By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
They had to fight until the end once again, but the Holy Cross Indians defeated Newport Central Catholic, 82-72, to win the championship game of the 9th Region All “A” Classic boys basketball tournament on Saturday at Thomas More University.
After NewCath took a 65-62 lead early in the fourth quarter, Holy Cross ran off 12 straight points to go back on top and secured the victory by making six of eight free throws and one field goal on its final five possessions.
Holy Cross guard Jacob Meyer adjusts his shot to avoid getting blocked by Kaedon Butts of NewCath. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
In their two previous region tournament games last week, the Indians also needed a strong finish to come away with victories against Beechwood and St. Henry.
“I think our guys are learning to battle through adversity,” said Holy Cross coach Casey Sorrell. “But that’s something that evolves over time. You have to learn and be put in those experiences, so to be able to fight one out (Saturday) when things went bad really fast for us and NewCath made a great run is a credit to our leaders. I’m just proud of our guys for staying in there and fighting.”
The last time Holy Cross won the 9th Region All “A” Classic boys championship was 2012 and that team went on to win the small school state tournament as well. The Indians (13-5) will return to the state tournament on Jan. 27 and play 11th Region champion Lexington Sayre (9-8) in the final first-round game at 9:30 p.m. at Eastern Kentucky University.
Basketball fans from other parts of Kentucky will get a chance to see Holy Cross junior guard Jacob Meyer in action at the state tournament. Meyer, the state’s leading scorer with a 40-point average, scored 41 in Saturday’s region final and was named most valuable player on the all-tournament team.
“We worked hard for this,” Meyer said. “Our coach told us if we keep working hard in practice and get ready for this we could really go on a run (in the state tournament) at EKU.”
Holy Cross center Sam Gibson puts up a shot over two NewCath defenders. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
The Indians’ other double-figure scorer in the region final was junior guard Javier Ward with 24 points. He scored the first eight points of the game to spark his team’s 23-10 first-quarter run. Holy Cross led by as much as 16 points, 40-24, in the second quarter, but NewCath cut it to 45-34 at halftime.
The Thoroughbreds scored on their final five possessions in the third quarter, including a last-second basket by sophomore Jase Iles that made it 59-57. Early in the fourth quarter, a 3-point goal by another sophomore, Jacob Eaglin, gave NewCath it’s first lead of the game, 60-59.
After Iles made a pair of free throws to give NewCath a 65-62 lead, the Indians launched the 12-0 run that put them back in control. It started with Zach Arlinghaus hitting a 3-point shot off an assist by Meyer, who then scored six of the next nine points.
One of Meyer’s baskets was a slam dunk off a steal that brought fans to their feet and fueled his team’s strong finish to take the title.
“It’s good to have Holy Cross basketball back in the winner’s circle,” coach Sorrell said of the boys program. “It’s been a long time, I think since 2012, that Holy Cross has won a significant championship. I’m happy for our kids, for them to get this experience, and I’m happy for Holy Cross the school and Holy Cross the church. It’s a community effort.”
Ward and senior Maddux Hoffman were the other Holy Cross players named to the region all-tournament team. NewCath’s selections were junior George Simons and senior Kaedon Butts, who had 16 points in the championship game. The Thoroughbreds’ leading scorers were Eaglin with 19 points and Iles with 17.
NEWCATH 10 24 23 15 — 72
HOLY CROSS 23 22 14 23 — 82
NEWCATH (5-10): Eaglin 7 0 19, Jace Iles 5 6 17, Joel Iles 2 2 6, Runyon 1 2 4, Simons 2 1 5, Butts 8 0 16, Luhn 1 2 5. Totals: 26 13 72.
HOLY CROSS (13-5): Meyer 15 9 41, Ward 9 3 24, Z. Arlinghaus 1 0 3, D. Arlinghaus 0 2 2, Lehmkuhl 0 3 3, Pulsfort 1 0 3, Hoffman 0 1 1, Gibson 2 1 5. Totals: 28 19 82.
3-point goals: NC — Eaglin 5, Jace Iles, Luhn. HC — Ward 3, Meyer 2, Z. Arlinghaus, Pulsfort.
