Putting four in double figures might be uncommon for some teams, but for Dixie Heights girls basketball team, it’s a nightly occurrence.
The Colonels did it again in Sunday’s St. Elizabeth Healthcare 9th Region Tournament, taking down Newport Central Catholic, 67-54.
Bella Crawford led the way with 19 points, Asia Carner had 17, Catherine Buddenberg added 12 and Coralee Pelfrey posted a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
“They can fill it up,” Colonels coach Joel Steczynski said. “They’re all skilled and the beauty about what they do is they don’t force it. They allow the game to come to them and whoever’s night is to score 20, they score 20, if it’s not their night, that’s okay too.”
Here’s some takeaways from the opening game of four games on Sunday:
How it went down
Dixie’s offensive output not only came with balance, but in a very efficient manner. They shot 54% from the field and 8-of-14 from three.
“Being here is not uncommon for these girls,” Steczynski said. “Shooting in the gym in NKU and on a larger floor is not uncommon. We played in several places like that this year, so that helped us out. Veteran leadership in there helps too.”
They put up 22 points in the first quarter for a 22-14 lead and took a 38-26 lead into halftime. They extended the lead to 17 in the third at 49-32, but credit to NewCath who kept battling and got within 11 headed into the fourth.
The Thoroughbreds got it to eight with 3:40 to play at 59-51, but were unable to get any closer from that point.
Crawford delivers the daggers
Anytime it felt like NewCath was inching back in it, Crawford delivered a momentum changing basket. She put up seven points in the first quarter and had nine at the break.
The senior wing scored five straight in the third to extend Dixie’s lead to 45-30, and hit a big 3-pointer in the fourth to get Dixie back up 13 at 54-41. Her final two points came on free throws as NewCath got the closest they had been all half at 59-51, Crawford’s two makes putting it 61-51 with 3:25 to play.
“We really moved the ball and played together on the offensive side,” Crawford said. “It was nice we were moving the ball to get those open shots and layups. Definitely felt in rhythm today.”
Crawford’s 19 points came on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from three and hitting all three of her free throw attempts.
Dixie spreads it around
Ball movement keyed Dixie’s efficiency. They collected 15 assists to 10 turnovers. Carner led the way with five assists Jordan Puitz and Pelfrey with three apiece.
“Asia really controlled the pace and flow,” Steczynski said. “She just has an understanding of what we’re looking for. She has a maturity far beyond a sophomore. Her maturity gels our offense together.”
Eaglin’s swan song
Caroline Eaglin played her final game in a Newport Central Catholic uniform on Sunday, closing out with a bang in scoring 27 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Not only is she the school’s all-time leading scorer as she finishes with 2,546 points, but she’s one of the most prolific scorers in Northern Kentucky girls basketball history. Eaglin led NKY in scoring the last three seasons. She exited the floor in the closing seconds, the same floor where she’ll continue her career at Northern Kentucky University to play for Jeff Hans and the Norse.
“I coached Caroline’s brother Caleb as a seventh grader. I remember her walking around as a little kid through the gym and all that,” Newport Central Catholic coach Trevor Steiner said. “All these years later, even though I wasn’t her coach until this year, she’s one of the best ever to walk through the doors at Newport Central Catholic. A legacy that will live on, I just looked at a lot of middle schoolers in our locker room after the game, the way they’ve been able to watch her and those other three seniors operate has given us an edge heading into next season and beyond.”
Seniors go with Eaglin, too
It wasn’t only Eaglin’s last game, but four senior starters, too. Eaglin, Jaylee and Katelyn Brannen and Madison McFarland are all set to graduate in the spring.
It’s a decorated senior class that won 74 games in their four years on The Hill, doing it with three different coaches.
“I give so much respect to that senior group and the way they carried us through the season,” Steiner said. “Would have never been where we are today without the commitment to our program that those girls have shown since the very first day of practice. Would have loved to have got one more specifically for those four and the program as a whole. In no way shape or form was it because of effort, attitude or approach. Some days you just get beat by really good teams.”
Elkins back and healthy for Dixie
After being plagued with injuries, Aubrey Elkins returned to the rotation for Dixie on Feb. 14 against Villa Madonna. They’ve won six in a row since, Elkins adding depth as the sixth man to an already deep rotation.
“She adds exceptional depth to what we do,” Steczynski said. “She’s a great rebounder and her coming back is what we need offensively and defensively to give us a lot more depth.”
Elkins scored six points in Sunday’s contest to go with two assists and a steal in 10:36 of action. In the regular season, she put up 5.1 points per contest with 2.8 rebounds per game.
What’s next
Dixie Heights will take on Cooper in Wednesday’s semifinals. Cooper won the head-to-head matchup back on Feb. 13, 61-39. Dixie has their work cut out if they’re to make their first region championship appearance since 2021.
NewCath’s season ends at 16-17. They picked up some solid victories with wins over Campbell County, Ryle and Scott and advanced to the 9th Region All “A” championship and were runner-up in the 36th District.
PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Dixie-NewCath 9th Region tournament quarterfinals (provided by Charles Bolton)
DIXIE HEIGHTS 67, NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 54
NEWCATH — 14-12-12-16 — 54
DIXIE HEIGHTS — 22-16-11-18 — 67
Scoring
NewCath (54) — Eaglin 27, McFarland 11, J. Brannen 8, K. Brannen 3, Cole 3, Thompson 2
Dixie (67) — Crawford 19, Carner 17, Buddenberg 12, Pelfrey 11, Elkins 6, Gibson 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: NewCath 19/48, Dixie 27/50
3-Pointers: NewCath 5/21, Dixie 8/14
Free Throws: NewCath 11/18, Dixie 5/5
Rebounds: NewCath 30, Dixie 26
Assists: NewCath 12, Dixie 15
Steals: NewCath 6, Dixie 8
Blocks: NewCath 2, Dixie 2
Turnovers: NewCath 12, Dixie 10
Fouls: NewCath 9, Dixie 17
Records: Newport Central Catholic 16-17, Dixie Heights 21-8