NKyTribune staff
St. Henry’s Wyatt Vieth is one of the 9th Region’s leading scorers, and the senior guard doesn’t fear being the go-to guy in late-game situations.
Just ask the players and coaches at Covington Catholic, which witnessed Vieth’s last-second heroics on Tuesday night.
Donovan Stocks (5) attempts to drive past St. Henry defender Jude Bessler on Tuesday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Evan Ipsaro had just made two free throws with 8.9 seconds remaining in the game to give CovCath a 60-58 lead. St. Henry put the ball in Vieth’s hands, and he produced one of the most memorable finishes in Crusaders basketball history.
Vieth followed up his own missed jumper by grabbing the offensive rebound and scoring on a layup while being fouled. He then drained the free throw with 0.9 seconds left on the clock to give St. Henry a 61-60 victory.
St. Henry improved to 11-2 and snapped CovCath’s nine-game winning streak. The Crusaders also knocked off the Colonels for the first time since Dec. 4, 2009, ending a 15-game losing streak in the series against CovCath.
CovCath entered the game ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press state poll, while St. Henry was No. 7.
Vieth finished with 25 points and nine rebounds. He also converted all seven of his free throws and is shooting 90.9 percent at the charity stripe this season. Vieth also averages 20.7 points per game this season.
Jude Bessler added 18 points for St. Henry, which rallied from a 30-23 halftime deficit. Cody Teten finished with nine points and five rebounds as the Crusaders extended their winning streak to four.
Donovan Stocks scored 15 points to lead CovCath, which lost to a 9th Region opponent for the first time since Feb. 26, 2019, when Beechwood posted a 57-53 win over the Colonels in the 35th District Tournament championship game.
Wyatt Vieth prepares to launch the winning free throw with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
CovCath owned a 27-game winning streak against 9th Region opponents going into Tuesday night. The Colonels are seeking their fourth consecutive 9th Region championship.
Chandler Starks and Mitchell Rylee each added 13 points for CovCath, which dropped to 16-3. Ipsaro finished with 10 points for the Colonels, who shot 47.4 percent from the field.
St. Henry made just 38.5 percent of its shots from the field, but the Crusaders grabbed 10 offensive rebounds — the most important one by Vieth in the closing seconds. St. Henry converted 89.5 percent of its free throws, while CovCath shot 75 percent from the line.
St. Henry is scheduled to play Walton-Verona in the All “A” Classic sectional on Thursday. The Crusaders are the defending champions of that event.
CovCath is back in action Friday night when Ashland Paul Blazer visits Park Hills at 8 p.m. The Colonels also travel to Madison Central on Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. contest.
NEWPORT DEFEATS BOONE COUNTY: KeAndre Nelson scored 17 points and Robert Sanders finished with 11 points as Newport posted a 55-51 win at Boone County on Tuesday night. Nelson buried a trio of 3-pointers for the Wildcats, who improved to 6-11.
Sanders also grabbed eight rebounds to lead Newport. Alex Greene netted nine points for Newport, while Evan Snapp and Marquez Miller each scored six points.
CovCath’s Chandler Starks powers his way to the basket against St. Henry on Tuesday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Evan Ipsaro (13) of CovCath shoots a jumper while being defended by St. Henry’s Reid Ravenscraft (24) on Tuesday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Wyatt Vieth and his St. Henry teammates celebrate their win over CovCath on Tuesday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
