By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Brossart has a chance to sweep the 10th Region All “A” Classic boys and girls basketball titles for the second straight year, but the two teams took different paths to the championship finals.
Both teams played Paris in regional semifinal games on Tuesday at Robertson County High School. While the girls rolled to a 53-28 win, the boys needed a late rally to come away with a 56-53 victory.
Brossart junior guard Stephen Verst
In the boys game, Paris took a 47-37 lead with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter, but Brossart closed it out with a 19-6 run that ended in dramatic fashion.
The Mustangs were behind, 53-50, when guard Steven Verst hit a 3-point shot at the same time his teammate, Ethan Eilerman, was fouled. Eilerman then made one of two free throws to give his team a 54-53 lead with 24 seconds remaining.
Paris missed a field goal attempt and Verst was fouled on the rebound. He stepped to the line with 1.7 seconds left and made both free throws to seal the three-point victory.
It was the 13th consecutive win for the 14-2 Mustangs, who edged Calvary Christian, 56-51, in overtime in the opening round of the boys regional tournament on Saturday.
The Brossart girls posted their sixth straight win in the first game of Tuesday’s semifinal double-header. Junior forward Marie Kiefer scored 15 of her game-high 26 points in the second half when the Mustangs outscored the Greyhounds, 33-12.
Kiefer has a team-high 17.7 scoring average and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her career last Saturday.
The 10th Region finals will be played Thursday with the Brossart girls vs. Nicholas County (10-5) at 6 p.m. and the Brossart boys vs. Robertson County (13-4) at 7:45 p.m.
Robertson County sophomore Justin Becker is one of the state’s leading scorers with a 27.9 average and he’ll be playing on his home court Thursday. He’s shooting 60 percent (171 of 205) from the field overall and 40.7 (33 of 81) from 3-point range.
In 9th Region All “A” Classic boys games played Tuesday, St. Henry knocked off Holy Cross, 63-43, and Newport Central Catholic defeated Bellevue, 72-22. The winners will meet in the upper bracket semifinal game at 6 p.m. Friday at St. Henry.
The lower bracket games on Wednesday at St. Henry will be Beechwood vs. Dayton at 6 p.m. and defending champion Newport vs. Lloyd at 7:45 p.m.
All “A” Classic regional tournaments
9TH REGION BOYS AT ST. HENRY HIGH SCHOOL
Wednesday
Dayton vs. Beechwood, 6 p.m.
Newport vs. Lloyd, 7:45 p.m.
Friday
St. Henry vs. Newport Central Catholic, 6 p.m.
Dayton-Beechwood winner vs. Newport-Lloyd winner, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
10TH REGION BOYS AT ROBERTSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Thursday
Championship: Brossart vs. Robertson County, 7:45 p.m.
10TH REGION GIRLS AT ROBERTSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Thursday
Championship: Brossart vs. Nicholas County, 6 p.m.
