With their 70-27 win over Bellevue in the 9th Region girls basketball tournament quarterfinal round on Sunday , Cooper picked up a seventh straight region tournament victory and paired it with a 30-game winning streak over 9th Region opponents.
It was nothing short of dominance by Cooper from beginning to end at Truist Arena, facing an opponent making their first trip to the region tourney since 2010.
Cooper pitched a shutout in the first quarter, leading 23-0 after the game’s first eight minutes. Bellevue’s first points came at the five-minute mark of the second quarter on an Ally MacPherson triple.
“I was thinking please make a basket,” Bellevue head coach Tommy Sorrell said.
“We needed to get something going. We had a couple of free throws and layups roll
around the rim, but our girls were tight. They were so nervous with it being their
first time here. They’ve never played a team like Cooper either.”
By that time MacPherson’s triple dropped it was 31-3.
The Jaguars used everyone in this one. Eleven different players made it into the scoring column.
“They’re all very important,” Cooper head coach Justin Holthaus said. “They’re
maybe not playing as many minutes during the varsity season, but they’re
practicing with us and making us better every day. For them to come in and just lead
on like the first group did says a lot about them.”
Cooper was led in scoring by Logan Palmer with 11 points.
“It went a lot better than I expected.” Palmer said, “Getting up and down, I thought it
was going to be a lot harder, but it came together. We moved the ball really well and
it really worked out.”
Haylee Noel added nine points and five rebounds while Liz Freihofer scored eight points to go with seven rebounds. Cooper’s bench finished with 33 points, Simone Smith and Addyson Brissey leading the way there with eight points apiece.
After MacPherson’s triple, Bellevue caught some wind in their sails. They posted a 15-10 spurt to finish the half, trailing 41-15.
The Jaguars started the third quarter on a 12-0 run and forced a running clock nearly halfway through the frame. They’d lead 64-19 after three.
The Tigers season ends at 22-10, but it was a special season that not only saw them play in the region tourney for the first time in 14 years, but post the most wins in a season in program history. Their victory over Newport Central Catholic in the district tournament semifinals got them to this point.
“After we beat Newport Central Catholic, the girls ran on the floor and just the
excitement on their face it brought tears to my eyes.” Sorrell said, “The only people
who thought our team had a chance were the people inside our school. We finally
got to go to the region tournament for the first time since 2010. Just to see how
excited they were and how excited they are about next season. A lot of good things
happened this year to these kids and I’m so proud of them.”
Bellevue was led by Paulina Long with eight points. Long and every other player on
the Tigers return next season to a team with seven juniors, two sophomores, and
two freshmen.
Cooper goes to 27-4, picking up their eighth win in a row and 25 out of their last 26.
The reason for the success isn’t just their talent, but also the chemistry. The five seniors on the roster are looking for a third straight region title.
“We’re like sisters,” Palmer said. “We’re family, the coaches are family, it’s a
close-knit squad. It’s pretty special to play with them and play for them.”
Cooper advances to the semifinals on Friday for a highly anticipated clash with Holy
Cross back at Truist Arena at 8 p.m.
“We’re excited,” Holthaus said. “I think a lot of people around Northern Kentucky
wanted to see this. Coach Ted Arlinghaus has a tough squad led by Julia Hunt. They
do a good job with their defense and trying to turn you over. We’re super excited for
it.”
The two did not see one another during the season, a late season matchup canceled by Holy Cross due to them reaching their regular season game limit thanks to their deep All “A” run.
JAGUARS 70, TIGERS 27
BELLEVUE — 0-15-4-8 — 27
COOPER — 23-18-23-6 — 70
Scoring
Bellevue (27) — Long 8, MacPherson 6, Sorrell 6, Jayda Dowell 5, Wight 2
Cooper (70) — Palmer 11, Noel 9, Brissey 8, Freihofer 8, Smith 8, Thompson 6, Cooper 5, Deere 5, Alexander 4, Rankin 4, Scott 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: Bellevue 10/36, Cooper 31/55
3-Pointers: Bellevue 5/17, Cooper 3/11
Free Throws: Bellevue 2/6, Cooper 5/6
Rebounds: Bellevue 17, Cooper 34
Assists: Bellevue 9, Cooper 17
Turnovers: Bellevue 18, Cooper 3
Steals: Bellevue 1, Cooper 12
Blocks: Bellevue 4, Cooper 1
Fouls: Bellevue 4, Cooper 10
Records: Bellevue 22-10, Cooper 27-4
