By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Unlike most of the games they played against local opponents this season, the Covington Catholic Colonels had some anxious moments late in the fourth quarter of the 9th Region boys basketball championship final on Tuesday at BB&T Arena.
CovCath had a narrow two-point lead with 1:29 left on the clock, but three senior veterans stepped up to the challenge and the Colonels pulled out a 59-54 win over Highlands to claim the regional title for the third consecutive year.
In the closing seconds, CovCath senior guards Joey Moser and Grant Disken each made a pair of pressure-packed free throws. Senior forward Neil Green scored the team’s final point at the line with 0:07 remaining after getting fouled following a big defensive rebound.
“I think that was all part of leadership that was instilled in us seniors at the beginning of the season,” Moser said. “We were taught to guide the team and I think that showed perfectly at the end. The seniors did what they had to do to win.”
CovCath (29-5) will play 12th Region champion West Jessamine (21-11) in the final first-round game of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 boys state tournament at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
This will be West Jessamine’s first trip to the state tournament since 2010. CovCath lost in the first round of last year’s season finale after winning the state title in 2018.
The Colonels went into the 9th Region final Tuesday with a 16-0 record against regional opponents this season and the winning margins averaged 25.2 points.
It looked like the Colonels would post another double-digit victory when they took a 46-33 lead on a slam dunk by 7-foot senior center Noah Hupmann early in the fourth quarter. But Highlands came charging back and pulled to within 54-52 on senior guard Hunter Ahlfeld’s fifth 3-point goal of the game at the 1:29 mark.
The Colonels ran the clock down to 41 seconds before Moser was fouled and made two free throws. But Highlands junior guard Sam Vinson knocked down a couple of foul shots 15 seconds later to make it a two-point game again.
On the ensuing inbounds play, Moser couldn’t find an open teammate and called a timeout just in time to avoid a turnover. After that, Disken was fouled with 21 seconds left and made both shots to extend his team’s lead to 58-54.
Vinson missed a hurried shot above the lane and Green was fouled on the rebound. He made one free throw to cap the scoring. In the final quarter, seniors Green, Disken, Moser and Hupmann had 16 of their team’s 17 points.
“I know coach (Scott) Ruthsatz has said before, ‘You’re only as good as your seniors,'” Green said. “It’s been expected of us since day one. We tried to set a tone to reach this goal and hopefully reach the goal of a state championship down the road.”
Green posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He was named the tournament’s most valuable player with Disken and Hupmann joining him on the all-tournament team.
Moser didn’t get an all-tournament plaque even though he played a major role in Tuesday’s win by scoring 12 points off the bench. He made all three of the Colonels’ 3-point goals and his last two free throws turned out to be the game-winning points.
Moser was a starter on last year’s regional championship team, but his playing time was reduced by the addition of several newcomers to the CovCath varsity roster this season.
“Coach told me today to be prepared to play a lot of minutes,” Moser said. “He said, ‘You’ve been here before and know what to do, so go out there and take care of business.'”
The game’s leading scorer was Vinson with 24 points. He also had six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks for the Bluebirds (28-4), who made it to the region final for the first time since 2001. Ahlfeld, one of two seniors in the team’s starting lineup, netted 18 points.
“The best part is our guys never quit,” said Highlands coach Kevin Listerman. “We gave ourselves an opportunity and that’s all you can ask for. We were picked to be No. 7 in the region and we just went to the wire with the No. 1 or No. 2 team in the state. How can I possibly be frustrated with that? This is a special group of kids and I’m danged proud of them.”
CovCath actually slipped to No. 6 in the final Associated Press media members state poll, but the Colonels can’t be overlooked as a state championship contender with their size, depth and senior leadership.
“I know every team down there is going to be good and everyone plays at a different level come tournament time,” Green said. “You just can’t take any game for granted. I know every game could be my last, so I’m just going to play as hard as I can.”
CovCath ended up shooting 47.5 percent (19 of 40) from the field in the region final and won the rebounding battle, 29-19. Highlands shot 38.1 percent (16 of 42), but the Bluebirds had a 25-12 scoring advantage from behind the 3-point arc.
Vinson, who scored 80 points in three regional games, was named to the all-tournament team along with Ahlfeld, who tied the 9th Region championship game record with five 3-point goals. The Bluebirds were also one shy of the team record for most 3-point goals in the regional final with eight.
Ruthsatz joined the exclusive list of coaches that have won five 9th Region boys championships. The others are Stan Arnzen of Newport, Mote Hils of CovCath, Reynolds Flynn of Holmes and Ken Shields of Highlands. Ruthsatz is also tied with Flynn for taking the most teams to the regional final with eight.
COVCATH 13 15 14 17 — 59
HIGHLANDS 11 6 15 21 — 54
COVCATH (29-5): Disken 2 5 9, Green 4 7 15, Starks 3 3 9, Hupmann 6 0 12, Moser 3 3 12, Jackson 1 0 2. Totals: 19 18 59.
HIGHLANDS (28-4): Vinson 6 12 24, Delagrange 1 0 2, Muller 2 1 7, Ahfleld 6 1 18, Barth 1 0 3. Totals: 16 14 54.
3-pointers: CC — Moser 3. H — Ahlfeld 4, Muller 2, Barth, Harris.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
CovCath — Neil Green (MVP), Grant Disken, Noah Hupmann. Highlands — Sam Vinson, Huster Ahlfeld. Conner — Jalen Scott, Jared Hicks. St. Henry — Wyatt Vieth, Conner Shea. Newport — DeShawn White. Dixie Heights — Kiernan Geraci. Cooper — Gavin Rabe. Beechwood — Cole Busald.