By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Tony Perkins has resigned as head coach of the Holmes girls’ basketball program after leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back 9th Region championships and a 106-23 record over the last four seasons.
Holmes girls’ basketball teams compiled a 106-23 record in the four seasons that Tony Perkins was head coach.
Perkins, 57, said he told the players he would not be returning as coach after the team’s season-ending loss in the semifinals of the state tournament on March 11. He plans to continue working in school administration with Covington Independent Public Schools.
“We had a lot of success so you know you’re going to miss people when you’ve been around them like that,” Perkins said of his coaching career at Holmes. “I just think it’s time for me to do something else.”
Perkins spent most of his 31-year coaching career at North Hardin High School. He came to Holmes as an assistant boys’ basketball coach and took over the girls’ program in the 2013-14 season. The Bulldogs lost in the 9th Region championship game in 2015 and won the regional title the last two years.
“I’ve been with teams that have a lot of talent, and you’re just blessed because it’s not as much about what I did as it is the players you have,” he said.
“And the thing I’m proud of at Holmes is our girls had a GPA (grade point average) that was 3.63 the last time we checked. That makes you proud because those girls have come so far, making good grades and being good citizens in the community.”
The only senior starter on this year’s 29-6 team was point guard Jaynice Stovall. She was named to the state all-tournament team and selected as the most valuable player in the regional tournament. With the other four starters back next year, Holmes should be one of the top contenders for the regional title once again.
“For us to win 29 games and make it to the state final four this year was amazing to me because we had some flaws as a team, but we played to our strengths and won a lot of games,” Perkins said.
Ohmer will continue basketball career at WKU
Jake Ohmer’s performance in the boys’ state basketball tournament at Rupp Arena last week changed his future. After scoring 106 points in three games and leading the Scott Eagles to the semifinals of the “Sweet 16” state playoffs, the 5-foot-10 guard accepted an offer to join the Western Kentucky University program next season.
Scott senior guard Jake Ohmer
The offer from the NCAA Division I team capped a sensational senior season for Ohmer. He finished among the state’s leading scorers for the third consecutive year with a 27.8 average and made a game-winning shot in the 10th Region final to send Scott to the state tournament for the first time since 1989.
Ohmer was a scoring machine during the state tournament, getting 41, 32 and 33 points in three games for a 35.3 average. He was 35-of-72 from the field overall and 15-of-30 from behind the 3-point line at Rupp Arena. He also averaged 11.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game that week.
“I just try to come out and play my game,” he said during the state tournament. “Last year, I let people get in my head. This year, I just try to play with my teammates and share the ball.”
Ohmer will graduate as Scott’s all-time leading scorer with more than 2,000 total points in four varsity seasons. He also set a single-game team record with 54 points in a win over Clark County last season. In the 10th Region tournament, he posted a three-game total of 104 points, second highest in tournament history. The 46 points he scored in a semifinal win over Paris was the regional tournament’s second highest single-game total.
Ludlow hires one head coach, looking for another
Ludlow hired Greg Taphouse as its head football coach and now the the high school is looking for a new girls’ head basketball coach to replace Eric King, who is stepping down after two seasons.
Taphouse was an assistant coach on the Ludlow football staff the past three years He was the team’s defensive coordinator during the 2016 and 2015 seasons under former head coach Rick Hornsby, who is retiring from teaching and coaching at the end of this academic year.
The Ludlow girls’ basketball team posted records of 17-14 and 15-16 with King as head coach the last two seasons. The leading scorers on this year’s team were center Haley Warndorf and guard Haley Turner, who are both seniors.
Anyone interested in the head coaching position should apply online at at ludlow.kyschools.us. Applicants can direct any questions about the vacancy to Andrew Wise at andrew.wise@ludlow.kyschools.us or call 859-261-8211 during school hours.
CovCath archery team buys equipment with grant money
Covington Catholic High School’s archery team received a grant from the Friends of NRA organization for a second straight year and used the $4,890 to provide 20 right-handed bows, five left-handed bows, 20 targets, 24 dozen arrows, two arrow curtains, repair equipment and 200 paper targets to use in tournaments.
The equipment is used by the 27-member archery team as well as the CovCath physical education classes. The team has been able to practice several times a week to get ready for the Region 6 tournament on Saturday at Calvary Christian School.
The other archery teams in Region 6 are Beechwood, Calvary Christian, Conner, Cooper, Covington Latin, Dixie Heights, Heritage, Newport, Notre Dame, Ryle, Scott, Simon Kenton and St. Henry.
