By Don Owen
NKyTribune sports editor
Sam Vinson is undeniably the best basketball player in the 9th Region. The senior guard from Highlands is a triple-threat nightmare for opposing defenses, and he’s surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast.
The 6-foot-5 Vinson scores and rebounds. He skillfully dishes the ball to open teammates. He blocks shots. He’s also a candidate for Kentucky Mr. Basketball.
Sam Vinson (3) challenges Conner defender Cole Skiles in the 9th Region championship game. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
And after Highlands captured the 9th Region Tournament championship with a 77-67 victory over Conner on Friday night, Vinson is heading to the Sweet 16 to showcase his talents in front of a statewide audience.
Vinson scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots as Highlands claimed its first 9th Region championship since 2001. The Bluebirds (26-4) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter with a 14-0 run and iced the victory in the final period with a 14-3 spurt.
Zach Barth added 15 points — including four treys — as Highlands extended its winning streak to 17 games.
“We just stay calm and do our thing,” Vinson said of the third-quarter rally that saw Highlands turn a 40-30 deficit into a 44-40 lead. “We know what we’re capable of doing. Everyone can shoot, and my teammates were knocking down some huge shots. Those guys won this game tonight, and this is a very special group.”
William Herald ignited the third-quarter rally with a pair of 3-pointers, the second trey giving Highlands a 41-40 lead. The sophomore guard then started a game-clinching 14-3 spurt in the fourth quarter by draining two straight 3-pointers that extended the Bluebird advantage to 65-58.
Oliver Harris capped the big run with a pair of free throws to give Highlands a 73-61 cushion.
Facing a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, Highlands head coach Kevin Listerman relayed a simple message to his team during a timeout.
“I told them to trust what we do,” Listerman said. “We actually do simulations like that in practice almost every day, where we’re down 10 or eight, and we talk about handling the situation.
“Our guys knew they needed to make plays. We knocked a couple of shots down, and got a couple of stops. And we got rolling.”
Conner guard Riley Osterbur (right) looks for a shot against William Herald of Highlands. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Luke Muller drained four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for the Bluebirds, who were 15-for-38 from beyond the arc. Muller and Barth both knocked down a pair of triples during the third quarter.
“Highlands got hot, which they do,” Conner head coach Matt Otte said. “I thought in the first half, we did a good job of keeping them out of the middle when we went zone. That helped us close out on their shooters.
“I thought in the second half Highlands did a really good job of adjusting and getting somebody in the middle. We had to (sag) in on them, and it opened up the outside game a little more. They did what they usually do — they made shots.”
Ayden Lohr scored 18 points to lead Conner, which closed the season with a 17-7 record. The Cougars buried five shots from 3-point range in the first half and owned a 30-25 lead at intermission.
Conner began the third quarter with a 10-5 spurt to extend that lead to 40-30 when Lohr made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Highlands, however, scored 14 unanswered points and eventually took control late in the contest.
Landen Hamilton added 17 points for Conner, which shot 35.5 percent from the field. Cole Skiles finished with a game-high 15 rebounds and added 10 points. Spencer Couzins netted 10 points for the Cougars, who were seeking their first regional title since 1993.
Vinson was named most valuable player of the 9th Region Tournament, but he praised his teammates for the win.
“They’re why we won this game tonight,” he said, pointing at his teammates as they prepared to cut down the nets inside the Evans Fieldhouse, where 42 years earlier the Bluebirds won their first-ever 9th Region championship by defeating Holmes in the 1979 finale.
Highlands guard Zach Barth drives to the basket against Conner defender Ayden Lohr in the 9th Region championship game Friday. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Herald finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Oliver Harris added seven points, five rebounds and three blocks. The Bluebirds connected on 45.3 percent from the field and blocked a total of nine shots.
Highlands will meet the 3rd Region champion on April 1 at Rupp Arena at 11 a.m. Muhlenberg County (18-1) faces Owensboro Catholic (18-9) on Sunday in the 3rd Region Tournament championship game.
•CAMPBELL COUNTY 71, MONTGOMERY COUNTY 67: Campbell County survived a furious second-half comeback by Montgomery County to win the 10th Region semifinal game on Friday and moved on to the championship final for the sixth time in the last eight years.
The Camels opened up a 46-20 lead in the first half, but Montgomery County came charging back and cut the final margin to just four points.
Senior guard Garrett Beiting scored 21 of his game-high 28 points in the first half for the Camels. The team’s other double-figure scorers were sophomore forwards Eric Davie with 17 and Aydan Hamilton with 15.
Davie also collected 10 rebounds. Campbell County finished with a 32-26 advantage on the boards and shot 56 percent from the field with six 3-point goals.
Montgomery County ended up shooting 44.6 percent with junior Hagan Harrison and senior Ricky Lovette scoring 20 points each for the Indians.
Campbell County (18-8) will take on defending 10th Region champion George Rogers Clark (18-4) in the title game at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mason County Fieldhouse. The two teams did not play each other during the regular season.
The Camels won 10th Region titles in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019 under head coach Aric Russell, who has a 241-110 record in 11 seasons with the program.
Highlands guard Sam Vinson (3) is congratulated by teammates after earning MVP honors of the 9th Region Tournament on Friday night at Holmes. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
•NORTH OLDHAM 66, SIMON KENTON 64: Simon Kenton missed two shots in the final seconds of a wild fourth quarter to come up short in the 8th Region semifinal game on Friday at Henry County.
The Pioneers (16-9) entered the fourth quarter with a 47-42 lead, but North Oldham (7-10) scored on all 12 of its offensive possessions to win the game. Sophomore forward Dallas Roberts got 17 of the Mustangs’ 24 points in that final period, including a pair of free throws with 7.6 seconds remaining that broke a 64-64 tie.
Simon Kenton senior guard Kelly Niece scored 26 points in his final high school game. He finished the season with a 30.1 scoring average that leads the state. The other double-figure scorer for the Pioneers was junior guard Isaac Miller with 15 points.
After falling behind 11-4 in the opening minutes, Simon Kenton got its act together on offense and took a 29-19 lead on a pair of free throws by Niece in the second quarter.
North Oldham closed the first half with an 8-2 run that cut the margin to 31-27. Simon Kenton ended the third quarter with an 8-2 spurt to take a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Don Owen is sports editor of the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Contact him at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport.
Highlands players, coaches and fans celebrate after winning the 9th Region Tournament championship with a 77-67 triumph over Conner. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
