By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
St. Henry needed a fourth quarter rally to get past Beechwood, 66-64, in the quarterfinal round of the 9th Region All “A” Classic boys’ basketball playoffs on Tuesday at Lloyd High School.
Trailing by six points going into the fourth quarter, St. Henry put together a 25-17 scoring run to win the game. Junior guard Stephen Maley and senior forward Paul Wallenhorst each scored eight points in the final eight minutes to lead the Crusaders’ comeback. Beechwood got off a shot just before the final horn sounded, but the ball bounced off the rim.
St. Henry senior guard Adam Goetz scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. Beechwood’s leading scorer was sophomore guard Ben Toebbe with 23 points.
In Tuesday’s other quarterfinal game, Newport Central Catholic managed to knock off Lloyd, 59-47, even though the Thoroughbreds did not have senior forward Ben Weyer in the lineup due to an injured wrist.
Junior guard Luke Moeves scored a game-high 21 points to lead NewCath to the victory. He got 10 points during the third quarter when his team surged into the lead. The top scorer for Lloyd was Sterling Hamilton with 13 points.
NewCath has won All “A” Classic regional and state championships for three consecutive years. The Thoroughbreds’ next game in this year’s playoffs will be against St. Henry at 6 p.m. Friday in the 9th Region semifinals.
9th Region All “A” Classic at Lloyd H.S.
Tuesday
St. Henry 66, Beechwood 64
Newport Central Catholic 59, Lloyd 47
Wednesday
Newport vs. Holy Cross, 6 p.m.
Villa Madonna vs. Bellevue, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
St. Henry vs. Newport Central Catholic, 6 p.m.
Newport-Holy Cross winner vs. Villa Madonna-Bellevue winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23
Championship game, 7 p.m.