Bishop Brossart’s girls quite possibly had the longest night of any Northern Kentucky basketball team.
It was worth it.
The Lady ‘Stangs (13-0) remained undefeated and won the Lady Invitational of the South tournament at Allen County-Scottsville on Tuesday.
Brossart coach Aaron Stamm said the team didn’t arrive in Alexandria until about 2 a.m. Wednesday – a nearly 3 ½ hour, 228-mile drive.
“It’s a long night,” Stamm said. “It’s a close-knit group.”
Long, as in four games in four nights.
Brossart started with a 70-28 win over Madisonville-North Hopkins and followed with victories over Pulaski County, 59-52, Hopkins County Central, 52-43, and Allen County-Scottsville, 56-47.
Lady ‘Stangs sophomore Kylie Smith was the tournament’s most valuable player. Stamm said Lilee Meyers’ defense on AC-S junior Avery Morris, who averaged 26.8 points a game, was equally important.
“Pulaski County wore us out a little bit,” Stamm said. “You don’t have a day off.”
Brossart hosts Campbell County at 7 p.m. Saturday in the 37th District opener for both teams. The Lady Camels will come in quite a bit more rested after they left Mount Sterline with a Gateway Holiday Classic title on Dec. 22. They haven’t played since and sport a 5-2 record headed into the district showdown with the Lady ‘Stangs.
The holiday basketball tournament season was equally joyous for Highlands’ boys because the Bluebirds also enter 2026 with an unblemished record.
Highlands (10-0) won thrice at the 31st Annual Hilton Sandestin Invitational Tournament in Destin, Florida. The Bluebirds beat Tupelo (Mississippi) Christian Prep, 83-46, Letcher County Central, 76-54, and Arab (Alabama), 81-51.
“The biggest difference from last year to this year is our defense,” Highlands coach Kevin Listerman said. “We’re able to generate a lot of turnovers, and more importantly, we’ve gotten teams to miss shots and then cleaned up the rebounds, which allows us … to get out and run, which we do very well.”
Simon Kenton’s girls improved to 10-0 after double-digit wins at the Holiday Showcase at Frederick Douglass. The Pioneers knocked off Louisville Butler, 44-30, and Madison Southern, 64-37.
Brynli Pernell scored 20 points against Butler, and Anna Kelch grabbed nine rebounds. Against Madison Southern, Kelch scored 15 points, Haylie Webb had 14, and Pernell added 12.
They then ventured to Tampa, Florida for the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational and went 2-1 in the Sunshine State. They defeated Windemere Prep, 47-41, lost to Somerset Academy and defeated Galloway, 62-55. They enter 2026 at 12-1.
You could liken the Conner boys’ (7-5) season to a religious revival without the choir robes.
After a 2-5 start to open the season, the Cougars have won their last five – victories over Henry County and Nicholas County at Montgomery County’s Boys Gateway Holiday Classic and winning the Jim Rose Central Bank Classic at Lexington Christian Academy over Bowling Green (60-54), Russell (71-60) and Lloyd Memorial (79-64).
“Just a good quality team win all around,” Conner coach Nate Browning said of the Lloyd game. “I mean, Finn Louden is our leading scorer, and he scored 20 in that game. You know, he’s, he’s a special kid, a special player.”
Covington Catholic (10-1) was 3-1 at the King of the Bluegrass tournament at Fairdale; the Colonels beat Huntsville (Alabama) Lee, 95-50, lost to Male, 77-69, and defeated North Laurel, 71-67, and North Oldham, 78-57. CovCath finished the week with a title at the Riverview Ram Jam in Sarasota, Florida, defeating Manatee, 100-32, Sarasota Booker, 92-55, and Venice, 75-39.
A 10-1 record is the theme for the top three 35th District teams. On top of the Colonels 10-1 start, Holy Cross and Beechwood also sit there. The Indians and Tigers lost their last games of 2025, Holy Cross lost to Evangel Christian at Bellevue’s Swauger Classic, 56-50, while the Tigers lost the championship of Taylor County Farm Bureau Classic to Harlan County, 62-61.
Campbell County’s boys defeated Waggener, 88-69, Dec. 23 in the Scott Winter Classic at Scott. The Camels finished second at the Planet Fitness Holiday Tournament at Central Hardin; they beat Green County, 85-58, and Washington County, 61-52, before falling to Central Hardin, 73-64, in the final.
The Dixie Heights boys placed second in the Railroad Classic at Estill County. The Colonels beat Breathitt County, 63-48, and Clay County, 45-44, and lost to LaRue County in the final, 58-56.
The Walton-Verona girls were runners-up at the Joe Lay and Sons Christmas Classic in their gym. The Bearcats beat Boone County, 73-16 and Madison Central, 52-32, before falling to Calloway County, 95-59, in the final.
Lloyd Memorial’s girls also had a runner-up finish. They lost in the championship of the Pam Browning Classic at Carroll County to Pendleton County, 57-49. They defeated North Oldham, 55-50, and Carroll County, 50-26, on their way to the final. After a 1-4 start, the Juggernauts have won five of their last seven to get to 6-6.
With the season a month in, January highlights some key district matchups and the regional All “A” tournaments loom.