By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Two days after Matt Otte picked up his 100th victory as Conner boys basketball coach, his players gave him something else to celebrate by defeating Cooper, 55-45, in the 33rd District championship game on Friday at Ryle High School.
Cooper won both regular season games between the two teams, but the Cougars came out on top Friday to claim their third consecutive district title and reach the 20-win mark for the second time in the last three years under Otte.
Both teams advance to the 9th Region tournament at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena. A draw to determine first-round opponents will be held Saturday morning, but the tournament won’t begin until the following Saturday, March 5.
Conner outscored Cooper, 20-12, in the fourth quarter to win the 33rd District final. The Cougars made eight of nine free throws in that final period to finish with a 15-3 scoring advantage at the foul line.
Conner junior guard Landen Hamilton got 13 of his 20 points in the first half that ended with his team holding a 30-17 lead. In the third quarter, Cooper went on a 16-5 run that reduced the margin to 35-33.
Junior forward Caleb Brooks scored 11 of his game-high 21 points during Cooper’s third-quarter rally, but he was limited to four points in the fourth quarter.
The other double-figure scorers for Conner were senior guard Alex Castrucci with 16 points and junior guard Ayden Lohr with 11.
In the other district finals involving 9th Region qualifiers on Friday, Dixie Heights defeated Lloyd, 64-52, Covington Catholic defeated Holy Cross, 96-57, and Highlands defeated Newport, 82-64.
Dixie Heights opened the third quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 43-27 lead and extended the margin to 17 points, 53-36, in the fourth quarter. Lloyd pulled to within seven points, 57-50, with 3:06 left on the clock, but a slam dunk by Dixie Heights senior center Billy Wogenstahl halted that rally.
In the final two minutes, the Colonels outscored Lloyd, 5-2, at the foul line to repeat as 34th District champion. The game’s leading scorers were Dixie Heights senior Kiernan Geraci with 21 points and Lloyd junior guard Jeremiah Israel with 18.
Highlands shot 77 percent (17 of 22) from the field in the second half of the 36th District final against Newport. The Bluebirds’ offensive leaders were Will Herald with 24 points and Zach Barth with 29 points and seven assists.
In the 35th District final, Covington Catholic had five double-figure scorers led by junior guard Evan Ipsaro’s 22 points in the win over Holy Cross.
Two of his Ipsaro’s teammates posted a double-double. Senior center Mitchell Rylee had 20 points and 14 rebounds while junior forward Chandler Starks scored 16 and pulled down 14.
Holy Cross junior guard Jacob Meyer scored a game-high 31 points against CovCath to push his season total to 1,028. He’s the first 9th Region player to surpass the 1,000-point mark in a single season since Highlands senior guard Scott Draud netted 1,094 in 1995-96.
Walton-Verona defeated Grant County, 83-67, in the 32nd District final. Both of those teams advance to next week’s 8th Region tournament at Henry County High School. The Bearcats’ leading scorers were Cam Christy with 24 points and Brant Smithers with 21. Julian Dixon posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
