By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

At family gatherings, Kay and Liz Freihofer have heard their mom, aunt and uncle talk about playing on region champion basketball and volleyball teams in high school that got to compete in state tournaments.

The Freihofer sisters carried on that family tradition Friday when they led the Cooper girls basketball team to its first 9th Region championship with a 53-45 win over Ryle at BB&T Arena.

“It feels amazing,” Kay said after the victory. “We’ve worked so hard for this and I’m so proud of my team. It just feels surreal right now.”

Cooper (23-9) will make its first appearance in the “Sweet 16” girls state basketball tournament at 1 p.m. Thursday at Rupp Arena. The Jaguars’ opponent will be the winner of the 15th Region final between Pikeville and Lawrence County on Saturday.

After next week, the Freihofer sisters will be able to join in state tournament recollections with their relatives who played on region championship teams at Highlands High School when they were siblings in the Schlarman family.

“They always talked about how going downstate is the neatest experience and I’m so exited to get to experience that, too,” Kay said. “And I’m doing it with Liz. That makes it even better.”

In the region final, Liz posted a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kay netted 15 points, missing only one field goal attempt, and she didn’t commit a single turnover.

Turnovers were a problem for Cooper in the fourth quarter when the Raiders applied full-court pressure during a late run and made it a two-point game, 45-43, with 1:23 left on the clock.

The Jaguars took better care of the ball after that. They drew fouls and made eight of 10 free throws in the final 1:08 to come away with the victory.

“We tried to have more poise at the end,” Kay said. “We just needed to handle the ball better and have more confidence, and that’s what we did.”

Cooper outscored Ryle, 15-4, in the second quarter to open up a 29-21 halftime lead. At the break, the Jaguars had a 15-0 scoring advantage from behind the 3-point line with the Freihofer sisters hitting four of the five treys.

Ryle wasn’t able to make any 3-point shots during the game, including one that might have tied the score in the final minute. The team’s best perimeter shooter, Abby Holtman, went 0-for-4 from behind the arch.

“They did a good job on Abby,” said Ryle coach Katie Haitz. “We were setting multiple  screens for her and they were getting through them. We just couldn’t get her open for those outside shots.”

Cooper led by nine points, 42-33, early in the fourth quarter before Ryle’s full-court pressure started forcing turnovers. The Jaguars didn’t make any field goals in the final five minutes, but they were able to win the game at the free throw line.

Ryle’s leading scorers were Austin Johnson with 15 points and Sarah Baker with 12. The Raiders ended up shooting 34 percent (14 of 41) from the field compared to Cooper’s 47 percent (16 of 34).

The fact that Ryle was 0-for-6 from behind the 3-point line was one reason Kay Freihofer received the tournament’s most valuable player award. She was the one guarding Holtman, who had scored more than half of her points this season on long range shots.

“Abby Holtman is a really tough player, so we took a lot of notice trying to keep her off the 3-point line,” Kay said. “I had her and I think I did pretty well, and my teammates always had my back. We take a lot of pride in our team defense.”

Cooper evened its record at 1-1 in 9th Region championship games. The first time the  Jaguars made it to the region final was 2017 and they lost to Holmes. They returned to the region tournament last season under new head coach Justin Holthaus, who guided this year’s team to its first region title.

Holthaus and his coaching staff were the ones who selected Kay Freihofer for the most valuable player award after Friday’s victory.

“She’s a great team leader,” Holthaus said of the junior guard. “I could tell by the look in her eyes we would not be denied this championship.”

Cooper will be the only Northern Kentucky team in the girls state tournament next week. Brossart lost to George Rogers Clark, 45-27, in the 10th Region semifinals on Friday. The Mustangs named to the all-tournament team were senior guard Madison Parker and junior forward Molly Kramer.

COOPER   14  15   9  15 — 53
RYLE         17    4   8  16 — 45

COOPER (23-9): Lind 3 5 11, Alexander 1 0 2, K. Freihofer 4 4 15, L. Freihofer 6 5 19, J. Palmer 0 1 1, L. Palmer 2 0 5. Totals: 16-34 15-23 53.

RYLE (21-10): Eubank 4 2 10, Nguyen 1 0 2, Holtman 0 4 4, Johnson 3 9 15, Snider 1 0 2, Baker 5 2 12. 14-41 17-21 45.

3-point goals: C — K. Freihofer 3, L. Freihofer 2, L. Palmer 1.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
Cooper — Kay Freihofer (MVP), Liz Freihofer, Logan Palmer. Ryle — Austin Johnson, Abby Holtman. Dixie Heights — Madelyn Lawson, Samantha Berman. NewCath — Rylee Turner, Caroline Eaglin. Notre Dame — Macie Feldman. Highlands — Marissa Green. Ludlow — Jenna Lillard. Holy Cross — Miyah Wimzie.
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Boys region basketball tournaments

9TH REGION TOURNAMENT AT BB&T ARENA
Saturday
Highlands (22-8) vs. Lloyd (21-7), 1 p.m.
Covington Catholic (25-4) vs. Cooper (22-6), 2:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights (20-6) vs. Newport (9-18), 6:30 p.m.
Conner (20-9) vs. Holy  Cross (20-9), 8 p.m.
Sunday 
Semifinal games, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.

10TH REGION TOURNAMENT AT HOLMES
Monday
Mason County (24-5) vs. George Rogers Clark (31-1), 6 p.m.
Campbell County (20-10) vs. Bracken County (23-9), 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.