Newport put an end to a 49-game winning streak on Friday night at the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic in Mason, taking down Richmond Heights (Ohio), 74-69.
Richmond Heights has won consecutive Ohio Division IV state championships and were ranked ninth in the country by MaxPreps.
Newport (2-0) stood up to the challenge.
“Here is the thing about this team. They will play for each other. They will find the hot hand,” said Rodney Snapp, Newport head coach. “They’re not selfish kids. They go hard every day. They’re ultra competitive. Special things happen to teams like that.”
Two big keys to the win were shooting and rebounds. Newport won the rebounding battle, 29-26 and hit 61% from the field and 7-of-12 from three-point range. The Wildcats used their athleticism to outscore the Spartans 40-28 in the paint and knocked down 13-of-16 from the line.
“Our shot selection was pretty solid,” Snapp said. “They’re long and athletic. I feel we were unselfish with the ball.”
Taylen Kinney scored 27 points to lead Newport facing a number of defenses from Richmond Heights including the run-and-jump. Jabari Covington added 14 with James Turner and DeShaun Jackson scoring 12 and eight, respectively. Jackson and Turner led the Wildcats with six rebounds each.
“Our coaching staff made adjustments for the run-and-jump so every time they trapped, we came back and helped each other out,” Jackson said. “We talk almost every play. Sometimes on defense, I feel like we can do more talking. But we definitely talk a lot.”
TJ Crumble led Richmond Heights with 22 points, a rated four-star prospect in the class of 2026. Crumble holds offers from plenty of Power Five conferences from around the country.
Newport had 14 turnovers to just nine for Richmond Heights. But Snapp said the Wildcats turned it over only twice in the second half.
Newport plays host to Boone County on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights 62, Simon Kenton 44
The Colonels won the county rivalry game on the road.
Dixie Heights had eight different players score. Hudson Blank led the way with 17 points and Max Rubemeyer scored 10. Griffin Derry and Owen Niehues added eight points each as the Colonels (1-1) made 17-of-20 free throws.
“We did not perform well in our first game. That’s safe to say. But the guys responded,” Dixie Heights head coach Chad Fields said. “You could tell from our first couple possessions we were in a different head space. That was the team we recognized all preseason long, so it was nice to get back to who we are.”
Simon Kenton (0-2) played again without the injured senior Travis Krohman. Junior guard Jordan Bach made three triples on his way to a team-high nine points.
Dixie Heights plays host to Conner on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Simon Kenton hosts Mason County (1-1) at the same time.
Conner 68, St. Henry 65
The Cougars earned their first win of the season behind 33 points from sophomore guard Finn Louden.
Louden had plenty of help as Conner (1-1) had three players score in double figures. Brady Bushman and Riley Abousaleh followed with 10 points each and Chase Huff scored nine.
St. Henry (0-2) had three players score in double figures. Drew Flanagan led the way scoring 16 points with Ryan Hartman and Andrew Reis scoring 13 and 11, respectively.
St. Henry takes on the Doss Dragons from Louisville in the Riverview Meat Tip-Off Classic at Harrison County at 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Conner travels to Dixie Heights on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Scott 93, Bracken County 44
The Eagles earned the convincing first win of the season in their first 10th Region game of the season.
A number of players earned valuable experience with 14 of the 15 players dressed scoring. Dylan Giffen led the way scoring 15 points with Connor Griffin and Jon Evans adding 13 and 12, respectively. Xarek Sarakatsannis followed with nine.
Scott (1-1) plays host to Newport Central Catholic on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Other Boys Basketball Scores
Walton-Verona 76, Eminence 26
Highlands 75, Cincinnati (Ohio) Trailblazers Home School 35
Cincinnati (Ohio) McNicholas 79, Villa Madonna 51
Berea 65, Heritage Academy 60
Highlands Latin 71, Dayton 58
Girls Basketball
Notre Dame 41, Conner 38
Notre Dame took advantage of Sophia Gibson’s size mismatch inside as she scored 20 points to help the Pandas edge the Cougars in the Donna Murphy Classic at Newport.
Another big difference came in assists and turnovers. Notre Dame (2-0) recorded 14 assists and 12 turnovers compared to 15 turnovers and just six assists for the Cougars. Maya Lawrie led the Pandas with 11 assists.
Conner (1-1) stayed close behind Anna Hamilton’s 22 points. Hamilton also had team team-highs of six rebounds and five steals.
Notre Dame plays Montgomery County on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Conner and Notre Dame meet again Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Hebron.
Campbell County 42, Highlands 40
The Camels edged the county rival Bluebirds in the Donna Murphy Classic at Newport for just the second win in the series in the last 19 meetings dating back to 1998. Highlands had won nine in a row.
Campbell County (2-0) used its depth to win. Izzy Jayasuriya led the way with 15 points and Allison Collins scored 10.
“Our coaches told us what to do and we went out and executed it,” Collins said. “We seniors kept hyping up our teammates because at one point, we were in foul trouble and I ended up fouling out. But we stayed loud and excited for our team.”
Highlands (0-2) junior center Marissa Green gave Campbell County issues inside scoring 21 points. But no one else scored more than four points.
Campbell County head coach Davey Johnson said the Camels wanted to contain sophomore guard Saylor Macke, who scored 10 points in the Highlands loss at Dixie Heights on Tuesday. Macke scored just one on a free throw.
“(Green) is a night mare. We had a Plan A, Plan B and a Plan C going into the game against her,” Johnson said. “All three plans came out at some point trying different things. Our girls fought as hard as they could. But at the end of the day, she’s just a fantastic player and a mismatch nightmare.”
Both teams play one more game in the Donna Murphy Classic on Saturday. Campbell County takes on Martin County at 1:30 p.m. and Highlands faces Augusta at Noon.
Bishop Brossart 67, Mason County 43
The Mustangs earned another convincing 10th Region win in their home opener.
Greylee Kramer led Brossart (2-0) with 20 points. Kylie Smith and Rachel Shewmaker followed with 11 each as nine different Mustangs scored.
Brossart plays host to Pendleton County (2-0) on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Scott 71, Ludlow 38
The Eagles opened their season with a blowout victory over the Panthers.
Kourtney Peterson led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Nakiah Mejia adding 14 and Noelle Price with 12. Scott (1-0) hit 52% from the field and 58% from the 3-point line while knocking down 10-of-14 free throw attempts.
Scott plays at Newport in the Donna Murphy Classic on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Ludlow (0-2) hosts Boone County on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Other Girls Basketball Scores
Bellevue 71, Gallatin County 53
Walton-Verona 70, Eminence 44
Martin County 71, Newport 26
Villa Madonna 54, St. Patrick 7