By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Northern Kentucky boys’ high school basketball fans can get an early look at five of the top 10 teams in the local pre-season coaches poll on Saturday while also supporting a good cause.
Seven pre-season scrimmage games between teams from Northern Kentucky and Ohio will be played at Simon Kenton High School on Saturday with proceeds going to the Kelsey Ann Sorrell Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Sorrell, a graduate of Notre Dame Academy, died in an automobile accident in January of 2008. Her parents established a scholarship fund at the school in her honor.
Donations will be $5 for adults and $3 for students for the Saturday scrimmage games that begin at 9 a.m. and continue through out the day.
One of the teams taking part in the fund-raising event is two-time defending 9th Region champion Covington Catholic, the top vote-getter in the Northern Kentucky preseason coaches poll. The Colonels have two starters returning from last year’s team that made it to the semifinals of the state tournament.
The other highly ranked teams that will take the court on Saturday are No. 2 Cooper, No. 6 Scott, No. 8 Simon Kenton and No. 9 St. Henry along with Dixie Heights and Conner.
The pairings and scheduled tip-off times for the scrimmage games are: St. Henry vs. Western Hills, 9 a.m.; CovCath vs. Oak Hills, 10:30 a.m.; Dixie Heights vs. Loveland, noon; Conner vs. Cincinnati Country Day, 1:30 p.m.; Scott vs. Batavia, 3 p.m.; Simon Kenton vs. Western Brown, 4:30 p.m.; Cooper vs. Winton Woods, 6 p.m..
The Kentucky high school basketball season begins Monday, Nov. 30.
Two Ryle seniors among returning state champions in wrestling
Ryle senior Johnny Meiman heads the list of top returning wrestlers in Northern Kentucky going into the 2015-16 season that begins next week.
Last season, Meiman claimed his second consecutive state title by winning all five of his matches in the 160-pound weight class at the state tournament. He finished with a 65-4 overall record in matches.
Meiman’s senior teammate, Logan Erdman, is the area’s other returning state champion. He won a gold medal in the 126-pound weight class last year to cap off a 53-4 season.
Campbell County juniors Tanner Yenter and Brady Wells lost in the final round of the 106 and 113 weight classes at last year’s state tournament. But the points they scored helped the Camels place fourth in the team standings.
Simon Kenton junior Casey Cornett (182) and Walton-Verona sophomores Ryan Moore (113) and Mason Smith (132) are hoping to improve on their third-place finishes at state last season.
Walton-Verona basketball player accepts scholarship offer
Hailey Ison, the leading scorer on the Walton-Verona girls’ basketball team the last two seasons, has accepted a basketball scholarship offer from Georgetown College.
Ison averaged 16.9 points per game as a sophomore and 18.1 as a junior for the Bearcats. Last year, she finished the regular season with the highest free throw percentage in Kentucky girls’ high school basketball, making 183 of 203 foul shots for 90.1 percent.
The 5-foot-7 guard has already scored more than 1,000 points in her high school career and she ranks No. 1 academically in her senior class. She’ll be joining a Georgetown College team that’s off to a 2-3 start this season.
Swimmers make commitments with Division I college teams
Three high school swimmers who compete on the Northern Kentucky Clippers competitive club team signed letters of intent with Division I colleges on Monday, according to a press release from the club.
Covington Catholic senior Brendan Meyer signed with the University of Arizona and Notre Dame senior Madeleine Vonderhaar signed with the University of Virginia. Both of them achieved Olympic Trails qualifying times with the Clippers and first-team all-state honors in high school competition.
Meyer won gold medals in the boys’ 500 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay events in the last year’s Kentucky state high school championship meet.
Mikayla Herich, a home-school student who lives in Hebron, signed with Ohio University. She is not eligible to compete in Kentucky high school meets, but she achieved Junior National qualifying times with the Clippers.