By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The 9th Region All “A” Classic boys’ basketball tournament begins Monday and coaches hope they don’t encounter the same weather related setbacks that forced other small school tournaments around the state to revise their schedules last week.
The opening games in the 9th Region boys’ tournament set for 7:30 p.m. Monday are Ludlow at St. Henry, Bellevue at Newport and Newport Central Catholic at Holy Cross. Two of the schools hosting those games — St. Henry and Holy Cross — also have teams in the 9th Region girls’ championship final that was moved back to 7 p.m. Monday at Dayton High School.
Walton-Verona freshman point guard Haylee Neely, right, scored 12 points in her team’s 8th Region All “A” Classic semifinal win over Owen County on Sunday. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
The last time St. Henry won the girls’ regional tournament was 1996 and this year’s team lost to Holy Cross, 55-45, in a regular season game on Dec. 16. But the Crusaders are riding a five-game winning streak into Monday’s rematch with the defending regional champions.
In the earlier game between the two teams, Holy Cross did a good job containing St. Henry’s top player, Chisom Iloegbunam, who finished with five points and three rebounds. The junior forward is currently averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The leading scorer for Holy Cross is junior guard Olivia Crigler. In 16 games, she averaged 13.3 points with 46 of her 72 field goals coming from behind the 3-point line.
The 8th Region boys’ tournament was also a victim of last week’s winter weather. The championship game between Walton-Verona and Gallatin County was postponed twice and is now set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Owen County.
Walton-Verona defeated Gallatin County, 53-33, in last year’s regional final and 51-31 in a game earlier this season. But now the Bearcats don’t have 6-foot-7 center Dieonte Miles in the lineup. His season was cut short by a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
Walton-Verona has won its last three games without Miles and takes a 12-4 record into Monday’s title game. Gallatin County is on a five-game winning streak that lifted its record to 15-3. The leading scorers on the two teams are Gallatin County junior forward Troy Coomer (15.6) and Walton-Verona senior guard Brennan Stanley (14.1).
The Walton-Verona girls’ team will also be playing in a regional final, but the Bearcats have to wait until 7 p.m. Friday to take on Carroll County at Walton-Verona.
Over the last eight seasons, Walton-Verona has a 13-0 record against Carroll County and there’s a good chance that streak will continue. The Bearcats are averaging 54 points per game with balanced scoring. The team leader is junior forward Brooke Perry with a 13.4 average.
Brossart made it back to the championship game of he 10th Region girls’ tournament that has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Nicholas County. That gives the Mustangs time to prepare for a rematch with Nicholas County, the team that beat them, 36-24, in last year’s final.
This season, Brossart has a better offensive team with freshman forward Marie Kiefer in the lineup. The varsity newcomer has the team’s highest scoring average (12.1) and rebounding average (8.2) and she’s shooting 47.7 percent (74 of 155) from the field.
Girls All “A” Classic regional tournaments
9TH REGION AT DAYTON
Monday
Championship game: Holy Cross vs. St. Henry, 7 p.m.
8TH REGION AT WALTON-VERONA
Friday
Championship game: Walton-Verona vs. Carroll County, 7 p.m.
10TH REGION AT NICHOLAS COUNTY
Wednesday
Championship game: Nicholas County vs. Brossart, 6 p.m.
Boys All “A” Classic regional tournaments
8TH REGION AT OWEN COUNTY
Tuesday
Championship: Walton-Verona vs. Gallatin County, 7 p.m.
9TH REGION AT THREE SITES
Monday
Ludlow at St. Henry, 7:30 p.m.
Bellevue at Newport, 7:30 p.m.
Newport Central Catholic at Holy Cross, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday at Newport
Dayton vs. St. Henry-Ludlow winner, 6 p.m.
Beechwood vs. Heritage Academy, 8 p.m.
Wednesday at Newport
Villa Madonna vs. Newport-Bellevue winner, 6 p.m.
Lloyd vs. NewCath-Holy Cross winner, 8 p.m.
Friday at Newport
Semifinal games, 6 and 8 p.m.
Saturday at Newport
Championship game, 7 p.m.
