Teams in the 33rd District play each other twice during the regular season becoming real familiar with each other.
That makes the third time meeting in the postseason interesting in many ways. But it generally boils down to which teams improve the most throughout the season and execute their styles better in the tournament.
This 33rd District Tournament saw one common pattern. The team that built a nice lead in the first half won all five games. The Conner Cougars (20-9 overall) did that Friday building a 13-point halftime lead over the top-seeded Cooper Jaguars (22-6) and held on for a 55-45 victory at Ryle. The Cougars have won the district tournament a school-record three years in a row.
“We told the guys (Thursday) that getting out to that good start early is huge in postseason games because then you’re not expending your energy trying to fight back,” said Matthew Otte, Conner Head Coach. “You’re already there and you keep fighting. I thought we did a good job early then we told them at halftime Cooper is not going to give up. They came out, made their run and our kids did a great job of holding them off as best as we could for a little bit then finding a way to push through there in the fourth quarter.”
Cooper finished a perfect 6-0 in district action during the regular season. The Jaguars beat the Cougars, 41-38 at home Dec. 7 and 61-55 in Hebron on Jan. 19.
Conner likes to push the pace while Cooper likes to slow it down offensively. Both teams played physical defense, especially in the half-court. The refs tried to let the kids play the entire tournament.
“We told them at halftime that there are going to be some fouls that go against us,” Otte said. “(It was a matter of) keeping your composure and keep playing. It would be alright. I thought we did. We stayed together and in the end, we made the plays down the stretch.”
Cooper had 14 fouls to 11 for Conner. The Jaguars had to foul a number of times in the final minute trying to get back in the game quickly. But the Cougars made 15 of 16 free throws including 6 of 7 in the game’s final minute to pull away. The Jaguars made just 3 of 9 free throws for 33 percent.
Conner had success offensively in the first half dribbling one way, catching the Cooper defenders leaning then driving to the basket creating things in the paint. Conner junior guard Landen Hamilton scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the first half. Hamiton scored Conner’s first 11 points making two triples in the first four minutes of the game.
The Cougars saw three players score in double figures. Senior guard Alex Castrucci nearly had a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds. He made all eight free throws. Junior guard Ayden Lohr added 11 points.
“You have to have confidence in your game and your teammates,” Lohr said. “You have to be able to get open with the screens your teammates give you and (take) the opportunities the other team gives you. Cooper is a really good team. It’s hard to compete physically. But that’s what Conner basketball prides itself on – hustle, physicality.”
Conner had 1.10 points per possession to .88 for Cooper and averaged 1.01 points per shot to .84 for the Jaguars. The Cougars had 29 defensive stops and just eight turnovers to 27 defensive stops and 11 turnovers for the Jaguars.
Conner made 17 of 46 shots for 37 percent including 6 of 10 from three-point range for 60 percent to go with 28 rebounds, two assists and eight steals. Cooper made 19 of 49 shots for 39 percent including 4 of 14 three-point tries for 29 percent to go with 30 rebounds, four assists and five steals.
The Jaguars were not able to work the ball around for the good shot offensively like they desire playing from behind. Junior 6-foot-9-inch center/forward Caleb Brooks led the Jaguars with 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Senior guard Montana Phillips finished with nine points. Sophomore forward Jack Lonaker added seven rebounds for Cooper.
“At this juncture of the season, you’re playing against teams that you can’t take plays off,” said Tim Sullivan, Cooper Head Coach. “You can’t have moments that we had in the first half that weren’t very good. I can’t tell you how proud I am of the group in that locker room right now for what they did in the second half. They showed me something. They showed themselves something and we gave ourselves a chance. Conner has some kids that can really score and I thought our kids went toe-to-toe with them and just came up short.”
Conner senior forward Landen Cook had to guard Brooks a good part of the game. Cook finished with four fouls. But he made Brooks earn everything he got.
“Caleb (Brooks) is a good big,” the 6-4 Cook said. “We just had to be more physical with him. He’s a good shooter from the outside so I had to stay locked in, try to keep my hand up hoping he would miss then box him out. It’s harder than it looks.”
Lohr made a triple at the top of the key as time expired in the first quarter to give Conner a 20-11 lead. The Cougars played a 2-3 zone defense in the second quarter holding the Jaguars to six points. Another Hamilton three gave Conner a 27-15 lead with 3:23 left in the half before Castrucci made a three-point play to put the Cougars up 30-17 at halftime.
But the Jaguars came out on fire in the second half going on an 11-0 run to trim the Cougar lead to 30-28 with 5:18 left in the third quarter. Brooks sparked the run with eight points and senior guard Blake Berry made a three.
Cooper did tie the game at 31 when junior Gavin Lutz hit a jumper from the right post. But Castrucci drew seven fouls including one with 2:07 left in the quarter. He made both free throws to give the Cougars the lead for good at 33-31. Conner led 35-33 entering the fourth quarter.
Cooper did trim the lead to 37-36 with 7:02 left in the game. But Conner responded with five in a row. Hamilton made a three and Castrucci two more free throws to put the Cougars up 42-36 with 3:52 left in the game.
“Our kids did a great job. I think we learned a little from Wednesday night when you have a little bit of a lead there at the end, you have to keep moving the ball,” Otte said. “You have to cut. When you have that opportunity, you take it and our kids were great at recognizing that then going in and finishing there once they got around the basket and making the free throws when the fouls started coming.”
Cooper tightened its defense in the second half and Conner had issues driving to the basket. But after Brooks scored to trim the lead to 42-38 with 3:02 left in the game, Lohr made a three from the left wing before another Brooks score made it 45-40 Cougars with 2:26 left in the game.
“That was a tough shot,” Sullivan said. “There were some other things that went so-so. We don’t have any excuses. (Lohr) hit a big shot. They took our best shot and they kept fighting. That’s a sign of a well-coached, really tough basketball team.”
That’s when junior guard Daniel Campbell found his way to the rim for two tough baskets to put Conner up 49-40 with 1:27 left in the game. Phillips had an offensive rebound with 1:08 left in the game. That’s when the Jaguars had to start fouling down 49-42.
“We just knew that we had to be patient with the ball,” Campbell said. “If we were patient with the ball, we could go wherever we wanted. Cooper plays really tough defense so it’s a credit to them, too. We stayed with what worked.”
Castrucci and Lohr joined Hamilton on the all-tournament team with Brooks and Lutz. The other three to make the team were Ryle senior Brayden Smith, Boone County sophomore forward Shaun Pouncy and Heritage Academy freshman forward Landon Warner.
Sullivan wants the players to keep things in perspective despite the loss. The 9th Region quarterfinals at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University do not start until Saturday, March 5 so the team will still be together for a week.
“We’re going to have a ball,” Sullivan said. “There are things going on in our world right now in other countries where people don’t get to do what they want to do. The sun will come up tomorrow. The feet will hit the floor and we get to play. Whoever we end up drawing, we’re going to give a dog fight to.”
The 9th Region drawing takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Holmes. Conner takes on either Newport, Lloyd Memorial or Holy Cross. Cooper faces Highlands, Covington Catholic or Dixie Heights.
Boys Basketball 33rd District Results at Ryle:
First Round on Monday, Feb. 21:
Ryle 83, Heritage Academy 47
Semifinals on Wednesday, Feb 23:
Cooper 49, Ryle 33
Conner 73, Boone County 62
Title Game on Friday, Feb. 25:
Conner 55, Cooper 45