By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Newport Central Catholic senior Ansley Davenport plans to attend one of the three United States service academies after she graduates. If she needs anyone to vouch for her leadership skills, George Stoll will be the first in line.
Stoll is head coach of the NewCath girls’ basketball team and Davenport is the only senior on this year’s roster. When the team needed someone to step up in the 9th Region All “A” Classic championship game on Saturday, she answered the call.
Davenport scored 19 of her team’s final 29 points and NewCath defeated Holy Cross, 52-50, in overtime to take the regional title and earn a berth in the Kentucky All “A” Classic small-school state tournament.
While his players were cutting down the nets after the victory at Beechwood High School, Stoll was asked about Davenport’s performance.
“She’s unbelievable,” the coach said. “She’s a special player and I’m just so proud of her. She deserves this win more than anybody else.”
The senior guard made back-to-back baskets early in the fourth quarter to give NewCath a 39-28 lead. When Holy Cross made a comeback and cut the margin to one point, 44-43, Davenport made two free throws with 57 seconds left to keep her team her top.
Holy Cross senior guard Dejah McClendon swished a 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining to tie the score at 46-46. Davenport raced up the court and got off a shot before the horn sounded, but the ball bounced off the back of the rim.
Davenport scored the first four points in the extra period to switch the momentum back to the Thoroughbreds and they held on from there to secure the victory.
“I knew I needed to step up for my team and drive to the basket and get it done for them,” Davenport said of the field goal and two free throws she scored in overtime to give her a final total of 21 points.
Davenport received the tournament’s most valuable player award. She netted 80 points in her team’s four victories and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring.
NewCath sophomore guard Lexy Breen was also named to the all-tournament team. She scored 12 points in the championships game, including a pair of 3-point goals late in the second quarter that gave the Thoroughbreds a 23-19 halftime lead.
“I had full confidence in my team,” Davenport said. “We knew going in we were being a little underestimated, but he had faith in one another and we knew we could get back to state (tournament).”
NewCath represented the 9th Region in the All “A” Classic girls’ state tournament for seven consecutive years until Holy Cross broke that string in 2015 and went on to win the state title.
Breen expects the Thoroughbreds, who have won six straight games, to make a deep run in this year’s state tournament at Frankfort Civic Center. NewCath’s first-round game will be at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27 against the winner of the 2nd Region tournament that will be played this week.
“I think we have some momentum going now,” Breen said. “If we play our game like we did (Saturday), there’s no doubt in my mind we’ll be able to win some games down there (at the state tournament).”
McClendon also scored 21 points in the regional final to share game-high honors with Davenport. The Indians shot 34.6 percent (17 of 49) from the field compared to NewCath’s 27.4 percent (17 of 62).
NEWCATH 8 15 12 11 6 – 52
HOLY CROSS 11 8 9 18 4 – 50
NEWCATH (12-5): Davenport 8 5 21, Schalk 2 5 9, Rice 0 3 3, Martin 1 0 3, Breen 4 2 12, Zimmerman 2 0 4. Totals: 17 15 52.
HOLY CROSS (11-7): McClendon 8 3 21, Gabbard 2 1 5, Tucker 1 5 8, Beal 4 2 10, Crigler 1 0 3, Chames 1 1 3. Totals: 17 12 50.
3-pointers: NC – Breen 2, Martin. HC – McClendon 2, Tucker, Crigler.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
NewCath – Ansley Davenport (MVP), Lexy Breen, Olivia Schalk. Holy Cross – Dajah McClendon, Aleah Tucker. Newport – Kylie Orr. Beechwood – Ally Johnson. Ludlow – Haley Warndorf. Villa Madonna – Brooke Meier. Lloyd – ShaMaya Behannan. St. Henry – Chism Iloegbunam. Dayton – Emma Donelan.