A new champion will be crowned in the 9th Region All “A” Tournament.
In the two semifinal matchups Friday at The Finn, Newport knocked off St. Henry, while host Holy Cross defeated defending champion Beechwood.
Newport and Holy Cross will meet in the championship game Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Here’s a recap of the semifinals:
Newport 55, St. Henry 39
Newport head coach Rod Snapp and St. Henry head coach Tim Sullivan were fitting symbols of just how intense a 9th Region All “A” matchup can be.
That passion carried from the sidelines onto the floor, where both teams played with emotion in a high-energy semifinal that ended with the Wildcats punching their ticket back to the championship game.
“Everybody looks and hears us acting like fools on the sideline,” Sullivan laughed. “But when it boils down to it, we’re there for the kids and we’re trying to help them win. We’re good friends and we’ve been doing this for a long time. He’s gotten the best of me, and I’ve gotten the best of him, and that’s what makes it special.”
For Sullivan, it was his first taste of All “A” action. Newport, on the other hand, is no stranger to the stage, though full health has been rare for the Wildcats this season.
For just the second time all year, Newport had all hands on deck, welcoming back leading scorer Amontae Lowe after he missed the team’s previous two games.
“He was trying to get back into the groove of things,” Snapp said. “From shooting percentage to shot selection, decision-making, and making other guys better, he’s been really, really good.”
Lowe finished with a game-high 19 points and was joined in double figures by Keegan Farrell, who added 14.
Lowe’s biggest impact came late. Clinging to a 43-36 lead in the fourth quarter with the Crusaders refusing to fade, Newport closed the game on a decisive 14-3 run, eight of those points coming from Lowe.
St. Henry stayed within striking distance throughout the night, trailing by a combined 12 points after the first three quarters, but the intensity of the moment proved to be a learning experience for a relatively young group. Senior Trey Fedders led the Crusaders with 10 points.
“It’s one of those things where you have to learn how to react and stay in the moment, and I thought our kids did a pretty good job tonight,” Sullivan said. “There were moments where it got a little crazy. We don’t have a ton of experience, but overall I thought we did well.”
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Crusaders, who fall to 6-9 on the season. They return home for a five-game homestand beginning Wednesday against Holmes at 7:30 p.m.
Newport improves to 10-4 and will play for its first 9th Region All “A” championship since 2024.
WILDCATS 55, CRUSADERS 39
NEWPORT — 10-12-15-18 — 55
ST. HENRY — 8-10-13-8 — 39
Scoring
Newport (55) — Lowe 19, Farrell 14, Jackson 9, Andrews-Glover 7, A. Petty 2, Holder 2, L. Petty 2
St. Henry (39) —Fedders 10, Stevens 6, Kunstek 5, Lutz 5, Ravenscraft 5, Detzel 3, Lewis 3,
Game Stats
Field Goals: Newport 21/38, St. Henry 15/44
3-Pointers: Newport 3/6, St. Henry 7/18
Free Throws: Newport 10/17, St. Henry 2/5
Rebounds: Newport 31, St. Henry 21
Assists: Newport 9, St. Henry 10
Turnovers: Newport 12, St. Henry 12
Steals: Newport 10, St. Henry 5
Blocks: Newport 4, St. Henry 0
Fouls: Newport 13, St. Henry 17
Records: Newport 10-4, St. Henry 6-9
Holy Cross 62, Beechwood 51
Holy Cross and Beechwood don’t need district implications or regular-season seeding to deliver a compelling matchup.
A near-capacity gym, packed student sections, cheerleaders, and visible emotion from both players and coaches underscored just how much these games mean. With so much on the line, the matchup has grown into a true rivalry.
“This is the third straight year we’ve met in the All “A,” and then we’ll meet in the regular season and very well could meet in the postseason as well,” Beechwood head coach Ross Hart said. “It’s become a nice rivalry.”
Beechwood entered as the defending champion, though this year’s roster looks much younger than last season’s title-winning group. Holy Cross, meanwhile, countered with experience.
The Indians leaned heavily on their veteran presence, starting five seniors and placing three of them in double figures. Brady Gabbard led the way with 21 points, followed by Nate Rominger with 15 and Luke Arlinghaus with 10. In front of their home crowd, the senior-led group showed its poise with a chance to close out its All “A” careers in memorable fashion.
“It’s my job to make sure my guys are ready to go, and it’s on our seniors as well because you need that senior ownership,” Holy Cross head coach Ricardo Johnson said. “Those guys know what’s at stake.”
They played like it. After trailing 11-9 at the end of the first quarter, Holy Cross won the scoring battle in both the second and third quarters, took the lead, and never looked back.
Beechwood, already relying on a less experienced roster than a year ago, was led by sophomore Dylan Topmiller with 16 points. The Tigers were also without their second-leading scorer on the season, Owen McCormack, who is out for the year after suffering a non-basketball-related injury last week.
“It was a freak accident, and unfortunately we don’t think we’re getting him back,” Hart said. “That basically gives us one returning player with varsity experience. At times tonight, I thought it showed a team that returned four guys who have started for two or three years against a team where Kingston Brockett is really the only experienced varsity player we’ve had.”
Beechwood falls to 12-5 and will return to action Tuesday on the road against Dixie Heights at 7:30 p.m.
Holy Cross improves to 15-2 and will play for its first 9th Region All “A” championship since 2023, when they took down Saturday opponent Newport in an epic title game.
INDIANS 62, TIGERS 51
HOLY CROSS — 9-14-19-20 — 62
BEECHWOOD — 11-10-10-20 — 51
Scoring
Holy Cross (62) — Gabbard 21, Rominger 15, Arlinghaus 13, Henderson 7, Bottom 3, Urlage 2, B. Thornberry 1
Beechwood (51) — Topmiller 16, Coppage 9, Brockett 8, Smith 6, Stiles 5, Knasel 4, Moore 3
Game Stats
Field Goals: Holy Cross 18/44, Beechwood 15/43
3-Pointers: Holy Cross 1/9, Beechwood 5/20
Free Throws: Holy Cross 25/35, Beechwood 16/23
Rebounds: Holy Cross 32, Beechwood 27
Assists: Holy Cross 5, Beechwood 6
Turnovers: Holy Cross 8, Beechwood 14
Steals: Holy Cross 12, Beechwood 5
Blocks: Holy Cross 5, Beechwood 2
Fouls: Holy Cross 23, Beechwood 19
Records: Holy Cross 15-2, Beechwood 12-5