By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
With the score tied and 16 seconds left on the clock, Holy Cross coach Casey Sorrell called a timeout to set up a play in the 9th Region All “A” Classic boys basketball championship game against Newport on Saturday.
Sorrell leaned over to be at eye level with the players sitting on the bench and told them what everybody in the packed gym at Beechwood High School was thinking.
Holy Cross guard Jacob Meyer got most of his 40 points during the championship game on drives to the basket like this one against James Turner of Newport. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
“I said we’re going to get the ball to Jake and then I looked at him in the eyes and said, ‘Go win us the game, man,'” Sorrell said.
Senior guard Jake Meyer did exactly what he was told. He dribbled to the right side of the court, cut to the basket and split through a pair of defenders for a layup off the glass that gave Holy Cross a 74-72 lead with 0.5 remaining.
Newport rushed the ball up the court and got off a final shot that fell short as the final horn sounded.
“I don’t even know, man,” Meyer said when asked how he got the game-winning basket. “I just went to the rim, tried to make a move and made the shot to help our team win this.”
This is the second consecutive year that Holy Cross (11-5) has won the 9th Region championship trophy in the small school playoffs and ninth title overall.
The Indians will play 12th Region champion Danville (14-5) in the first round of the 16-team Kentucky All “A” Classic state tournament at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena.
The tournament will give fans from other parts of state a chance to see Meyer in action. He scored 40 points Saturday to give him a state-leading average of 33.6 points per game and also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Newport freshman guard Taylen Kinney slips between Holy Cross defenders on a drive to basket. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Last year, Meyer finished the season with a 38.2 scoring average that was the highest in the nation for boys basketball players.
That’s why coach Sorrell wanted him to have the ball with the game on the line and named him the tournament’s most valuable player.
“He amazes me every day,” Sorrell said of Meyer. “It feels like every practice and every game he’s doing things that just open my eyes real wide. I can’t believe some of the things he can do.”
Newport (14-4) made an impressive comeback to set the stage for the dramatic ending. The Wildcats trailed, 66-51, early in the fourth quarter and came charging back to tie it, 70-70, on a second-chance basket by senior forward Marquez Miller at the 1:01 mark.
Freshman guard Taylen Kinney scored 11 points during Newport’s 19-4 run that tied the score before fouling out a few seconds before Miller’s field goal.
“I thought the guys executed and did a good job,” Newport coach Rod Snapp said of his team’s comeback. “Then Kinney getting into foul trouble, that kind of hurt a little bit, but guys got to step up.”
Jacob Meyer begins the celebration for Holy Cross after the final horn sounded in the region championship game. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Newport’s leading scorer was Miller with 28 points to go along with 15 rebounds. Kinney had 17 points when he fouled out. He would’ve gotten the ball on the team’s final possession if he was still in the game, according to his coach.
“He’s one of those special players that can make plays because his (basketball) IQ is just off the charts for a freshman,” Snapp said. “He could’ve made something happen.”
Holy Cross senior guard Javier Ward scored 18 points despite being hampered by cramps in his right calf muscle. He limped off the court several times.
Junior forward Donovan Ambrocio came off the bench as Ward’s replacement and contributed five points and two assists to the winning effort.
“We knew it was going to be a fight for the full 32 minutes and we’re just proud of all of guys for battling all the way through it,” Sorrell said.
Holy Cross shot 51.7 percent (30 of 58) from the field compared to Newport’s 44.2 percent (31 of 70). The Indians had a 33-6 scoring advantage from behind the 3-point line with Ward and Meyer getting seven of the 11 treys.
“The big thing we wanted to do was make it our game,” coach Sorrell said. “They play a different style than us and we wanted to make it our game. We wanted to make it an up-and-down game and that’s kind of what happened.”
Coach Snapp said the pace of the game did cause some problems for his young team that was allowing just 49.7 points per game at the tipoff.
“Holy Cross did a really good job of speeding us up, and I knew it was coming,” Snapp said. “There are a few other teams that can definitely speed us up so what we have to do is learn to make good decisions.”
HOLY CROSS 24 13 20 17 — 74
NEWPORT 9 21 17 25 — 72
HOLY CROSS (11-5): Dreas 2 0 6, Ward 6 2 18, Smith 1 0 3, Meyer 18 1 40, Ambrocio 2 0 5, Gibson 1 0 2. Totals: 30 3 74.
NEWPORT (14-4): Kinney 7 2 17, Covington 5 0 10, Turner 4 4 12, Miller 13 2 28, Silverton 2 0 5. Totals: 31 8 72
Three-point goals: HC — Ward 4, Meyer 3, Dreas 2, Smith, Ambrcio. N — Kinney, Silverton.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Holy Cross — Jake Meyer (MVP), Javier Ward, Jacob Smith. Newport — Marquez Miller, Taylen Kinney. St. Henry — Jack Grayson. Ludlow — Jaxson Rice. Beechwood — Cameron Boyd. Bellevue — Zach Mertens. NewCath — Ian Mann. Villa Madonna — Henry Thole.
