By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The crystal ball dropped in New York City to begin a new year, but countdowns continue for Northern Kentucky boys high school basketball fans. During the next two months of the regular season, they’ll be keeping tabs on coaches and players chasing records, including one that’s been on the books for more than 30 years.
Kenney Shields has held the record for most career victories by a 9th Region boys basketball coach since 1989 when he began his college coaching career at Northern Kentucky University. He compiled a 460-257 record in 23 seasons at Highlands and St. Thomas high schools.
St. Henry coach Dave Faust needs five wins to surpass Shields. He has a 456-381 career record in 32 years with the Crusaders going into a home game against Dixie Heights on Tuesday.
That’s also an important 34th District seeding game for Faust and his players. If they win, they’ll have a 3-0 record in the district standings.
Aric Russell enters the new year with a 269-127 record in 13 seasons as Campbell County boys basketball coach. He needs three wins to become the winningest coach in the history of the program. That record was set more than 60 years ago by L.E. Woolum, who compiled 271 wins as coach of the Camels.
Russell has a 444-281 overall record in 25 years as a varsity coach. He began his career at Newport where he was 51-32 as girls head coach and 124-120 as boys head coach before coming to Campbell County. He needs seven victories to reach the 400 mark as a boys head coach.
The 9th Region record for most career points could also fall if Holy Cross senior guard Jacob Meyer maintains his 36.2 average through the end of the regular season. He netted 398 points in the first 11 games and needs 453 to reach the No. 1 spot in the record book.
The top four scoring totals in 9th Region boys basketball history right now are 3,128 by Scotty Draud of Beechwood, 3,045 by Brandon Hatton of Dixie Heights, 2,865 by Scott Draud of Highlands and 2,676 by Meyer.
The other local player to keep an eye on is Covington Catholic senior point guard Evan Ipsaro, who is currently averaging 25.4 points per game. The CovCath team record for highest single-season scoring average happens to be 25.4 by Mike Fessler in 1961-62.
In three seasons at CovCath, Ipsao has now scored 1,485 points in 74 games for a 20.1 average. The highest career scoring average by a CovCath player is 19.8 by Nick Ruthsatz, the son of the Colonels’ head coach.
Ipsaro is now sixth on the list of all-time leading scorers at CovCath. The record-holder is 2017 graduate Cole Von Handorf with 2,244 points. Ruthsatz and Von Handorf were starting guards on CovCath’s 2014 state championship team.
Scott, NewCath girls basketball teams win holiday tournaments
The Scott and Newport Central Catholic girls basketball teams took photos of players posing with the championship trophy after winning holiday tournaments during the final week of December.
Scott defeated tournament host Carroll County, 57-54, in overtime in the title game of the Pam Browning Classic to push its record to 7-4 under first-year head coach Eric Pouncy Jr.
Senior forward Kayla Overman was named the tournament’s most valuable. She scored a team-high 19 points for the Eagles in the championship game. The team’s other double-figure scorers were Autumn Ponder (12) and Kaia Peterson (10).
NewCath defeated Lloyd, 55-36, in the title game of the Stephanie Wilson Memorial at Bellevue and will take an 8-4 record into the 9th Region All “A” Classic that begins on Monday.
Sophomore guard Caroline Eaglin was named most valuable player in the holiday tournament after scoring 27 points in the championship game. Jaylee Brannen and Joelle Kinnett were the other NewCath players named to the all-tournament team.
Ryle graduate closes out college football career on a high note
Ryle graduate Tanner Morgan came off the bench and threw two touchdown passes in his final game as quarterback for the University of Minnesota team that defeated Syracuse, 28-20, in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium last Thursday.
Morgan did not start the bowl game because he missed the final three weeks of the regular season with an upper body injury. He entered the bowl game after Minnesota’s starting quarterback was injured and threw TD passes in the second and third quarters to help the Golden Gophers come away with the win.
With a 33-14 record in games he started, Morgan is the most successful quarterback in the history of the Minnesota program. That record includes victories in three previous bowl games. His career passing totals included 9,454 yards and 65 touchdowns.