By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The top-ranked teams remained the same, but strong runs by two other teams influenced the top 10 voting in the final regular season Northern Kentucky boys and girls high school basketball coaches polls conducted by The NKyTribune.
Covington Catholic and Simon Kenton were unanimous No. 1 choices in the boys and girls balloting, just like they were in the previous coaches polls posted on Jan. 7. Neither of those teams has lost to a Northern Kentucky opponent all season.
Ryle remained No. 2 in the girls coaches poll, but Highlands climbed to No. 3 because the team has won 13 of 17 games since being voted No. 7 in January. Three of the Bluebirds’ losses during that run were by seven points or less, but they fell to Simon Kenton, 57-32, Wednesday.
Prior of Wednesday’s game, Highlands senior Piper Macke had a team-high 12.2 scoring average. Junior forward Kelsey Listerman, a first-year varsity starter, was averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.
In the boys coaches poll, Conner jumped from No. 9 to No. 2 in the wake of a 13-game winning streak. During that run, the Cougars won games against No. 3 Highlands, No. 5 Beechwood, No. 9 Simon Kenton and No. 10 Holy Cross.
Conner shot 45 percent or better from the field in 11 of its last 13 victories while averaging seven 3-point goals per game. The team’s scoring leader is senior forward Jalen Scott with a 17.5 average, followed by junior guards Spencer Couzins (10.7) and Riley Osterbur (10.3). Those three players have a combined total of 110 3-point goals on the season.
The Cougars also have a veteran floor leader in senior guard Jared Hicks, who is averaging eight points and five rebounds per game. He and Scott have been playing varsity basketball since they were freshmen.
Conner is the top-seeded team in the 33rd District boys playoffs and Highlands is seeded second in the 36th District girls bracket. Both teams will need one win to advance to the 9th Region tournament. But the last time Highlands won the girls regional title was 2001 and Conner hasn’t taken the boys title since 1993.
CovCath and Simon Kenton will be considered top contenders in their respective regions once again. Over the last six years, CovCath has won four 9th Region boys titles and Simon Kenton has won three 8th Region girls titles.
The Ryle girls team that won last year’s 9th Region and state championships has a 16-11 record with one game left on its schedule. Seven of the Raiders’ losses were against out-of-state opponents and Louisville Sacred Heart, the state’s top-ranked team, beat them twice. They also lost to Simon Kenton and Conner during the first two weeks of the season.
