A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

High school basketball: CovCath crowned King of the Bluegrass; Holy Cross player scores 58 points


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

In his second season of Kentucky high school basketball, Covington Catholic junior point guard Evan Ipsaro is gaining a reputation as one of the state’s top players.

CovCath won the prestigious King of the Bluegrass tournament behind an impressive four-game performance by Ipsaro, who started his high school career in Ohio before joining the Colonels last year.

CovCath players with King of the Bluegrass championship trophy. (Photo from tournament website)

In the championship game on Tuesday, CovCath defeated North Laurel, 79-67, with Ipsaro getting a team-high 34 points and five assists.

The 5-foot-10 guard was the Colonels’ top scorer in all four tournament victories, netting a total of 99 points to go along with 24 assists.

CovCath won all four tournament games by double-digit margins to run its record to 10-1. Ipsaro was named to the all-tournament team along with CovCath senior center Mitchell Rylee, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game.

North Laurel junior Reed Sheppard received the tournament’s most valuable player award. The University of Kentucky recruit had a triple-double in the championship game with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He scored a total of 119 points in four games for the 6-2 Jaguars.

CovCath had a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter and outscored North Laurel, 24-19, in the final eight minutes. The Colonels shot 53.4 percent (31 of 58) from the field compared to North Laurel’s 50 percent (25 of 50). CovCath won the battle on the boards by a 32-24 margin.

After Christmas, CovCath will play in the Battle of the Villages tournament in Florida that begins on Dec. 27. The Colonels have another game against North Laurel scheduled on Feb. 11 at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena.

Holy Cross guard scores 58 points to break his previous record

Holy Cross junior guard Jacob Meyer scored 58 points in a 111-78 win over Robertson County on Tuesday to break a school record that he set two weeks ago with a 53-point performance.

Jacob Meyer

The 9th Region single-game scoring record is 69 points by Scott Draud of Highlands in 1986. Two years later, Jack Jennings of Holmes netted 68.

Meyer made 16 two-point field goals, five 3-point shots and 11 of 12 free throws in Tuesday’s game that was part of the Mike Swauger Holiday Classic at Bellevue. He has now scored 286 points in seven games for a 40.8 average that leads the state.

The state’s second-leading scorer is Robertson County senior Justin Becker, who scored 48 points in Tuesday’s game to raise his average to 39.5. Holy Cross junior guard Javier Ward had 32 points in the high-scoring contest.

All 12 teams in the Mike Swauger Holiday Classic will play two more games at the Bellevue gym. Here are the pairings:

Wednesday games — Newport vs. Grant County, 11:30 a.m.; Bracken County vs. Williamstown, 1:15 p.m.; Holmes vs. Metcalfe County, 3 p.m.; Holy Cross vs. Carroll County, 4:45 p.m.; Brossart vs. Lloyd, 6:30 p.m.; Bellevue vs. Robertson County, 8:15 p.m.

Thursday games — Newport vs. Metcalfe County, 11:30 a.m.; Brossart vs. Carroll County, 1:15 p.m.; Bellevue vs. Holmes, 3 p.m.; Robertson County vs. Williamstown, 4:45 p.m.; Holy Cross vs. Bracken County, 6:30 p.m.; Lloyd vs. Grant County, 8:15 p.m.

Simon Kenton advances to holiday tournament championship game

Simon Kenton advanced to the championship game of the Scott Winter Classic with a 51-49 win over Conner in the semifinals on Tuesday.

The Pioneers (5-3) will take a three-game win streak into the championship final against Greenwood (6-1) that’s scheduled for 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Greenwood defeated Oldham County, 64-56, in the other semifinal.

In the win over Conner, the Pioneers shot 64.5 percent (20 of 31) from the field to offset 18 turnovers.  The team leader was senior Isaac Miller with 21 points, followed by senior Andrew Smith with 14 and sophomore Travis Krohman with 13.

Conner junior guard Landen Hamilton took game-high scoring honors with 25 points. The Cougars (7-2) shot 65.5 percent from field (19 of 29), but Hamilton was the team’s only double-figure scorer.


Related Posts

Leave a Comment