NKy Tribune sports reporter
The Conner boys’ basketball team won another close game in the post-season playoffs on Wednesday with a late rally that resulted in a 62-59 victory over St. Henry in the first round of the 9th Region tournament at BB&T Arena.
It was the Cougars’ first victory in the regional tournament since 2005 and it came after they won two 33rd District playoff games by margins of one and five points last week.
“There’s a lot of moxie in that locker room right now,” Conner coach Jim Hicks said of his players. “They’ve had a desire to get to this level and to get to the (regional) finals. They have a refuse-to-lose mentality.”
In the final five minutes of Wednesday’s game, Conner scored 10 points off turnovers by St. Henry to take the lead and then made four free throws in the final seconds to secure the win.
The last two free throws were made by junior forward Spencer Hemmerich, who finished with a career-high 29 points.
“I only had seven or eight points in both games in the district and I knew my team needed me more,” Hemmerich said. “This is just a good feeling.”
Conner (18-10) will play two-time defending regional champion Covington Catholic (26-6) in a regional semifinal game at 1 p.m Sunday. CovCath handed the Cougars their worst loss of the season, 60-29, on Jan. 8, but that was one of eight games that Hemmerich missed due to a sprained left ankle.
If Hemmerich shoots the ball in Sunday’s semifinal game like he did against St. Henry, it will definitely improve Conner’s chances of pulling off an upset in the rematch with CovCath
“When he’s hitting, we want to get him the basketball,” Hicks said. “He’s so hard to defend because he gets the ball up so high (when he shoots). If he’s on, you know it’s going to be a fun night for him.”
Travis Connley also played a key role in Conner’s victory. He had six points, one steal and one assist during the late surge that put the Cougars ahead.
“He is, in my opinion, the best sixth man in the 9th Region,” coach Hicks said of Connley. “When he goes into the game, there’s nothing that we lose. We pick up an intensity on defense and now his offense is really starting to impress.”
St. Henry scored 12 unanswered points at the end of the first quarter to take a 23-11 lead and never trailed until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when the Crusaders committed turnovers on five consecutive possessions.
“We just lost our composure for a bit and it ended up costing us,” said St. Henry coach Dave Faust. “You’ve got to give (Conner) credit. They made the plays when they needed to.”
St. Henry senior guard Adam Goetz, who scored nine of his team’s 13 points in the fourth quarter, hit a jumper that brought the Crusaders within one point, 58-57, with 1:08 remaining. But his next two shots didn’t fall and Conner made four free throws to nail down the victory.
Goetz did make one last field goal to set the final margin and finished with 27 points in his final high school game for the Crusaders.
“He does everything he can do to win,” Faust said. “It’s a shame he had to end his career that way.”
ST. HENRY 23 12 11 13 — 59
CONNER (18-10): Hemmerich 11 5 29, Surprenant 1 0 2, Connley 4 2 11, Scott 6 1 14, Padgett 1 0 2, Cox 1 2 4. Totals: 24 10 62.
ST. HENRY (14-17): Goetz 9 7 27, Berling 1 0 2, Hannon 1 0 2, Maley 4 2 12, Wallenhorst 6 0 12, Machinski 1 0 2, Beechem 1 0 2. Totals: 23 9 59.
3-point goals: C — Hemmerich 2, Connelly, Scott. SH — Goetz 2, Maley 2.