By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Beechwood sophomore guard Scotty Draud couldn’t contain his emotions after the Tigers’ 47-43 overtime win against Cooper in the semifinals of the 9th Region boys basketball tournament on Friday at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena.
Draud ran off the court flashing the No. 1 sign with an index finger raised high over his head. He headed to the student cheering section to trade high-fives with some classmates and then climbed over several rows of seats to give his mom a big hug.
If Beechwood wins the regional championship game on Saturday, someone should have a paper bag ready because Draud could hyperventilate from happiness.
“I’ve been working my entire life for this, to get a chance to play on NKU’s court and get a chance to go to Rupp Arena (for the state tournament),” he said. “It’s really big for me and our team in general.”
Beechwood has never won a post-season regional tournament. The last time the Tigers played in a championship game was 1949. Their opponent in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. regional final will be district rival Covington Catholic, a team they’ve beaten twice this season.
But CovCath has a much more impressive playoff resume than Beechwood. Over the last five years, the Colonels have won three regional and two state championships.
“Is it an upset, probably in most people’s minds, but in our kids’ minds they’re here to win,” Beechwood coach Erik Goetz said after beating Cooper. “Most people probably don’t think we’ll win again (Saturday) night either, but we’ll give it a go.”
In the semifinal game, the score was tied six times and there were five lead changes. Beechwood took a 36-27 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Cooper battled back and senior Ty Houston hit a 3-point shot with 17 seconds left that tied the score, 39-39, and sent the game into overtime.
Draud missed the front end in a bonus free throw situation before the game-tying field goal. He also took a last-second shot from the lane that kicked off the front of the rim as the horn sounded. But he made up for those missed opportunities by getting one field goal and three free throws in overtime when his team outscored Cooper, 8-4.
“As I told them in the locker room,” Goetz said, “every other Beechwood team in the past would’ve looked down when things started going bad there in the fourth (quarter) and said, ‘We’re Beechwood, we’re not supposed to be here, we’re supposed to lose to these guys,’ and they would’ve wilted. These guys got too much heart and character, and that’s why they’re moving on to the finals.”
Cooper posted a 65-41 win over Beechwood in a regular-season game on Dec. 14. Goetz said the Tigers came out on top in Friday’s rematch because they played better defense and held their own on the boards, finishing with a 33-31 advantage.
“We just battled them on the boards,” said Draud. “Cooper is a really physical team, so we just tried to match their physicality and crash the glass.”
Houston took game-high scoring honors with 17 points, followed by Draud with 15. The leading rebounder was Beechwood senior forward Mitchell Schilling with eight to go along with his nine points. C.J Brannen and Zach Deatherage also had nine points for the Tigers.
“They just scrap and play bigger than they are and just find a way (to win),” Goetz said of his 29-5 team that’s one win away from its first regional title. “A lot of them have been close, down-to-the-wire games and sometimes you walk away and say, ‘How in the world did we win that game.’ It’s them just battling out there. That’s what they do, and I hope they’ve got one more in them.”
COOPER 11 11 5 12 4 — 43
BEECHWOOD 10 16 8 5 8 — 47
COOPER (25-6): Deere 4 3 11, Spencer 3 0 6, Walters 1 0 2, Hampt0n 2 0 4, Houston 6 2 17, Centers 1 0 3, Totals 17 5 43.
BEECHWOOD (29-5): Draud 6 2 15, Bieger 1 3 5, Deatherage 4 0 9, Brannen 1 7 9, Schilling 4 0 9. Totals: 16 12 47.
3-point goals: C — Deatherage, Draud, Schilling. B — Houston 3, Centers.
Covington Catholic 57, Newport 43
Covington Catholic junior Michael Mayer missed 24 games during the regular season while recovering from an injury he sustained in football. Having the 6-foot-6, 235-pound post player back in action, gives the Colonels a stronger inside presence and that was a key factor in their victory over Newport in the 9th Region semifinal game on Friday at BB&T Arena.
The Colonels dominated in the paint at both ends of the floor in the victory that puts them in the regional championship game for the seventh straight year. That’s why they were able to shoot 46.3 percent (19 of 41) from the field compared to Newport’s 29.8 percent (14 of 47).
At the offensive end, 6-foot-8 senior Nick Thelen scored 15 points and Mayer had 12 for the Colonels. Mayer also had five assists with three of them setting up baskets by Thelen.
“I think our game plan will always be to get the ball inside,” Mayer said. “We’ve got a lot of height and size that most teams we play don’t have. That’s usually why we pump it into the middle and then look to get it outside, and it worked really well for us again (Friday).”
