Simon Kenton head coach Trent Steiner wasn’t wrong about his junior point guard Bray Bilton when he said, “He put the biscuit in the basket tonight.”
Bilton delivered a career-high 33 points as the Pioneers earned their second straight win, defeating Newport 66-42 in the Scott Winter Classic at Scott High School in Taylor Mill.
After opening the season 1-4, Simon Kenton has now won two straight to improve to 3-4. Steiner said the team still has plenty to work on, but having Bilton running the offense has helped stabilize a group still finding its footing.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Steiner said. “We have a lot of dudes that are playing in different positions and different roles. We’re trying to figure each other out, but Bray makes it a little bit easier, especially when he’s putting the ball in the hole like that.”
The game’s momentum swung decisively in the second quarter. After Newport held a narrow 10-8 edge at the end of the first, Bilton took over offensively, scoring more points in the first half than the entire Wildcats roster. His 8-0 personal run late in the half helped Simon Kenton build a 31-20 advantage by the break.
Newport showed early energy, opening the game on a 10-2 spurt, but Simon Kenton responded with a 12-0 run that flipped control of the game and allowed the Pioneers to settle in.
“We needed a timeout early,” Bilton said. “Just calm down, take a couple deep breaths and get back out there.”
With Simon Kenton struggling from beyond the arc — shooting just 3-for-11 from 3-point range — Bilton adjusted by consistently attacking the basket.
“Just getting to the hole, playing strong,” he said.
Newport briefly made things interesting in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 37-31, but Bilton again answered, accounting for half of Simon Kenton’s points in the period. The Pioneers entered the fourth quarter with a 47-35 lead and never relinquished control.
The final margin widened behind balanced contributions, as Will Scobee and Eddie Marx each finished with 10 points. Simon Kenton’s defense closed the night by holding Newport to just seven points in the fourth quarter.
Bilton’s performance was a familiar sight for Pioneer fans. His older brother Jay, now playing college basketball at Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio, also thrived with the ball in his hands during his time at Simon Kenton.
Newport played without its leading scorer, Amontae Lowe (21 points per game), who missed his second straight game after suffering a concussion Dec. 15 against Calvary Christian.
“We’re trying to figure things out,” Newport head coach Rod Snapp said. “We’re young, we’ve got new faces and a lot of guys with no experience.”
The Wildcats were led by Keegan Farrell, a big man playing in his first game of the season, who scored a team-high 14 points.
With schools on Christmas break, both teams are navigating altered schedules, including earlier practice times.
“We practiced at 10 o’clock this morning,” Steiner said. “I really enjoyed it. I enjoy the kids getting in to work.”
Simon Kenton will return to Taylor Mill on Tuesday to face Bluegrass United, a homeschool program out of Lexington, at 2:30 p.m.
Newport (3-2) will take on Cooper at 5:30 p.m. in the Scott Winter Classic, with Lowe expected to return to the lineup.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
PIONEERS 66, WILDCATS 42
SIMON KENTON — 8-23-16-19 — 66
NEWPORT — 10-10-15-7 — 42
Scoring
Simon Kenton (66) — Bilton 33, Marx 10, Scobee 10, Lindenschmidt 7, Smith 2, Stone 2, Thomas 2
Newport (42) — Farrell 14, Andrews-Glover 6, Hurry 6, L Petty 4, Nichols 4, Llanes 3, Richardson 3, Jackson 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: Simon Kenton 24/41, Newport 17/41
3-Pointers: Simon Kenton 3/11, Newport 1/10
Free Throws: Simon Kenton 15/20, Newport 7/12
Rebounds: Simon Kenton 22, Newport 25
Assists: Simon Kenton 8, Newport 9
Turnovers: Simon Kenton 8, Newport 18
Steals: Simon Kenton 12, Newport 7
Blocks: Simon Kenton 1, Newport 3
Fouls: Simon Kenton 17, Newport 18
Records: Simon Kenton 3-4, Newport 3-2