A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Dan Weber’s Just Sayin’: Time for KHSAA to fix Sweet 16, the Ninth Region has had enough

Excuse us, KHSAA, but could we talk? Yeah, it’s us, the basketball folks in the Ninth Region. And now, in between the Girls’ and Boys’ Sweet 16’s, it seems the perfect time to bring this up. Yeah, it’s pretty important. And timely, although there’s obviously nothing you can do about it this year. But we must talk. Although we’re not sure where to begin with the two issues that impact...

Kentucky earns No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament, will face Oakland in south region Thursday night

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today An early exit in the Southeastern Conference Tournament didn’t prove too costly to Kentucky’s NCAA seeding when pairings were announced Sunday. The Wildcats (23-9) received a No. 3 seed in the South Region and will open against No. 14 seed Oakland of the Horizon League on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. (CBS). Oakland (23-11) won the conference tournament with an 83-76...

Fighting to the end, Cooper loses close game against Sacred Heart in semifinals of girls state tournament

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter LEXINGTON — Their time as teammates didn’t end the way they dreamed it would, but five seniors on the Cooper girls basketball roster will cherish what they accomplished together once the bitter disappointment of a season-ending loss in the state tournament wears away. In a semifinal showdown between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the final state...

Strong team effort carries Cooper girls to final four showdown with Sacred Heart in state tournament

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Over the last three seasons, Louisville Sacred Heart has won 71 consecutive girls basketball games against in-state opponents and claimed three consecutive Kentucky state championship trophies. Cooper will try to break both of those streaks when it faces Sacred Heart in the semifinals of this year’s state tournament at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Rupp Arena....

Cooper girls pull out two-point win over small-school team making debut in state basketball tournament

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter A little-known player from one of Kentucky’s smallest high schools nearly ended Cooper’s season in the first round of the “Sweet 16” girls state basketball tournament on Thursday night at Rupp Arena. The Jaguars made five free throws in the final 41 seconds to pull out a 65-63 win over Danville Christian Academy, a private school...

Prep Sports Report: Cooper defensive standout will face challenge in girls state tournament opener

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Bella Deere became a starting forward on the Cooper girls basketball team this season by improving in two aspects of the game. “Coach (Justin) Holthaus and I talked at the end of last year and the beginning of this year and he said rebounding and being physical on defense, that’s what’s going to get me a starting spot,” Deere said. After the Jaguars...

Playing at home has been sweet for Kentucky freshman, fan favorite Reed Sheppard

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Time flies when you’re having fun and Reed Sheppard has enjoyed every minute of his freshman season at Kentucky. “This year has flown by,” said Sheppard, who was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Monday. “Being able to play in Rupp Arena in front of the best fans in the world for a lot of games this year was awesome.” Sheppard was one of only...

Newport’s Wildcats return to Sweet 16 but not before surviving slugfest with the no-quit Cooper’s Jaguars

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter They used to call them cagers, those early basketball players who competed on a court inside a cage to protect the crowd from flying basketballs. Ninth Rgion Tourney MVP Jabari Covington has that look. (Photo by Dale Dawn/NKyTribune) Might not be a bad way to describe the Newport Wildcats’ Ninth Region battle against Cooper’s never-quit Jaguars in a championship...

Last-second shot gives Campbell County boys 10th Region title; Simon Kenton falters in 8th Region final

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Campbell County coach Brent Sowder called a timeout with 6.3 seconds left in overtime and his team trailing by two points in the 10th Region boys basketball championship game against Harrison County on Tuesday at Mason County Fieldhouse. There was no question in the coach’s mind about which player he wanted to take the last shot. The ball went to junior...

NKU hits the wall in 2nd-half 82-75 season-ending Horizon Tournament loss to Milwaukee

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter For NKU Coach Darrin Horn, Monday at the Indiana Famers Coliseum in the Horizon Conference Tournament was the second of Horn’s “Three Days in March.” NKU Coach Dan Horn. (Photo by Dale Dawn/NKyTribune) And it was going NKU’s way, up by as many as 15 points – 36-21 in the first half – and hanging on, 38-31, at intermission. Despite being down two injured...

Simon Kenton, Campbell County upset highly ranked opponents in boys region semifinal games

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Two local coaches at different stages in their careers watched their boys basketball teams upset highly ranked opponents in region semifinal games on Monday. In the 8th Region, Simon Kenton trailed by 16 points in the third quarter and battled back to defeat North Oldham, 75-63, in overtime to continue Trent Steiner’s 21st season as head coach of the...

Four CovCath connections bring a bit of Northern Kentucky to Cincinnati Bearcat basketball

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter Moving on to new challenges in a new territory is never easy. Take the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball program, for example. UC’s first year in its step up to the Big 12 hasn’t been easy. New opponents, new officials, new travel, new everything, have made it tough at times. But even tougher is this: It’s the best basketball season – maybe ever – in the...

Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard named SEC Freshman of the Year, four Cats honored by league

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Reed Sheppard was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches on Monday. Sheppard also was named to the All-SEC Second Team on Monday, while teammate Antonio Reeves was named to the First Team and Rob Dillingham was named to the second team. Sheppard, Dillingham and D.J. Wagner were named to the All-Freshman team, while Dillingham was...

Cooper’s defense squeezes CovCath until Colonels pop, next it’s on to Newport in Ninth Region finals

By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter Ernest Hemingway was talking about bankruptcy not basketball. But in “The Sun Also Rises,” he perfectly described what happened here at Truist Arena as Cooper and Covington Catholic battled for the final spot in Tuesday’s Ninth Region championship game. “How did it happen, your bankruptcy?” Hemingway’s character was asked. “Two ways,”...

Newport returns to 9th Region championship game with dominating performance in 60-29 win over Lloyd

By Terry Boehmmker NKyTribune sports reporter More than 7,000 fans showed up for a 9th Region boys basketball double-feature on Sunday afternoon at Truist Arena, but the first show in the semifinals matinee was not a suspenseful thriller. Newport took a 26-7 lead in the first half and kept on rolling to a 60-29 win over Lloyd. It was the widest winning margin in a 9th Region boys semifinal game since...