By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Beechwood boys basketball team added to its list of memorable achievements this season by getting the program’s first 9th Region tournament victory since 1968 on Monday at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena.
Beechwood defeated Dixie Heights, 81-66, with an impressive offensive performance on the larger college court. The Tigers shot 63.6 percent (28 of 44) from the field overall and made 70.5 percent (12 of 17) of their 3-point attempts.
Last week, the Tigers won their first district championship in 70 years and their 28-5 record is the most wins in team history. If they win two more games, they’ll claim the school’s first 9th Region post-season title and make a dream-come-true trip to the “Sweet 16” state tournament at Rupp Arena.
In Monday’s game, sophomore Scotty Draud scored 28 points and senior Mitchell Schilling had 14 for Beechwood. Those two players made 14 of 20 field goals for 70 percent and 6 of 8 treys for 75 percent.
Beechwood opened up a 46-29 lead in the first half. Draud scored 15 points and Schilling had 13 to nearly outscore the entire Dixie Heights team in the first two quarters.
The Tigers put the game away with a 23-16 run in the third quarter. That’s when junior guard Cole Busald made three of his four 3-point goals.
The only double-figure scorer for Dixie Heights was senior guard Jabai Karim with 27 points. The Colonels shot 43.1 percent (22 of 51) from the field, but they committed 14 turnovers and Beechwood scored 20 points off those mistakes.
Beechwood will play Cooper (24-5) in a regional semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Cooper handed the Tigers their first loss of the season, 65-41, on Dec. 14.
Cooper has the lowest defensive average in 9th Region boys basketball, allowing just 45.3 points per game. Beechwood has the highest offensive average in the region at 70.1.
BEECHWOOD 27 19 23 12 — 81
DIXIE HEIGHTS 12 17 16 21 — 66
BEECHWOOD (28-5): Draud 10 5 28, Schilling 4 3 14, Busald 4 0 12, Downton 1 0 3, Bieger 2 0 5, Deathrage 1 2 4, Brannen 4 1 9, Baugh 2 0 4, Hughes 0 1 1, Benson 0 1 1. Totals: 28 13 81.
DIXIE HEIGHTS (11-20): Karim 10 7 27, Snelling 2 0 6, A. Trimpe 1 0 2, Shumate 1 0 3, Flynn 1 0 3, Gentry 2 2 6, Geraci 3 5 11, S. Trimpe 2 4 8. Totals: 22 18 66.
3-pointers: B — Busald 4, Draud 3, Schilling 3, Downton, Bieger. DH — Snelling 2, A. Trimpe, Flynn.
Cooper 47, Highlands 37
Both teams had trouble putting the ball in the basket during the first half of the 9th Region tournament game at BB&T Arena. Cooper broke out of its scoring slump with a 20-7 run in the third quarter and came away with the victory.
Cooper had a 33-22 lead going into the fourth quarter. After Highlands cut the margin to 35-28, the Jaguars buckled down on defense while scoring 10 of their final 12 points at the free throw line.
Highlands finished with its lowest scoring total of the season against a Cooper team that has the best defensive average (45.3) in the 9th Region. During the regular season, Cooper won a home game against Highlands, 52-41.
The leading scorer in Monday’s game was Cooper senior Ty Houston, who got 14 of his 19 points in the second half. Highlands senior forward Ben Sisson had 16 points in his final high school game.
Cooper (25-5) advances to the 9th Region semifinals for the third straight year and plays Beechwood (28-5) at 6:30 p.m. Friday. In the final Northern Kentucky coaches poll, Cooper and Covington Catholic tied for No. 2 and Beechwood was next in line at No. 4.
Cooper has a 3-0 all-time record against Beechwood, including a 65-41 win earlier this season.
COOPER 5 8 20 14 — 47
HIGHLANDS 6 9 7 15 — 37
COOPER (25-5): Deere 2 4 8, Walters 3 0 7, Houston 7 4 19, Spencer 0 1 1, Hampton 5 1 12. Totals: 17 10 47
HIGHLANDS (20-12): Ahlfeld 1 0 2, Vinson 3 0 6, Leigh 1 0 2, Roberts 3 1 8, Sisson 5 6 16, Starkey 1 1 3. totals: 14 8 37.
3-point goals: C — Walters, Houston, Hampton. H — Roberts.
