For 16 minutes, the Covington Catholic and Cooper boys basketball 9th Region semifinal game at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena was shaping up to be an epic classic.
The first half featured five ties, six lead changes and a game that had the makings of coming down to the final possession.
But what transpired in the second half was anything but that, Cooper dominating the game’s final 16 minutes, especially the last eight in a 55-36 victory.
The Jaguars held CovCath to two points in the fourth, a Cash Harney floater in the opening minute of the quarter their only bucket.
“A staple of our program is to sit down and guard people and just trusting that we can guard you,” Jaguars coach Tim Sullivan said. “It’s not just the fourth quarter, but it’s that grind of the entire game of being relentlessly in front of you. We talk about it all the time, be simple on the defensive end and just stay in front and make them earn everything they get.”
Trailing 24-22 at the half, Cooper was the aggressor from the onset to open the second half. An 8-0 run gave them a 30-26 lead and if it wasn’t for Harney, things could have looked a lot worse. Harney scored eight of the 10 Covington Catholic points in the third as Cooper jumped ahead 40-34 after three.
Then the Jaguars outscored them 15-2 in the fourth. Winning the rebounding battle 36-19 certainly helped too.
“No. 1 thing was to outrebound them. The rebounding battle was tied at halftime and then we killed them on the glass in the second half,” Sullivan said.
Now it sets up a 9th Region championship rematch with Newport, the Wildcats edging the Jaguars 44-42 in last season’s final on Jabari Covington’s last second shot. The two faced one another back on Feb. 13, but that was without Yamil Rondon and Andy Johnson for the Jaguars out with injuries. Newport won 48-42, but it was far from convincing, a one possession game late in the contest.
“I learned a lot watching that one,” Rondon said. “I was content with the score and just hoping my shoulder is ready and I’m ready Tuesday.”
Rondon looked to have re-injured his shoulder in the last minute of Sunday’s game, but the Jaguars are optimistic he’ll be ready to go by Tuesday night.
Health has been a concern all season, Cooper playing just their sixth game this year on Sunday with a fully healthy roster. Sullivan admitted they’re still not at their finished product, but Sunday showed they’re getting a lot closer to it. They’re now just one win away from Rupp Arena for the state tournament.
“It takes a village,” Sullivan said. “To see us continue to grow and go through that adversity with all the injuries, that’s why it’s special to stand back and watch it. I’m so dang proud of these kids.”
Cooper can point to their defense in getting them to this point, spearheaded by Shaun Pouncy. After CovCath standout Caden Miller scored five points in the first five and a half minutes to open the game, Pouncy helped keep him scoreless the rest of the way and limited him to four rebounds.
“He’s a great player,” Pouncy said. “I knew coming into the game it was gonna be a battle. I know he was not gonna outwork me and I was gonna be tougher.”
Pouncy had himself a day on the other end and on the boards, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Rondon’s floor game wasn’t to be outdone, tallying 15 points to go with six assists. When the Jags needed to grind possessions out down the stretch, Rondon was the center of it as they continued to pull away.
“He’s just so crafty, knows how to get the ball, find the ball and our guys do a good job of getting him the ball,” Sullivan said. “Just a kid that understands how to play the game.”
CovCath led 14-12 after one, but a four-point possession on the closing play of the quarter got them within 14-12. Rondon was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 0.2 seconds on the clock, hitting the first two free throws before Austin Alexander’s tip-in at the horn got the Jags within two.
The second quarter had three ties and four lead changes as the two exchanged blow for blow, Brady Hussey getting going with 11 points in the half for the Colonels.
Harney was the lone Colonels player to hit a shot from the field in the second half, Athens McGillis two free throws with 3:31 left in the third the only other CovCath player to register a point.
Then came the dreaded fourth quarter.
“Awful,” Colonels coach Scott Ruthsatz said. “From the start, two points. Couldn’t make a bucket, got our drives and we were missing. Caden was nullified by Pouncy who had by my estimation one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. They limited what we were able to do and matched up real well with us. They imposed their will and that’s how the fourth quarter went.”
It puts an end to CovCath’s season at 26-6 as they closed out the year winning 19 of their last 21, but found themselves on the wrong end of a region semifinal matchup with Cooper for the second straight season.
“The 9th Region to me overall we’ve got the depth. If you were to just seed the tournament, we’d have three teams in,” Ruthsatz said. “Obviously we’re upset about the score and loss, but we talked to the guys after and asked, how good do they want to be? If you go back to our greatest teams that we’ve had, they’ve really sacrificed for the team. How much do you want to win and dedicate to the craft of winning big games in a regional tournament. That’s all part of the teaching and part of my job.”
They’ll lose Miller, Hussey, Noah Johnson and Christopher Kennedy to graduation, but do return a solid nucleus that includes a strong sophomore class that features Harney and McGillis.
Harney led the Colonels with 15 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals, Hussey finishing with 11.
In front of a large crowd that was estimated anywhere in between 7-8,000 Sunday, Cooper expects the same thing on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
“This is the stuff you live for. This is why we work so hard in the offseason and why we come to practice everyday,” Pouncy said.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Get your popcorn ready.
JAGUARS 55, COLONELS 36
COOPER — 12-10-18-15 — 55
COVCATH — 14-10-10-2 — 36
Scoring
Cooper (55) — Pouncy 18, Rondon 15, I. Johnson 7, Combs 6, A. Johnson 5, Alexander 4
CovCath (36) — Harney 15, Hussey 11, Miller 5, Johnson 3, McGillis 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: Cooper 22/44, CovCath 15/45
3-Pointers: Cooper 3/11, CovCath 3/14
Free Throws: Cooper 8/12, CovCath 3/4
Rebounds: Cooper 36, CovCath 19
Assists: Cooper 11, CovCath 5
Turnovers: Cooper 8, CovCath 5
Steals: Cooper 3, CovCath 4
Blocks: Cooper 6, CovCath 2
Fouls: Cooper 5, CovCath 14
Records: Cooper 24-8, Covington Catholic 26-6