By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
LEXINGTON — A defensive adjustment Covington Catholic made at halftime worked so well that the Colonels came from behind to beat Louisville Doss, 61-48, in the quarterfinal round of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA boys’ state basketball tournament on Friday at Rupp Arena.
After switching to a 3-2 zone defense, CovCath was able to limit Doss to just seven field goals during the second half. The zone was highly effective in the fourth quarter when the Dragons went 1-for-11 from the field without getting a single offensive rebound.
CovCath coach Scott Ruthsatz said he made the defensive adjustment because Doss was able to penetrate CovCath’s match-up zone in the first half and get high-percentage shots close to the basket.
“That was an issue we needed to address,” Ruthsatz said, “so what we decided to do was take our chances (with the 3-2 zone) and let them shoot perimeter jump shots. Once you do that though, you have to rebound the ball. I thought we did a really nice job rebounding and then getting out in transition and getting some easy buckets. So that really helped us out.”
The victory moved defending state champion CovCath one step closer to becoming the first boys’ basketball team to win back-to-back state titles since Louisville Fairdale did it in 1990 and 1991.
The Colonels will try to keep that dream alive Saturday when they take on Owensboro in a semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Owensboro defeated Hopkinsville, 71-50, in another quarterfinal game on Friday.
CovCath outscored Doss, 18-7, in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a 13-point victory. The fact that the Colonels pulled away with senior starters Bo Schuh and Grant Romes on the bench due to foul trouble made the run even more impressive.
The two players who replaced those starters — junior center Will Heppler and senior guard Matt Shumate — played their roles in the team’s zone defense so well that Doss didn’t get a field goal in the fourth quarter until the final seconds.
Heppler entered the game with 1:39 left in the third quarter after Schuh picked up his fourth foul on a double technical called against him and Doss guard Dujuanta Weaver for getting into an altercation following a scramble for a loose ball.
Heppler scored his first basket on a pass inside to give CovCath a 43-41 lead going into the fourth quarter. Then the 6-foot-6 center snagged two defensive rebounds and hit a short jump shot in the lane to help the Colonels get their
game-winning run started.
Heppler was asked what the coaches hold him before sending him in to replace Schuh.
“They were just like, ‘You got to play like you always do in practice,’” Heppler said. “I just knew that I had to do whatever I could to box out No. 32 (Doss forward Tyler Jefferson) under the boards.”
In the fourth quarter, CovCath scored 12 of its 18 points at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Cole VonHandorf popped in nine of 10 foul shots during the final period and finished with a game-high 17 points.
Schuh’s stat line included 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals even though he sat out most of the fourth quarter. He praised Heppler for the job he did as his replacement.
“I can’t believe how great he played,” Schuh said. “It’s amazing when a guy who doesn’t play many minutes gets into a quarterfinal game in the state tournament game and pulls all that off. It just shows the depth and the heart that our team really has.”
CovCath scored 12 straight points early in the first quarter to take a 12-5 lead. The Colonels got their first five field goals by zipping past Doss defenders on drives to the basket.
The Dragons tied the score, 12-12, before the first quarter ended. The lead changed hands seven times in the second quarter and Doss had a 27-26 lead at halftime.
The score remained close in the third quarter, but Doss really struggled to score against CovCath’s zone in the final period.
“They contested every shot and when you contest shots the percentage goes down dramatically,” Doss coach Blair Williams said of CovCath’s defense. “I don’t remember us getting a clean look out there.”
Doss ended up shooting 34.6 percent (18 of 52) from the field compared to CovCath’s 44.2 percent (19 of 43). The Colonels finished with a 38-27 rebounding advantage and outscored the Dragons, 22-8, at the free throw line.
In Saturday’s semifinals, CovCath will face an Owensboro team with a big, strong lineup that includes 6-foot-9 senior forward Aric Holman and 6-foot-7 senior center Justin Miller.
Both of those players posted a double-double in their team’s win over Hopkinsville on Friday. Holman had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Miller had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
“I think what it comes down to now is what can we do to help counteract some of the size disadvantages we’ll have,” Ruthsatz said of facing Owensboro. “We’ll get some tape of not only (Friday’s) game but some other games that they’ve played and kind of see what options we have in our half-court offensive sets. Defensively, we’ll have to put together some schemes that are a little different to try and keep them out of their comfort zone.”
COVCATH 12-15-14-7 — 48
DOSS 12-14-17-18 — 61
COVCATH (31-5): Schuh 4 5 13, Romes 1 0 2, VonHandorf 4 9 17, Flood 4 3 11, Theobald 3 5 11,Shumate 1 0 3, Heppler 2 0 4. Totals: 19 22 61.
DOSS (27-7): Jefferson 2 1 5, Weaver 4 1 10, McCarley 1 0 2, Anderson 3 0 8, Gray 2 3 7, Hall 1 2 5, Collins 5 1 11. Totals: 18 8 48.
Three-pointers: CC — Shumate. D — Anderson 2, Weaver, Hall.
STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCORES, SCHEDULE
All games at Rupp Arena, Lexington
Wednesday — Upper Bracket
Owensboro 55, Collins 38
Hopkinsville 76, Taylor County 64
Covington Catholic 64, Campbell County 43
Louisville Doss 56, Williamsburg 50
Thursday — Lower bracket
Louisville Ballard 82, Johnson Central 69
Boyle County 60, Lexington Catholic 59,
Bowling Green 86, Elliott County 44
Calloway County 73, Knott County Central 68 2-OT
Friday — Quarterfinals
Owensboro 71, Hopkinsville 50
Covington Catholic 61, Louisville Doss 48
Boyle County 85, Louisville Ballard 70
Bowling Green 65, Calloway County 57
Saturday — Semifinals
Owensboro (29-4) vs. Covington Catholic (31-5), 6:30 p.m.
Boyle County (28-6) vs. Bowling Green (30-5), 8 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.