Campbell County 74, Robertson County 55
Senior forward Reid Jolly scored 33 points and shot 68 percent (13 of 19) from the field to lead defending champion Campbell County to the win in the opening game of the 10th Region tournament on Monday at Mason County Fieldhouse.
Jolly, who was voted 10th Region Player of the Year, got 18 points in the first half for the Camels, who went on a 19-2 run to open up a 42-25 halftime lead.
Campbell County senior guard Drew Wilson finished with 17 points and four assists. The Camels ended up shooting 53.4 percent (31 of 58) from the field and scored 18 points off 17 Robertson County turnovers that included seven steals.
The Black Devils, who had two juniors, two sophomores and one freshmen in the starting lineup, shot 45.8 percent (22 of 48) from the field. Their scoring leader was junior Alex Schalch with 21 points.
Campbell County (27-4) will play Mason County (15-15) in a regional semifinal game at 6 p.m. Friday. The Camels won a home game against Mason County, 77-43, on Jan. 3, but the rematch will be played on the Royals’ home court, where they’ve won their last four games.
Gallatin County 75, Simon Kenton 71
For the second straight year, Simon Kenton’s season ended with a close loss to Gallatin County in the first round of the 8th Region tournament at Henry County.
The Pioneers took a 48-46 lead into the fourth quarter, but Gallatin County surged ahead, 66-59. In the final minutes, Simon Kenton made a comeback that fell short.
Gallatin County made 23 of 28 free throws in the fourth quarter and ended up outscoring Simon Kenton, 30-6, at the line. Officials called 28 fouls on the Pioneers and 13 on the Wildcats.
Simon Kenton sophomore guard Kelly Niece scored 13 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter. The team’s other double-figure scorers were seniors Robbie Krohman with 14 and Colton Lair with 12.
The Pioneers finished 18-11 this season with seven losses coming in their last nine games.
Regional tournament schedules
9TH REGION BOYS AT BB&T ARENA
Tuesday
Newport (24-8) vs. Conner (16-12), 6:30 p.m.
St. Henry (15-12) vs. Covington Catholic (24-7), 8 p.m.
Friday
Beechwood (28-5) vs. Cooper (25-5), 6:30 p.m.
Newport-Conner winner vs. St. Henry-CovCath winner, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
9TH REGION GIRLS AT BB&T ARENA
Wednesday
Highlands (28-4) vs. Holy Cross (22-9), 6:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights (20-10) vs. Conner (29-2), 8 p.m.
Thursday
Ryle (26-5) vs. Ludlow (22-10), 6:30 p.m.
Notre Dame (19-12) vs. Newport Central Catholic (18-10), 8 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinal games, noon and 1:30 p.m.
Monday
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
8TH REGION BOYS AT HENRY COUNTY H.S.
Tuesday
Walton-Verona (24-6) vs. Henry County (12-18), 6:30 p.m.
South Oldham (21-9) vs. Spencer County (20-11), 8 p.m.
Friday
Oldham County (18-13) vs. Gallatin County (27-5), 6:30 p.m.
Walton-Verona-Henry County winner vs. South Oldham-Spencer County winner, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
8TH REGION GIRLS AT OWEN COUNTY H.S.
Wednesday
Simon Kenton (19-11) vs. Owen County (21-6), 6:30 p.m.
Anderson County (26-6) vs. Oldham County (18-14), 8 p.m.
Thursday
Walton-Verona (24-8) vs. Gallatin County (18-13), 6:30 p.m.
South Oldham (23-7) vs. Collins (20-12), 8 p.m.
Monday
Semifinal games, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
10TH REGION BOYS AT MASON COUNTY FIELDHOUSE
Tuesday
Harrison County (11-18) vs. Scott (18-11), 6 p.m.
George Rogers Clark (24-7) vs. Bracken County (14-17), 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Campbell County (27-4) vs. Mason County (15-15), 6 p.m.
Harrison County-Scott winner vs. George Rogers Clark-Bracken County winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
10TH REGION GIRLS AT MONTGOMERY COUNTY H.S.
Wednesday
Harrison County (24-7) vs. Bourbon County (21-11), 6 p.m.
Mason County (18-12) vs. Brossart (20-10), 7:45 p.m.
Thursday
Scott (22-10) vs. Nicholas County (14-15), 6 p.m.
George Rogers Clark (21-10) vs. St. Patrick (12-15), 7:45 p.m.
Monday
Semifinal games, 6 and 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.