By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Lloyd hasn’t been included in the All “A” Classic small school basketball playoffs the last two years because it’s no longer among the 123 high schools in Kentucky with the lowest enrollments in grades 9-12.
It would’ve been interesting to see the Lloyd boys basketball team in the 9th Region tournament last week. The Juggernauts had an 11-1 record when the tournament started and coach Michael Walker’s team would’ve been considered a top contender for the title.
Lloyd coach Michael Walker instructs player before a game. (Photo from coach’s Twitter account)
On Tuesday, Lloyd pushed its record to 13-3 with a 77-47 win over Newport Central Catholic, the runner-up in last week’s region tournament. On Friday, the Juggernauts have a home game against Holy Cross, the team that carried off the championship trophy.
The game on Friday will be a showdown between the highest-scoring team in Northern Kentucky and the team with the lowest defensive average in the area.
Holy Cross is averaging 77.5 points per game while Lloyd is allowing just 48.3. The key to the matchup will likely be the offensive output of Holy Cross junior guard Jacob Meyer, the state’s leading scorer.
Meyer netted 43 points in his team’s 89-85 win at Campbell County on Tuesday to raise his season average to 40.0.
The Indians will take a 14-5 record and five-game winning streak into Friday’s game. Lloyd has a home game against Holmes on Wednesday before turning its attention to the showdown with Holy Cross.
The Juggernauts lost close games to large-school opponents Cooper (43-42) and Campbell County (59-57) last week before getting back on the winning track with lopsided victories over Scott (76-49) last Friday and NewCath on Tuesday.
Lloyd had three players with double-figure scoring averages going into Tuesday’s game. The team-leader was junior guard Jeremiah Israel at 14.6 points per game, followed by senior guard Ryan Davis (11.9) and 6-foot-5 senior forward Garrett Vogelpohl (11.1).
Ryle senior wrestler surpasses previous team record in career wins
Ryle senior wrestler Noah Duke has moved into the top spot on the team’s career wins list with several weeks remaining in the season.
Noah Duke
Duke has compiled a 223-24 record in six years of varsity competition going into a dual match with East Central of Indiana on Wednesday. The previous Ryle team record for most career wins was 219 by TJ Ruschell, who graduated in 2012.
Last year, Duke was named most outstanding wrestler in the state tournament after pinning every opponent he faced in the 170-pound weight class to finish with a perfect 39-0 record. He wrestled in the 182-pound weight class at the two previous state tournaments, placing third in 2020 and 5th in 2019.
Duke has a 39-2 record in the 175-pound weight class this season. He was No. 1 in that weight class in the latest state rankings posted by the Kentucky Wrestling Coaches Association. The area’s other top-ranked wrestler is Ryle senior Cole Thomas in the 132-pound weight class.
Thomas, the 132-pound state champion last year, ranks among the top five Ryle wrestlers in career wins with 200.
Scott graduate is freshman starter on WKU women’s basketball team
Scott graduate Mya Meredith has been a double-figure scorer in the last seven games for the 12-4 Western Kentucky University women’s basketball team and the freshman forward’s 13.4 season average is second highest for the Hilltoppers.
Mya Meredith
In her team’s last two victories, Meredith had 30 points, 13 rebounds, 11 steals, four blocks and four assists to earn Conference USA Freshman of the Week honors for the third consecutive week. Western Kentucky has won seven games in a row and leads the conference with a 5-0 record.
After her team’s 1-3 start, Meredith was moved into the starting lineup and the Hilltoppers won 11 of their last 12 games. She scored 20 points or more in three of the last five games and raised her overall shooting percentage to 47.4.
Meredith was voted second-team all-state after her sophomore season at Scott when she averaged 25.2 points and eight rebounds per game. She sat out her junior season following knee surgery and played in only 13 games last season due to another injury.
