By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
In last year’s 9th Region All “A” Classic championship game, Newport guard DaeShawn White missed two free throws in the final seconds and his team ended up losing on a stick-back basket by Beechwood just before the final horn sounded.
White found himself in another pressure-packed situation in this year’s championship game. With the score tied and the final seconds ticking away, the junior put up a 3-point shot that fell through the net to give Newport a 48-45 win over Holy Cross on Saturday at Newport Central Catholic.
Newport junior guard DaeShawn White puts up the game-winning 3-point shot in the 9th Region All “A” Classic championship game. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
“When it went in, it was just amazing,” White said. “I kind of had to redeem myself after missing those two free throws against Beechwood last year in the championship game. It feels great.”
With 1.1 second on the clock, Holy Cross senior center Pete Knochelmann got off a final shot from near midcourt, but the ball rolled off the rim.
The win puts Newport (17-4) in the Kentucky All “A” Classic state tournament for the first time since 2012. The Wildcats will play 7th Region champion Kentucky Country Day (10-9) in a first-round game at 8 p.m. Thursday at Eastern Kentucky University.
There’s a good chance Newport will be the only team in the small-school state tournament that had to win three close games to get there.
The Wildcats edged Beechwood, 53-52, in the first round of the 9th Region playoffs and got past NewCath, 67-62 in the semifinals before their dramatic last-second win over Holy Cross.
“We knew all the games were going to be tough, so we just had to keep our heads and keep playing hard until it’s over,” said Newport senior forward Makhi McGuire, who was named most valuable player on the regional all-tournament team.
There were four ties and five lead changes in Saturday’s championship game. Newport took a 38-32 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Indians went on an 8-1 run that put them on top, 40-39, with 2:20 left on the clock.
Newport senior forward Tahj Harding made a pair of free throws to give his team a 45-42 lead with 47 seconds remaining. But Holy Cross sophomore Jeremiah Hicks buried a trey from the right corner to tie the score.
That set the scene for White’s game-winning 3-pointer on what was actually a broken play.
Holy Cross point guard Andrew Wahl adjusts his shot to avoid having it blocked by Tahj Harding of Newport. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
“We were looking for Makhi McGuire or Tahj Harding inside and try to get it to the rim is what we we wanted to do,” said Newport coach Rod Snapp. “We were just hoping to get the right look and DeShawn knocked it down from out there. It was huge.”
Newport was ranked No. 4 in the latest Northern Kentucky coaches poll. Holy Cross didn’t get a single vote, but the 6-11 Indians nearly pulled off a major upset.
“I think we’re more than our record shows,” said Holy Cross coach Brandon Grammer. “That’s one heck of team we played. If they’re one of the top teams in the region, we showed we’re one possession away from being right up there with them.”
McGuire was the game’s leading scorer with 16 points. Harding posted his third consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The leading scorer for Holy Cross was junior guard Nate Niehaus with 10 points. Knochelmann, who entered the game with a 10.9 scoring average, got into early foul trouble and finished with five points.
The Wildcats had a 13-3 scoring advantage at the free throw line. They also won the battle on the boards by a 36-21 margin.
None of the Newport players have ever played in a state tournament atmosphere, but they’re certainly tournament tested after winning three tight games in the regional bracket this week.
“We just stuck together and fought hard,” White said. “Now we can go down there (to the state tournament) and make a name for ourselves, put Newport back on the map.”
HOLY CROSS 12 10 8 15 — 45
NEWPORT 12 13 11 12 — 48
HOLY CROSS (6-11): Wahl 4 1 9, Niehaus 3 1 10, Gabbard 2 0 6, Hicks 4 0 9, Knochelmann 2 1 5, Castleman 3 0 6. Totals: 18 3 45.
NEWPORT (17-4): Davis 0 3 3, White 4 0 10, McGuire 4 7 16, Harding 4 2 10, Miller 3 1 9. Totals: 15 13 48.
Three-pointers: HC – Niehaus 3, Gabbard 2, Hicks. N – White 2, Miller 2, McGuire.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Newport – Makhi McGuire(MVP), DaeShawn White, Kaleal Davis. Holy Cross – Pete Knochelmann, Andrew Wahl. NewCath – Caleb Jefferson. St. Henry – Wyatt Vieth. Bellevue – Chris Jones. Villa Madonna – Michael Schlueter. Dayton – Julian Jimenez. Ludlow – Ian Vallandingham Beechwood – Aiden Bieger.
