Good things may come in threes, but the greatest things come in fours.
Holy Cross proved it by claiming their fourth straight 9th Region All “A” Classic title with a dominant 80-43 win over Newport Central Catholic at St. Henry District High School.
It might seem routine for a program that has secured the last two Class “A” State Championships and reached the state semifinals the year before, but for the senior class, this victory carries profound significance. They’ve cemented their place in history, doing what the school hasn’t done before.
“This is a little extra special, particularly for these seniors.” Holy Cross coach Ted Arlinghaus said. “Every year they’ve been in high school, they’ve won an All “A” regional tournament. It’s never been done in school history to win four straight years. Winning regional is always a goal of ours and to now make school history is pretty phenomenal.”
Facing NKU commit Caroline Eaglin, who had averaged 25 points per game in the tournament, Holy Cross came in with a clear game plan.
“She had 17 and we reached our goal,” Arlinghaus said. “Our goal before the game was to try and limit her to 15 to 20 points. She’s going to score from volume alone because she’s just that good. She’s a Division I player and you’re not going to stop a Division I player. All you can try to do is limit her opportunities, try to get the ball out of her hands.”
The Thoroughbreds struggled to find their rhythm, turning the ball over 30 times and shooting just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.
“First of all, credit where credit is due to Ted and that team. That’s a testament to program stability whenever you’re able to graduate what they did and find high level success after.” Newport Central Catholic coach Trevor Steiner said. “Everybody knows when you go up against Holy Cross it’s, ‘can you handle their pressure’. We’ve really struggled with pressure early on. You look at our film against NDA and Simon Kenton, you would see it’s been our Achilles heel.”
Teams don’t accomplish what the Indians have by excelling in just one facet of the game though. Shooting? Rebounding? Passing? Whatever the challenge, the Indians didn’t just meet it—they mastered it.
Their success is a testament to the depth of their roster, with any player ready to step up and shine when the team needs it most.
Four players scored in double figures for Holy Cross. Aumani Nelson led the way with 17 points, followed by Alyssa Arlinghaus with 16, Aniyah Carter with 13, and Jai Johnson with 12. Nelson, Arlinghaus, and Johnson earned all-tournament team honors, while Carter capped off her performance by being named MVP.
“We all put in the effort,” Carter said. “I feel like MVP doesn’t matter because it’s a team effort and we all knew what we were supposed to do. We keep shooting even if we aren’t making our shots because we know it’ll fall eventually.”
NewCath kept things competitive early, trailing just 18-10 at the end of the first quarter. However, Holy Cross caught fire from beyond the arc, shooting an incredible 10-of-15 from three-point range in the first half and finishing the game an impressive 14-of-26.
The Indians wasted no time putting the game out of reach in the third quarter, opening with a 14-2 run and holding the Lady ‘Breds to just 11 points in the period. By the end of the quarter, Holy Cross extended their lead to 72-37, initiating a running clock.
“In full-court situations, our willingness and ability to identify and fill space off the ball became a detriment,” Steiner said. “It started when they started packing in their three-quarter court zone.”
Along with Eaglin, Jaylee Brannen and Madison McFarland were also named to the all-tournament team.
The two-time defending state champions, Holy Cross, will make the trip to the Owensboro Sportscenter on January 22 for a 10 a.m. matchup against the winner of the fifth region either Bethlehem or Green County. If its Bethlehem, it will be a first round, top 10 in the state matchup, where the Indians will take on another Division I commit, Leah Macy.
Photo gallery below, provided by Charles Bolton:
INDIANS 80, THOROUGHBREDS 43
HOLY CROSS — 18-27-27-8— 80
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC — 10-16-11-6— 43
Scoring
HOLY CROSS (80) — Nelson 17, A. Arlinghaus 16, Carter 13, Johnson 12, Williams 9, Rhodes 5, P. Arlinghaus 4, Lehmkuhl 3, Whitacre 1
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC (43) — Eaglin 17, J. Brannen 9, Cole 8, McFarland 5, K. Brannen 2, Schill 2
Game Stats
3-Pointers: Holy Cross 10, Newport Central Catholic 1
Free Throws: Holy Cross 2/7, Newport Central Catholic 12/17
Fouls: Holy Cross 13, Newport Central Catholic 10
Records: Holy Cross 16-1, Newport Central Catholic 9-7
