Newport’s 62-43 win over Holy Cross on Saturday was equal parts celebratory and concerning.
The defending Ninth Region champion Wildcats won the Ninth Region All “A” Classic tournament at Bellevue Gymnasium – and avenged a loss to the Indians in last year’s final – on Griffin Starks’ 18 points, Jabari Covington’s 16 and DeShaun Jackson’s 13 points and seven assists.
“We lost last year to Holy Cross, so we wanted to get this one back,” Covington said.
The reason for worry came with 6:28 to go in the second quarter when leading scorer Taylen Kinney went down with an injury.
The talented Wildcats team had others step up.
“I felt our two freshmen really stepped up,” Snapp said of Starks and Amontae Lowe. “(Lowe) was very confident, very aggressive with the ball.”
There was also a reminder that many things are more important than basketball. The Wildcats wore white t-shirts with “Play for Kierra” across the front to remember Kierra Lane, the Latonia woman who was shot and killed Jan. 6.
“It was a family member of our teammate,” Covington said. (Kinney was Lane’s cousin.)
Starks, a transfer from Anderson High School, also grabbed six rebounds, including four offensive boards. Saturday, he wasn’t sure whether he was more effective as a rim protector or scorer.
“I have my days; some days I’m a rim protector, some days I’m scoring,” Starks said. “But (Saturday) was definitely scoring.”
For the first four-plus minutes, Starks seemed to be everywhere.
Starting with a bucket less than two minutes into the first quarter, when he cleaned up James Turner’s missed three. A couple minutes later, he grabbed the second of four offensive rebounds when Jackson missed a layup.
Finally, Starks drained a triple from the right wing.
The score: Wildcats, 11-2.
If you thought Holy Cross (11-5) was done, you’d have been as wrong as a lime green polka dot shirt with fuchsia houndstooth slacks.
Carson Reinersman started the Indians’ comeback with six points (he led the Indians with 13 points), and Luke Arlinghaus finished it with a fadeaway-sprawled-on-the-floor-3 from the right wing that gave the Indians a 15-14 lead a little more than three minutes into the second stanza.
It was the only lead Holy Cross had.
Newport (15-3) converted 13 Holy Cross turnovers into 13 points. Jackson’s four points and Starks’ breakaway dunk gave the Wildcats a 25-19 halftime lead.
“In order to beat good teams, you’ve got to be able to sustain and handle pressure,” Holy Cross coach Ricardo Johnson said.
After Holy Cross closed to within 36-26 with a minute left in the third on Essex Adams’s field goal, a 14-7 run put Newport ahead, 50-33, with 4:43 to go.
Newport (15-3) meets 11th Region champion Sayre, an 83-59 winner over Berea, in the opening round of the All “A” state tournament at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 25 at Corbin Arena.
It will be a short night for Newport. The Wildcats take on Middletown in the Beacon Orthopaedics Flyin’ to the Hoop Invitational at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Trent Arena in Kettering.
Holy Cross is back at it on Tuesday at Campbell County.
WILDCATS 62, INDIANS 43
NEWPORT 14 11 14 23 – 62
HOLY CROSS 8 11 9 15 – 43
Newport (62) — Anderson 2, Covington 16, Jackson 13, Turner 8, Starks 18, Lowe 3, Nichols 2. 3-Pt. FG: 3 (Covington, Turner, Starks). FT: 15-22. Rebounds: 31 (Starks 6, Covington 5). Fouls: 13. Fouled out: Turner. Turnovers: 5.
Holy Cross (43) — Arlinghaus 9, Rominger 10, Reinersman 13, Adams 2, McElheney 9. 3-Pt. FG: 4 (Arlinghaus 2, Reinersman, McElheney). FT: 7-7. Rebounds: 24 (Rominger 7, Reinersman 5). Fouls: 17. Fouled out: Rominger.Turnovers: 13. Records: Holy Cross 11-5, Newport 15-3.