Tuesday night’s matchup had all the hopes for a classic 35th District showdown.
That was until Holy Cross sophomore Luke Arlinghaus was helped off the court with an ankle injury at the end of the first quarter.
Covington Catholic caught fire shortly after and never looked back as they defeated Holy Cross 78-55 on the road.
Both teams entered the game with something to prove. While CovCath looked to improve their win streak to five, a determined Holy Cross program had their sights set on stealing a win against the No. 6 team in the state and a No. 1 seed for the 35th District tournament.
The first quarter showcased each team’s offensive capabilities as both the Colonels and the Indians traded baskets.
CovCath standout sophomore Cash Harney had six of his 14 points in the first quarter while Arlinghaus connected on three straight triples to give the Indians early momentum.
As the final seconds of the opening quarter winded down, Arlinghaus landed awkwardly on his ankle and winced in immediate pain. Unable to put any pressure on his foot, any hope for a return vanished.
“Whenever there’s an injury on the team, it’s always going to change our dynamic,” said Holy Cross head coach Ricardo Johnson. “With that being said, it gives other guys the opportunity to produce. We preach, take advantage of the opportunity and let the marathon continue.”
While the Indians found themselves down just one point to the Colonels at 17-16, the energy within the team’s play suffered. Without Arlinghaus, the Indians struggled handling the Colonels defensive pressure and turned it over 16 times on the night.
Although Holy Cross found help from sophomore Nate Rominger who had six of the team’s 10 second quarter points, CovCath senior Caden Miller matched them just as quickly.
A once one-point deficit increased to as many as 13 as CovCath found their offensive rhythm and headed into halftime with a 37-26 lead.
Coming out of halftime, it felt as though the Indians second half play could either be a boom or a bust. While playing with effort and heart has never been a problem for the Indians, the Colonels’ depth posed a challenge for the Holy Cross bench as they had five finish in double figures.
In a matter of minutes, CovCath opened the second half on a 13-2 run.
Harney’s back-to-back triples ignited yet another run as the Colonels found eight different scorers in the third quarter. Sharing the ball was a common occurrence for the Colonels as they found at least five scorers in each of the four periods.
Holy Cross junior Jonah Crail helped soften the blow, scoring five of his seven points in the second half. Despite the efforts, Holy Cross had no answer to CovCath’s offensive prowess.
By the end of the third period, the Colonels owned a 21-point lead and were in search of a final exclamation. Their answer came from Miller, who had three emphatic dunks to seal the deal early in the final quarter of play.
Miller’s 18-point performance was followed by Harney who had 14, senior Brady Hussey and sophomore Donovan Bradshaw each had 12, and sophomore Athens McGillis finished with 10.
The Colonels shot 57% on the night which included an 8-of-16 performance from behind the arc.
Improving to 20-5 on the season and 9-1 in the 9th region, CovCath will face Lloyd Memorial on the road Monday.
Holy Cross was led by Rominger with 14 and Arlinghaus who had nine despite the early injury.
As the marathon continues, six of Holy Cross’ final seven games will be played against 9th Region opponents, the first being Beechwood on Friday in a game that will determine the No. 2 seed for the 35th District tournament on.
“You know, it’s another opportunity to get better,” said Johnson. “The train has to keep rolling, so we’ll put our hard hats on each day and get ready to lace ‘em up.”
COLONELS 78, INDIANS 55
COVINGTON CATHOLIC — 17-20-26-15 — 78
HOLY CROSS — 16-10-15-14 — 55
Scoring
CovCath (78) — Miller 18, Harney 14, Bradshaw 12, Hussey 12, McGillis 10, Ruthsatz 5, Johnson 5, Wermuth 2
Holy Cross (55) — Rominger 14, Arlinghaus 9, Crail 7, McElheney 6, Reinersman 4, Adams 4, Urlage 3, Gabbard 3, Goetz 3, Hunt 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: CovCath 30/53, Holy Cross 21/50
3-Pointers: CovCath 8/17, Holy Cross 8/22
Free Throws: CovCath 10/12, Holy Cross 5/10
Rebounds: CovCath 32, Holy Cross 23
Assists: CovCath 14, Holy Cross 10
Steals: CovCath 13, Holy Cross 4
Turnovers: CovCath 8, Holy Cross 16
Blocked Shots: CovCath 2, Holy Cross 2
Fouls: CovCath 15, Holy Cross 13
Records: Covington Catholic (20-5, 3-0), Holy Cross (14-8, 1-1)