By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
With the score tied and 17 seconds left on the clock, Dixie Heights girls basketball coach Joel Steczynski called a timeout to set up a play in his team’s 9th Region tournament game against Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday at BB&T Arena.
Steczynski said his players were “slightly familiar” with the play he decided on, but they executed it perfectly and the Colonels came away with a 54-52 win.
The ball went to freshman Samantha Berman near the top of the lane. She pivoted and bounced a pass to junior guard Sydney Lockard as she was cutting to the basket from the right side. Lockard made a layup off the glass before any defender could get to her.
“That has been one of our plays for a while, but it finally worked for once,” Lockard said. “It was a really nice pass. I was honestly impressed that the ball got there because it usually doesn’t get there a lot.”
NewCath had a chance to tie the score when senior Piper Murphy was fouled with 0:03 seconds left, but she missed both free throws. Dixie Heights won a scramble for the ball after the second miss as time expired.
It was a dramatic ending for a Dixie Heights team that fell behind, 24-8, early in the second quarter and trailed, 51-41, with 3:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. Lockard had six points, one assist and one steal during her team’s game-ending 13-1 scoring run, including the winning basket.
“She is dynamic,” coach Steczynski said of Lockard. “That’s the one word that would describe her. She wants to win so badly that sometimes she’ll do what any dynamic player will do and maybe try to do a little too much. But you’re generally in a pretty good spot with Sydney having the ball in her hands. She finishes when it counts.”
Lockard’s final stats included a game-high 17 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two assists. The Colonels also got a big game out of Berman, who had never played in the regional tournament before. She posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and she got the assist on the winning basket.
The Colonels’ other freshman starter is the coach’s daughter, Ella Steczynski, who scored seven points in her regional tournament debut. She and Berman were pressed into service this season after injuries sidelined two returning players.
“Our young kids have responded really well being in situations they’ve never been in before,” the coach said.
NewCath’s leading scorers were sophomore guard Rylee Turner with 15 points and junior guard Annie Heck with 11. The Thoroughbreds had a 50-39 rebounding advantage, but they struggled to put the ball in the basket, especially in the second half when they were 7-of-21 from the field and 7-of-17 at the free throw line.
Dixie Heights ended up shooting 38.3 percent (23 of 60) from the field compared to NewCath’s 29.3 percent (17 of 58). That offset the Thoroughbreds’ 15-4 scoring advantage at the free throw line.
In the final 9th Region girls first-round game on Wednesday, defending state champion Ryle led from start to finish in a 61-39 win over Holy Cross to advance to the semifinals.
The Raiders shot 42 percent (21 of 50) from the field with eight 3-point goals. Holy Cross shot 32.5 percent (13 of 40) with two treys. The top scorer was Holy Cross senior Jade Simpson with 14 points, followed by junior teammate Grace Bezold and Ryle senior Jaiden Douthit with 13 points each.
The regional semifinal match-ups on Friday at BB&T Arena will be Conner vs. Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m. and Ryle vs. Dixie Heights at 8 p.m. in a rematch from last year’s championship game.
DIXIE HEIGHTS 8 15 15 16 — 54
NEWCATH 17 13 12 10 — 52
DIXIE HEIGHTS (21-12): Steczynski 3 0 7, Pelfrey 4 0 10, Berman 7 1 16, Lockard 7 3 17, Conley 1 0 2, Reynolds 1 0 2. Totals: 23 4 54.
NEWCATH (20-13): Heck 3 4 11, McCloskey 3 0 6, Murphy 2 4 8, Kramer 2 0 4, Grause 2 0 6, Turner 4 7 15, Whitehead 1 0 2. Totals: 17 15 52.
3-pointers: DH — Pelfrey 2, Steczynski, Berman. NC — Grause 2, Heck.
RYLE 14 13 19 15 — 61
HOLY CROSS 6 11 9 13 — 39
RYLE (20-11): Eubank 1 1 3, Crittendon 3 4 11, Holtman 4 1 12, Scherr 3 1 9, Douthit 5 1 13, Johnson 3 1 9, Baker 0 1 1, Snider 1 1 3. Totals: 21 11 61
HOLY CROSS (17-13): Hunt 2 1 6, Arlinghaus 1 0 3, Krumpelman 1 0 2, Bezold 5 3 13, Simpson 4 6 14, McCoy 0 1 1. Totals: 13 11 39.
3-pointers: R — Holtman 3, Douthit 2, Johnson 2, Crittendon. HC — Hunt, Arlinghaus.
Girls regional basketball schedules
9TH REGION AT BB&T ARENA
Friday
Notre Dame (24-6) vs. Conner (21-11), 6:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights (21-12) vs. Ryle (20-11), 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
Championship game, 2 p.m.
10TH REGION AT CAMPBELL COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Friday
Brossart (24-5) vs. George Rogers Clark (20-10), 6 p.m.
Campbell County (21-11) vs. Bourbon County (20-13), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
8TH REGION AT COLLINS
Friday
Walton-Verona (24-9) vs. South Oldham (21-8), 6:30 p.m.
Anderson County (28-5) vs. Owen County (24-9), 8 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.