By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
Newport Central Catholic’s three-year reign as Kentucky All “A” Classic boys’ basketball champion came to end Saturday with a 47-41 loss to Cordia in the semifinals of the small-school state tournament at Frankfort Convention Center.
After taking a 41-40 lead on a 3-point goal by senior forward Ben Weyer with 1:01 left on the clock, NewCath missed its final three field goal attempts and Cordia was able to score seven straight points to come away with the victory.
Cordia will play Murray in the championship final at 2 p.m. Sunday. Murray defeated Owen County, 47-44, in the other state semifinal game.
Weyer scored a game-high 21 points with seven rebounds, six assists and six blocked shots against Cordia. There were 16 lead changes in the game before the Lions pulled away at the end.
The other double-figure scorers were Cordia junior guard Anthony Nelson with 16 points and NewCath sophomore guard Brennan Hall with 14. Hall and Weyer made 12 of their team’s 14 field goals.
The final statistics were as close as the final score. Cordia shot 39 percent (16 of 41) from the field with 27 rebounds. NewCath shot 31.8 percent (14 of 44) with 30 rebounds. The Lions did score 19 points off 18 turnovers committed by NewCath.
Weyer, a Bellarmine University recruit, was one of the outstanding players in the state tournament. His three-game totals included 70 points, 42 rebounds, 14 blocks and nine assists.