By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
LEXINGTON — Defending champion Covington Catholic returned to the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA boys’ state basketball tournament on Wednesday with a new set of players and clobbered Campbell County, 64-43, in a first-round game at Rupp Arena.
“Am I surprised, not really,” CovCath coach Scott Ruthsatz said after his team’s impressive victory. “These guys have been through our schedule, grinding it out in lots of different games. I’m very proud of them.”
Sophomore guard Cole VonHandorf, one of the two starters who returned from last year’s state championship team, scored a game-high 29 points for the Colonels, who advance to the quarterfinals and play Louisville Doss at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
VonHandorf made 10 of 16 field goal attempts and 7 of 9 free throws in the first-round game. One of his field goals in the first half pushed his scoring total as a CovCath player over the 1,000 mark in only his second season.
After getting his first two points on a fast-break layup, he hit two 3-point shots and had a couple of stick-back baskets off rebounds during the game. He also scored on a drive to the basket and a mid-range jump shot.
“It’s very exciting for me,” VonHandorf said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. They were making shots so (defenders) were helping out on them so I got open shots.”
The other double-figure scorers for CovCath were senior point guard Cooper Theobald with 12 points and junior guard Andy Flood with 10. Theobald also had four assists and three steals in his first state tournament game as a starter.
“Coming into this game, I took what I saw last year with our seniors,” Cooper said. “They did a good job staying composed in big games. I knew the bright lights would be out, but you’ve just got to worry about yourself and your game plan and everything should come out very well for you.”
CovCath shot 51.2 percent (21 of 41) from the field compared to Campbell County’s 38.1 percent (16 of 42). The leading scorers for the Camels were junior center Matt Wilson with 14 points and senior forward Deondre Jackson with 11.
Wilson made all six of his field goals attempts, but he only got two shots during the second half when CovCath outscored Campbell County, 31-17, to pull away.
“When we did get (the ball) to him, he scored. We just didn’t get it to him enough,” Campbell County coach Aric Russell said of Wilson. “Part of that was their defense and part of it was us not making (outside) shots so that we could free Matt up a little bit inside.”
Wilson got the first basket in the second quarter to give Campbell County a 20-14 lead, but CovCath scored on its next six possessions to pull ahead and led 32-26 at halftime.
VonHandorf hit a pair of 3-point shots over Campbell County’s zone defense to spark CovCath’s second-quarter run and ended up scoring 12 of his team’s 18 points in that period.
“Coach Ruthsatz just tells me to shoot when I’m open,” VonHandorf said. “This season, I haven’t been very good on 3s, but I was clicking early and kept shooting them and it was working.”
In the third quarter, VonHandorf scored eight points and Flood had five during their team’s 19-6 scoring run that put the game away. The Colonels did all of their scoring at the free throw line in the fourth quarter with VonHandorf making all six of his foul shots.
VonHandorf has been CovCath’s leading scorer in all six of its playoff victories. The 29 points he got against Campbell County surpassed two 24-point efforts he had during the 9th Region Tournament.
“VonHandorf was killing us,” said coach Russell. “We came out in the second half and tried to play man-to-man on him and didn’t do too well with that either. It was his (game) tonight and we didn’t have an answer for him.”
Doss head coach Kentral Goodin watched most of CovCath’s game against Campbell County and knows what his team will be up against in Friday’s quarterfinals.
“We have to play scared because they’re going to give us their best shot,” Goodin said of CovCath. “Champions know how to win. We’re only district and regional champions so far and they’re state champions. So in order to beat them we have to stay focused the entire game and not let them get out on us in the beginning because they will not let us come back and take control.”
COVCATH 14-18-19-13 — 64
CAMPBELL CO. 18-8-6-11— 43
COVCATH (30-5): Schuh 1 1 3, Romes 2 0 4, VonHandorf 10 7 29, Flood 4 1 10, Theobald 2 8 12. Massie 1 0 2, Ruthsatz 0 1 1, Shumate 1 0 2, Heppler 0 1 1. Totals: 21 19 64.
CAMPBELL CO. (25-10): Jackson 4 2 11, Wilson 6 2 14, Losey 3 0 6, McGovney 1 1 4, Hegyi 0 2 2, Day 1 0 2, Neltner 1 2 4. Totals: 16 9 43.
Three-pointers: COV — VonHandorf 2, Flood. CAM — Jackson, McGovney.
BOYS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCORES & SCHEDULE
All games at Rupp Arena, Lexington
Wednesday scores – Upper Bracket
Owensboro 55, Collins 38
Hopkinsville 76, Taylor County 64
Covington Catholic 64, Campbell County 43
Louisville Doss 56, Williamsburg 50
Thursday games – Lower bracket
Johnson Central (23-9) vs. Louisville Ballard (31-2), noon
Lexington Catholic (24-8) vs. Boyle County (26-6), 1:30 p.m.
Bowling Green (28-5) vs. Elliott County (22-7), 6:30 p.m.
Knott County Central (30-2) vs. Calloway County (29-3), 8 p.m.
Friday
Owensboro (28-4) vs. Hopkinsville (27-5), noon
Covington Catholic (30-5) vs. Louisville Doss (27-6), 1:30 p.m.
Lower bracket quarterfinals, 6:30 & 8 p.m.
Saturday
Upper bracket semifinal, 6:30 p.m.
Lower bracket semifinal, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.