Highlands excelled in many areas of the game, but their unselfishness is what stuck out for their eighth straight win.
In a significant 36th district game in Fort Thomas, the Bluebirds breezed past
Newport Central Catholic, 66-50.
Highlands remained patient the entire game, spreading the ball around, which led
to open looks.
“The girls are great at creating shots for one another.” Highlands coach Jaime Walz-Richey said. “These girls have been together for two years. They’re used to one
another, and you can see that through the ball movement and extra passes.”
Bluebirds center Marissa Green was the focal point, dominating inside, but
opening up the offense for her teammates. Two of her teammates scored double-
digits. Kaylee Mills with 13 and Avery Barber with 10.
“It’s important for my teammates to get open, especially when I’m doubled because
they’re great shooters, but can also drive and get to the basket,” Green said. “They’re
always looking for the next shot, the open shot.”
Green finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds and a monstrous defensive game as well, blocking shots and crashing the glass. Green finished hitting 12-of-13 from the field.
“We ask her to do a lot and she continues to do everything’s she is asked,” Walz-Richey
said. “She alters so many shots down low and can grab rebounds for us. She’s always
working to fix her game and get better.”
The Thoroughbreds shot the ball well early, knocking down eight triples and trailing 18-
14 at the end of the first quarter, but a drought hit in the second quarter. In the first
six minutes, they were outscored 10-0. They went into the locker room down 36-25
“We just missed the shots,” NewCath coach Dan Albrinck said. “We just went
through a stretch there where we couldn’t make anything. They were good looks.
We’re usually a really good shooting team, we’ll eventually hit those.”
Caroline Eaglin led NewCath in scoring with 17 points, Alaina Albrinck followed with 15 points, all coming off five treys.
On defense they couldn’t overcome Highlands perimeter shooting as they sunk nine 3-pointers.
“We rotated well and hustled,” Albrinck said. “Every single one of them worked really
hard. I’m always happy with our effort. We’re aggressive and we help each other out,
it just wasn’t good enough tonight.”
Newport Central Catholic goes to 12-6 with a 1-1 district record. The
Thoroughbreds have another district opponent up next as they take on Newport at
home on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Highlands has found their groove, moving to 12-5. The Bluebirds are 3-0 in district
play and haven’t lost to a district opponent since Feb. 24, 2022, in the 36th
district championship.
“We’re practicing better, and we can see it in games now,” Walz-Richey said. “We’re just
trying to get them to understand that if you come in and have a good practice, you’re
going to see good things in games.”
Next up, Highlands stays on their six-game home stretch, taking on Campbell
County on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
BLUEBIRDS 66, THOROUGHBREDS 50
HIGHLANDS — 18-18-18-12 — 66
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC — 14-11-15-10 — 50
Scoring
Highlands (66) — Green 26, Mills 13, Barber 10, Bucher 6, Barton 4, Orme 4, Macke 3,
Newport Central Catholic (50) — Eaglin 17, Albrinck 15, Brannen 6, Cole 6, McFarland
4, Beck 2
Game Stats
3-Pointers Made: Highlands 9, NewCath 8
Free Throws: Highlands 9/11, NewCath 6/10
Fouls: Highlands 12, NewCath 14
Records: Highlands 12-5, NewCath 12-6