By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Lauren Schwartz, the leading scorer and rebounder on Ryle’s first regional champion girls basketball team last season, has made a verbal commitment with Rice University in Texas.
“My top three were NKU, Belmont and Rice,” Schwartz said of her recruiting visits. “I just had this gut feeling about Rice and it was always in the back of my mind. The only thing that was keeping me from Rice was the distance (from home). Other than that everything else was awesome, so I just got past the distance part.”
Rice is a member of Conference USA that also includes Western Kentucky University. Last season, the Owls posted a 23-10 record, the second-most wins in team history, and made it to the second round of the WNIT playoffs.
“Their offense is like a motion offense so you could literally be playing anywhere,” Schwartz said. “I can pretty much play anywhere, but my main thing would probably be strong forward for them.”
Last season, Schwartz did a little bit of everything for the Ryle team that won its first 9th Region championship, made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament and finished with a 29-7 record. She had team-high averages of 17.6 points and 7.5 rebounds along with 2.5 assists, 1.6 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
She was named most valuable player on the 9th Region all-tournament team after getting 16 points and 18 rebounds in the championship game. She had three-game totals of 49 points and 33 rebounds during the tournament.
“Lauren is a very determined, committed and well-rounded player,” said Ryle coach Katie Haitz. “Her skills and knowledge of the game seem to improve every time she steps onto the court. Her balance between enjoyment of the game and work ethic is a true model for any girl who plays in our program.”
With all five starters returning, Ryle should be the top-ranked team in the 9th Region going into the 2018-19 season. Schwartz, who is second on the team’s career scoring list with 1,383 points, said she wanted to make her college commitment before pre-season practice begins in two weeks so she can focus on her senior season.
“Our team has set ambitious goals on and off the court this season,” coach Haitz said. “Lauren is and will be a big factor in our success. Rice University is getting an outstanding addition to their team as a player and a person.”
Schwartz plans to major in physical therapy. She said Rice has the top program in the country for that degree, which is associated with the university’s renowned medical school.
“Academics is probably the No. 1 thing in the whole decision” she said. “I was looking past basketball and what would set me up for life the best, and I thought Rice would do that for me.”
CovCath’s record-setting running back closing in on milestone
Covington Catholic football player Casey McGinness needs 37 rushing yards to become the first player in team history to reach 4,000 yards in his varsity career.
The senior tailback is averaging 164 rushing yards per game for the 6-0 Colonels so there’s a good chance he’ll reach the 4,000 mark Friday when CovCath (6-0) makes a road trip to Indianapolis and plays Bishop Chatard (6-1).
Based on yearly statistics posted on the khsaa.org website, McGinness already holds CovCath career records for rushing yardage (3,963), rushing touchdowns (54) and total touchdowns (63) with four weeks remaining in the regular season.
Last year, he rushed for 1,418 yards and 22 touchdowns on CovCath’s undefeated Class 5A state championship team. He’s on track to surpass both of those totals this season.
Highlands soccer teams have posted 9th Region’s best records
With the post-season playoffs beginning next week, Highlands has the best record in 9th Region boys and girls soccer and neither team has lost to a Northern Kentucky opponent.
The Highlands girls team finished the regular season with a 15-4-0 record following a 1-0 win over Lexington Catholic on Monday. The Bluebirds’ losses were against three teams in Louisville and one in Cincinnati.
The Highlands boys have a 13-1-3 record with three regular season games remaining. They went 1-1-2 in their last four games with their first and only loss coming to an Indiana team on Sept. 22.
The last time Highlands won a regional championship in girls soccer was 2010. The Bluebirds have been regional runner-up three times in the last seven years. Highlands won the 9th Region boys soccer title in 2013. Last year’s team lost to Ryle in the regional final.
New formats set for baseball, softball state playoffs this spring
Baseball and softball teams that win regional championships this spring will play in semi-state games instead of going directly to a 16-team state tournament.
The playoff formats were changed at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control meeting last week. Teams will be grouped by regions — 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-16 — and they will rotate the semi-state pairings so teams from neighboring regions won’t play each other every year.
The KHSAA will schedule the semi-state games at colleges or other preferred sites. The winners will then advance to an eight-team state tournament. The state softball tournament will also be single-elimination instead of double-elimination this coming season.