By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
There will be a major shakeup in the Northern Kentucky boys’ basketball rankings after Holy Cross upset Covington Catholic, 73-68, on Tuesday and a triple-header on Friday could have an added impact on the alignment of top teams in the area.
Six teams ranked among the top 12 in the last Northern Kentucky coaches poll will play in the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic on Friday at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.
The matchups include Scott vs. Dixie Heights at 5:30 p.m., Cooper vs. Holmes at 7 p.m. and Covington Catholic vs. Newport Central Catholic at 8:30 p.m.
CovCath and NewCath were voted No. 1 and No. 2 by the coaches in the last poll, but Holy Cross will likely take over the top spot now that the Indians have beaten both of those teams this season.
The outcomes of Friday’s three games will likely affect the voting for the other spots in the local rankings with five weeks remaining in the regular season.
NewCath is looking to break a three-game losing streak against CovCath dating back to the 2012-13 season. When the two teams faced off in last year’s classic, the Colonels came away with a 58-48 win.
This season, NewCath has an 11-2 record that includes a win over Cooper, the No. 3 team in the Northern Kentucky coaches poll. The Thoroughbreds’ team leader is 6-foot-6 senior forward Ben Weyer, who is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game. The other NewCath players with double-figure scoring averages are guards Luke Moeves and Brennan Hall.
NewCath has held seven of its opponents to 46 points or less this season, but that will be tough to do Friday against a CovCath team that has relied on a balanced scoring attack during its 11-6 start.
Junior guard Cole VonHandorf is averaging a team-high 17.2 points for the Colonels while three other starters – guards C.J. Fredrick and Andy Flood and forward A.J. Mayer – are contributing nine points per game.
Two of the other top scorers in Northern Kentucky will also be playing in Friday’s triple-header at NKU. Scott junior guard Jake Ohmer is the local leader with a 28.4 average and Holmes senior guard Markel McClendon has a 21.6 average.
Advance tickets for the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic are $7 for adults and $5 students at the participating schools. All tickets at the door will be $10 and there will be a $5 charge for parking.
Since its inception in 2001, the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic has donated more than $183,000 to local charities. The money raised from this year’s event will go to the Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund, Neediest Kids of All and Chicks & Chucks, a breast cancer support group.
Local players among state’s leading scorers in girls’ basketball
Hailey Ison of Walton-Verona and Allyson Niece of Simon Kenton are among the state’s leading scorers in girls’ high school basketball, but neither of them comes close to matching Jenkins senior guard Whitney Creech, who is averaging an eye-popping 51.1 points per game.
This is Creech’s sixth season as a varsity starter for Jenkins, a small school located in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. She has scored 767 points in 15 games this year to raise her career scoring total to 4,225. She needs 331 points to break the state’s all-time career scoring record of 4,555 points set by Jaime Walz of Highlands.
Ison is a senior forward averaging 25.6 points per game for Walton-Verona and Niece is a sophomore guard averaging 21.4 points for Simon Kenton. Both of their teams have an 11-4 record.
Allison Johnson of Beechwood entered this week with the state’s best free throw shooting percentage in girls’ basketball. In her team’s first 12 games, she made 41 of 45 free throws for 91.1 percent.
Boone County retires jersey of former Miss Kentucky Basketball
Boone County High School has retired jersey No. 40 worn by Sydney Moss, a three-year starter on the girls’ basketball team who was named 2012 Miss Kentucky Basketball.
Moss led Boone County teams to 9th Region championships in 2010 and 2012. She also played varsity basketball for Heritage and Ryle before coming to Boone County. She scored 2,997 points and snagged 1,602 rebounds during her six-year high school career.
Moss is the fifth Boone County girls’ basketball player to have her jersey number retired. She went on to play for Thomas More College and led the Saints to the NCAA Division III championship last season.
Campbell County wrestling team earns berth in State Duals
The Campbell County wrestling team qualified to compete in the State Duals tournament to be held Saturday, Jan. 30 at Ryle High School.
This will be the Camels seventh appearance in the team vs. team state tournament bracket under head coach Mike Bankemper. The last time Campbell County won the tournament was 2013. The team placed third last year.
The post-season high school wrestling tournaments will be held next month with regionals on Feb. 12-13 and the state tournament on Feb. 19-20. In those tournaments, wrestlers compete in weight classes to score points that determine the team standings.