By Brendan Connelly
NKyTribune sports reporter
Highlands got 28 points apiece from senior Zach Barth and junior Will Herald to offset a 36-point performance by the state’s leading scorer and defeated Holy Cross, 87-72, in boys basketball on Monday night in Fort Thomas.
Holy Cross junior guard Jacob Meyer entered the game with 41.5 scoring average, but he didn’t get many good looks at the basket, especially in the first half, and finished with 36 points. None of his teammates reached double figures in the scoring column.
Highlands guard Will Herald attempts a driving layup against Holy Cross forward Cade Lehmkuhl. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
“A lot of your traditional defensive principles kind of go out the window with him.” Highlands coach Kevin Listerman said of Meyer. “We ran a lot of guys at him tonight and just tried to make him take as many tough shots as possible.”
Barth and Herald, who were starters on the Bluebirds’ state championship team last season, both surpassed their current season averages of 16.9 and 17.9 points in the victory that raised their team’s record to 9-4.
Senior forwards Oliver Harris and Cole Kocher provided 13 points and 11 points for the multi-faceted Highlands offense that shot 57.9 percent (33 of 57) from the field.
“I was most impressed with how we shared the ball, especially in the second half.” Listerman said.
It’s no secret that Holy Cross (9-4) runs its offense through Meyer. The Bluebirds attempted to slow him down early by double-teaming and face guarding him on defense, but the Indians still managed to open up a 26-20 lead in the second quarter on a basket by Meyer.
Barth made it a one-point game, 26-25, on a 3-point goal from the left wing, but Zach Arlinghaus responded with a three of his own for Holy Cross. The Bluebirds then went on a 13-2 run that included back-to-back treys from Barth and Nathan Vinson to take a 38-31 halftime lead.
Barth continued his hot shooting in the second half, adding seven early points to keep Holy Cross at arm’s length
Highlands guard Zach Barth puts up a one-handed jump shot against Holy Cross center Sam Gibson. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
“He’s been putting in the extra work shooting,” Listerman said. “I thought he was due to have a big night, and I was most impressed with him tonight. He had 11 rebounds and seven assists.”
It took Meyer more than two minutes to score his first points in the third quarter, but he ended up getting 14 points in that period. The Indians just couldn’t stop Highlands’ balanced scoring attack as Herald drained a three to give the Bluebirds their largest lead of the night, 66-53.
In the fourth quarter, brothers Zach and Dylan Arlinghaus both made 3-point goal to help the Indians mount a comeback that cut the deficit to seven points, 74-67.
But back-to-back threes from Herald stretched the Bluebirds lead to 13 with less than two minutes left, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
“We finished the game with four seniors on the floor and they understood what we wanted.” Listerman said.
Herald got 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to share team-high scoring honors with Barth. It was the third time this season that the two players accounted for a combined total of more than 50 points in a game.
Meyer has now scored 30 points or more for Holy Cross in 11 games this season. He netted 50 points or more in four of those games. His season average now stands at 40.1.