At the defensive end, CovCath had the size and strength to limit Newport senior forward Tahj Harding to six points, 11 below his season average. Newport’s guards tried to pick up the slack, but the Wildcats struggled without Harding’s usual offensive output.
“He’s got a really good inside-out game so I’m glad we shut it down,” Mayer said of Harding. “He only had six points and that really helped us out.”
After Newport scored the first five points of the second half to pull within one point, 28-27, CovCath responded with a 12-0 run to regain control of the game. The run ended with Thelen making four free throws, including two on a technical foul, and then getting the assist on a basket by Mayer that made it 40-27.
In the fourth quarter, CovCath outscored Newport, 17-11, behind seven points by Thelen, four by Mayer and four by junior forward Joe Moser, who finished with 12 points.
CovCath will get a rematch with Beechwood in the regional final at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Colonels lost to their district rival twice this season by margins of one and four points. If the Colonels win, they’ll go to the state tournament for the fourth time in six years.
“It’s a good rivalry and it should be fun,” Mayer said of the regional final. “This is the reason I play basketball, to compete for a regional championship. We’re going to try and give it our all.”
COVCATH 14 14 12 17 — 57
NEWPORT 9 13 10 11 — 43
COVCATH (26-7): Disken 4 0 8, Moser 3 4 12, Davin 1 0 3, Mayer 5 2 12, Jackson 0 2 2, Thelen 5 5 15, Green 1 3 5. Totals: 19 16 57.
NEWPORT (25-9): White 4 2 13, Miller 2 2 7, Harding 2 2 6, McGuire 4 0 14, Davis 0 1 1, Sanders 1 0 2. Totals: 14 7 43.
3-point goals: CC — Moser 2, Davin. N — McGuire 4, White 3, Miller.
Campbell County 74, Mason County 51
The Camels jumped ahead, 23-11, in the first quarter and kept on rolling to get the victory in the 10th Region semifinal game on Friday at Mason County Fieldhouse.
Campbell County ended up shooting 72.5 percent (29 of 40) from the field compared to Mason County’s 43.2 percent (19 of 44). The Camels’ leading scorers were senior guard Drew Wilson with 24 points and senior forward Reid Jolly with 18.
Campbell County (28-4) will take on George Rogers Clark (26-7) in the regional championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday. This the fifth time in six years that the Camels will play in the regional final. They won the title in 2018, 2015 and 2014.
Walton-Verona 70, Spencer County 47
After being held to 11 points in the first quarter, Walton-Verona outscored Spencer County, 45-17, over the next two periods in the 8th Region semifinal game at Henry County High School.
The Bearcats shot 60 percent (28 of 46) from the field and had a 31-22 rebounding advantage. Senior forward Kam Pardee posted a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Senior center Dionte Miles and senior guard Garrett Jones had 18 points each.
Walton-Verona (26-6) advances to the 8th Region championship game for the first time and plays Oldham County (20-13) at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Bearcats won a home game agains the Colonels, 49-43, on Dec. 14.
George Rogers Clark 60, Scott 57 OT
Scott senior guard Chad Ohmer made a long 3-point shot to tie the score and send the 10th Region semifinal game into overtime, but George Rogers Clark came away with the victory. The leading scorers for the Eagles (19-12) were senior forward Nathan Joyce with 17 points and senior guard David Hunter with 12.
Regional tournament schedules
9TH REGION BOYS AT BB&T ARENA
Saturday
Championship game: Beechwood (29-5) vs. Covington Catholic (26-7), 7:30 p.m.
8TH REGION BOYS AT HENRY COUNTY H.S.
Saturday
Walton-Verona (26-6) vs. Oldham County (20-13), 7 p.m.
10TH REGION BOYS AT MASON COUNTY FIELDHOUSE
Saturday
Championship game: Campbell County (28-4) vs. George Rogers Clark (26-7), 7 p.m.
9TH REGION GIRLS AT BB&T ARENA
Saturday
Highlands (29-4) vs. Dixie Heights (21-10), noon
Ryle (27-5) vs. Notre Dame (20-12), 1:30 p.m.
Monday
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
8TH REGION GIRLS AT OWEN COUNTY H.S.
Monday
Simon Kenton (20-11) vs. Anderson County (27-6), 6:30 p.m.
Walton-Verona (25-8) vs. Collins (21-12), 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
10TH REGION GIRLS AT MONTGOMERY COUNTY H.S.
Monday
Harrison County (25-7) vs. Mason County (19-12), 6
Scott (23-10) vs. George Rogers Clark (22-10), 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.