Tim Sullivan’s first win as St. Henry’s boys basketball coach will have to wait at least until Friday.
Highlands emphatically spoiled Sullivan’s debut Tuesday at Dave Faust Court in Erlanger, 71-40, behind Nathan Rickard’s 13 points and Finn Bouldin’s 10.
“Hats off to Highlands,” Sullivan said. “Highlands is really, really good.”
Sullivan is always nervous on game day, but Tuesday was different because he traded Cooper’s maroon and gold (he was the Jaguars’ coach for 17 years) for St. Henry’s red and navy blue.
“It was just because it’s new,” Sullivan said. “I want to see our kids compete, I want them to have fun and get to benefit playing high school basketball … there was definitely a little anxiety there, for sure.”
You didn’t need to be an ESPN analyst to figure out the reason for St. Henry’s loss – two scoring droughts and a whole lot of missed free throws.
An opening-minute sequence perhaps portended what would happen to St. Henry – Bouldin’s layup, Owen Ebert’s steal and Rickard’s 10-foot jumper gave the Bluebirds a 4-0 lead.
Highlands’ three-quarter court press bedeviled St. Henry – Parker Lutz and Trey Fedders accounted for the only first-quarter field goals.
“I think we talked well, our communication was great, and our pressure was getting to them,” Rickard said.
Sullivan called Highlands’ defense “unorthodox.”
“They’re running and jumping you, different spots,” he said. “And you try to get to your spot, and even when you think you’re in your right spot, you know, a guy comes from another way.”
The Bluebirds didn’t allow a point over the final 4:15 of the first quarter and only two over the last 4:20 of the second, but St. Henry’s woes were equally self-inflicted all night – the Crusaders made just 7-of-19 free throws.
St. Henry’s offense woke up briefly in the second quarter – a 7-0 run on Lutz’s 3 from the right corner and put-backs from Caden Kunstek and Blake Stevens tied things at 13-all, and after Highlands’ Amil Wimzie knocked down a 3, the Crusaders’ Ryne Ravenscraft closed to 16-15 about a minute later. Wimzie made his varsity debut for the Bluebirds, the eighth grader scoring nine points and wowing the crowd with a couple of dunks.
Highlands coach Kevin Listerman apparently wasn’t worried – he didn’t call a time out.
“We were getting good shots, we just didn’t make them,” Listerman said. “The flow of the game was such that I didn’t feel like we needed to get our composure. We just needed to finish a couple of plays, and, you know, having such a senior-heavy group, they know how to respond, and they did at the end of the half.”
Which was where the suspense ended – the Bluebirds led 33-17 at halftime and 54-30 after three quarters.
Kunstek led St. Henry with 12 points, and Lutz added 10.
St. Henry’s next chance to get Sullivan his first win is Friday, when Conner comes calling.
“We’ve got to learn how to start meeting passes, seeing the defense, ball fakes,” Sullivan said. “But a lot of that’s just growth.”
MORE PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
BLUEBIRDS 71, CRUSADERS 40
HIGHLANDS — 13-20-21-17 – 71
ST. HENRY — 6-11-13-10 – 40
Highlands (71) — Bouldin 3-4 10, Rickard 6-1 13, V. Listerman 1-0 2, Messmer 1-6 9, Wells 2-0 6, Wimzie 4-0 9, Ebert 3-0 6, Harris 1-3 5, Shaffer 2-0 5, Schlarman 0-3 3. 3-Pt. FG: 5 (Wells 2, Messmer, Wimzie, Shaffer). FT: 17-25. Fouls: 21. Fouled out: None.
St. Henry (40) — Stevens 1-1 3, Ravenscraft 1-0 2, Lutz 4-1 10, McIntire 2-0 4, Sullivan 0-1, Summers 0-2 2, Fedders 3-0 6, Kunstek 5-2 12. 3-Pt. FG: 1 (Lutz). FT: 7-19. Fouls: 20. Fouled out: Fedders.
Records: Highlands 1-0, St. Henry 0-1.