The Newport Central Catholic girls only led the rivalry game against Bishop Brossart for 1:45.
Luckily for the Thoroughbreds, they happened to the be the final 105 seconds of the game. Once they grabbed it, they did not let go, rallying past the Mustangs for a 52-47 win on the Hill.
The key for NewCath has been balance around junior standout Caroline Eaglin. The Thoroughbreds had it putting three players in double figures, hitting nine 3-pointers against the Brossart 2-3 and 3-2 zones.
Eaglin made three of those triples on the way to 22 points. Maddy McFarland also drained three from deep, finishing with 12 points and Brooklyn Cole hit two, scoring 10 points, including the go-ahead three in the final two minutes. Jaylee Brannen also scored two big buckets in the paint in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“We came out a little bit slow at the beginning, but then I feel like in the second half, we did really well with passing, little things and guarding people,” McFarland said. “I feel like our team makes things work all the time. It’s a matter of teamwork.”
Brossart also tried to be balanced, but struggled to execute down the stretch. Greylee Kramer and Kylie Smith led the Mustangs scoring 11 point each.
“That’s what we try to do is play really good help defense,” NewCath head coach Dan Albrinck said. “That’s one of the things we practice every day. Every game, we’ve been good at that and it showed (Saturday).”
NewCath (14-6) travels to Scott on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Bishop Brossart (13-6) travels to St. Henry on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Girls Basketball
St. Henry 46, Scott 38
The Crusaders recorded another big victory on consecutive days with the road win.
Kayla Unkraut led St. Henry with 20 points, making 11-of-12 free throws and Sydney Bollman scored eight. The Crusaders made 20-of-26 free throws overall.
Nakiah Mejia led Scott with 14 points, making three 3-pointers.
St. Henry (11-8) hosts Bishop Brossart on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Scott (14-7) hosts Newport Central Catholic on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart 61, Cooper 56
The Jaguars can take solace in knowing they are the only Kentucky opponent to come within single digits of the three-time defending champions in the semifinals of the Louisville Invitational Tournament at Valley.
It might have been a different story had Cooper not fallen behind 21-9 after the first quarter. Haylee Noel led the comeback charge with 19 points for the Jaguars and Logan Palmer scored 11 with Bella Deere adding eight.
Defensively, Cooper held Sacred Heart junior standout ZaKiyah Johnson to 13 points. Reagan Bender scored 21 to lead the Valkyries with Claire Russell and Angelina Pelayo scoring eight each.
Cooper (18-4) saw its 15-game winning streak snapped. The Jaguars host Simon Kenton on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Other Girls Basketball Scores
Iroquois 51, Covington Latin 15
South Oldham 79, Boone County 40
Bellevue 63, Williamstown 31
Boys Basketball
Covington Catholic 59, Ashland Blazer 52
Caden Miller posted another double-double of 21 points and 18 rebounds to go with five blocked shots to lead the Colonels to the road win.
Brady Hussey scored 18 points and Athens McGills scored eight as the Colonels shot 47% from the field.
CovCath (17-5) hosts Campbell County on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Newport Central Catholic 75, Hughes (Ohio) 57
The Thoroughbreds snapped a three-game losing streak with a home win over the Cincinnati Public Schools opponent.
Caleb Eaglin led NewCath with 23 points and Ian Mann scored 20. Louie Collopy scored 14 points as nine different Thoroughbreds scored.
NewCath (7-15) travels to Moeller (Ohio) on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Other Boys Basketball Scores
Ryle 88, Bell County 87
North Bullitt 79, Dayton 48
Heritage Academy 78, Portland Christian 55
Heritage Academy 73, Christian Fellowship 71
Lloyd Memorial 78, Ludlow 46
North Oldham 71, Beechwood 46
Williamstown 79, Bellevue 65