29 lead.
After Isiah Sebastian opened the fourth with four straight to give the Juggs a 33-30 lead, Newport entered lockdown mode.
A Kinney triple, Covington layup, pair of free throws from Kinney and Turner and a Miller putback and Newport’s 11-0 run gave them a 41-33 edge with less than two minutes remaining.
An estimated crowd of nearly 4,000 was pretty audible for both teams, but the roar got a little louder for Newport as the game went on.
“Great crowd, big environment. I told the guys they’ve put themselves in this situation, enjoy the moment and just think of all the kids that would want to be in their shoes right now. Told them to just enjoy the experience because it will be quick and before you know it, it will be over,” Snapp said.
The Juggs had a last ditch effort, getting within 43-40 after a Israel triple with 50 seconds to play. The Wildcats held Israel to five second half points.
Marquez Miller then drained two free throws, Jabari Covington essentially putting the game away with a breakaway layup after breaking the Lloyd press.
“A couple players kind of got outside of our game plan. When that happens, chaos starts to happen,” Walker said. “At that point I tried to bring them in. But I think the moment was too big for a couple of them. Nothing really changed, we were playing well and a couple of bad long shots and 50-50 balls turned into easy points for them.”
Now the Wildcats head to Tuesday’s championship to face Cooper, who took down Covington Catholic in the second game.
Newport defeated Cooper, 44-42 on Feb. 9.
Lloyd was paced by Israel’s 12 points, also grabbing nine rebounds in his last game as a Juggernaut. Israel is part of a three-member senior class for Lloyd. Joe Cooley and Brayden Riley the others.
“When I stopped coaching college, I came here and started coaching Jeremiah since eighth grade. Freshman coach, varsity assistant and then becoming the head coach the COVID year. I’m extremely happy for Jeremiah. Where he’s come from, the hard work he’s put in. Jeremiah is going to do great things at Northern,” Walker said. “Joe Cooley is going on to play football at Georgetown and Brayden Riley is actually going to start doing HVAC work and build his own business. Hopefully this gave them something to look back on the rest of their lives.”
Sebastian ended with 10 and nine rebounds, Walker with eight points. Walker will have quite the busy summer ahead, exploding on to the recruiting scene over the past couple of months with scholarship offers popping up everywhere.
“It’s surreal. I see him every day, so you see him growing in the sport and seeing those offers. He’s playing at the highest level of AAU over the summer and I’m proud to death of him. It’s a blessing to be a part of his growth and development and not just as a parent,” Walker said.
The Juggernauts season ended with a 19-10 record.
LLOYD MEMORIAL — 11-10-8-13 — 42
NEWPORT — 4-14-12-19 — 49
Lloyd (42) – Israel 12, Sebastian 10, Walker 8, Blaackar 5, Cooley 4, Collins 3
Newport (49) – Covington 14, Turner 10, Miller 10, Kinney 10, Anderson 5
