Basketball bites: A 25-year state title anniversary mixed in with some solid accomplishments

The first All “A” state champ from the 9th Region, two more join the 1,000-point club, impressive individual game performances, freshman and JV tourney winners in NKY and another college freshman having an impressive season.

All that and more in the latest basketball bites, a dedicated column to hoops in Northern Kentucky.

As the season winds down, so will this column. Hope you enjoyed it throughout the season!

NewCath celebrates 2000 All “A” state champs

The 1999-2000 Newport Central Catholic boys basketball team was recognized at halftime during the Throughbreds Feb. 14 contest with Conner on their 25th anniversary of winning the All “A” state title.

The team was coached by Ron Dawn and defeated Todd County Central, St. Mary out of Paducah, Harlan and Highview Baptist (now known as Whitefield Academy) out of Louisville on their way to the title at Eastern Kentucky University.

Ronny Dawn was the tournament MVP, who still holds the all-time scoring record for the boys program. Tony Bacigalupo was named to the All-Tournament team.

It was the first All “A” state title for a boys 9th Region team. NewCath now has four All “A” state titles after winning three in a row from 2013-15. St. Henry (2003, 2020-21), Holy Cross (2012) and Newport (2024) all have titles since.

1k club — Bilton, Tayah Smith

The latest members in NKY to join the 1,000-point club were Simon Kenton’s Jay Bilton and Dayton’s Tayah Smith.

Bilton hit the mark in the Pioneers’ 80-31 victory over Boone County on Feb. 13. Bilton had 22 points in the contest. He leads the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game and has been the floor general for the Pioneers for the last several years.

Smith hit the mark on Feb. 14 in a victory over Newport, scoring 33 points in the contest. Smith leads the Greendevils in scoring with 14.4 points per game.

Haylee Noel 500 rebounds

Cooper sophomore Haylee Noel recently pulled down her 500th rebound in the Lady Jaguars contest with Dixie Heights on Feb. 13. She’s also approaching 1,000 points for her career.

Noel, who started her high school career in seventh grade, had 925 points entering Tuesday night’s contest with Frederick Douglass. With one more regular season game against Assumption and assuming a deep run in the postseason, Noel has a legitimate chance to hit the mark before her junior season starts.

Noel leads the team in scoring and rebounding this season with 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Gutman 45 points

Walton-Verona’s Aaron Gutman produced quite the night on Feb. 14 in a Bearcats 96-76 victory over Tates Creek.

The senior put up 45 points, knocking down 15-of-25 shots from the field, hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers and 10-of-13 from the free throw line. He also pulled down 10 rebounds.

Gutman’s senior season is yielding 24.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The Bearcats are 18-11 on the season and play their last regular season game at home against Shelby County on Thursday.

Triple-doubles, Jackson, McElheney

A pair of triple-doubles were hit last week when Campbell County’s Garyn Jackson and Holy Cross’ William McElheney accomplished the feats.

Jackson did his against Nicholas County on Feb. 14 with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 92-63 victory.

McElheney hit the mark on Feb. 13 against Dixie Heights with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Collins back for Lloyd

Winners of nine straight and the Juggernauts added a key piece with the return of Elijah Collins on Feb. 4. Collins adds another guard to the mix and knocked down 52 three-pointers last season. In his first five games this season, Collins is averaging 8.6 points per game and hit 13 three-pointers.

Villa girls get double-digit wins

For the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Villa Madonna girls basketball program has hit double-digit wins in a season.

They hit the 10-win mark in a Feb. 13 victory over Boone County. It’s Tony Fields first season coaching the team, so they’ve set the bar for years to come.

Highlands, CovCath win freshman, JV tourneys

The Highlands boys freshman team and Covington Catholic JV team won the Northern Kentucky regional tournaments with championship games held on Monday.

Highlands rallied from a 27-20, fourth quarter deficit against Beechwood to prevail, 43-40. Covington Catholic cruised by Ryle, 62-41.

Bradshaw 20-plus boards

Covington Catholic junior Donovan Bradshaw had a monster rebounding night in Mt. Sterling on Feb. 13. He pulled down 22 rebounds in the Colonels contest with Montgomery County.

He also added 14 points as CovCath came up on the wrong side of a buzzer-beater in a 64-62 defeat.

Logan Palmer

After a career week, Cooper grad and University of Evansville freshman guard Logan Luebbers Palmer was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on Feb. 17.

Luebbers Palmer was named the Freshman of the Week after she put together back-to-back double-digit performances on offense. The guard also set three new career records while tying two others against Bradley and Illinois State.

In the Purple Aces’ 55-45 win over Bradley on Feb. 13, Luebbers Palmer was the team’s most efficient scorer on the floor. Going a career-high 6-of-8 from the field, she added two steals.

On Feb. 15 against Illinois State she continued her big offensive output, leading UE with a career-high 17 points.