By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
It had been more than 50 years since Newport had beaten Highlands twice in Ft. Thomas the same season.
And it was clear the Bluebirds fans weren’t going to let it happen on this night the way it did here in the regular season. The line to get in stretched out to Memorial Parkway more than 50 minutes before tipoff in the 36th District Championship Friday night.
By 45 minutes before tip, they were already making the “Please squeeze together” announcement.
And while it may have been cold outside, it was hot, hot, hot in the Highlands gym.
Newport’s visiting Wildcats could not have loved it more. The louder the better.
For they seemed to know one thing. This was not a great matchup for the Bluebirds, a team with power dribble-drivers who like to get deep, get off their feet and get to the line, often scoring while getting fouled. Like they did Wednesday against Newport Central Catholic when Highlands outscored the Breds, 38-12, from the line.
No such luck on this night. Fifteen times unofficially, Highlands drove the ball on Newport. On seven of those attempts, Wildcat defenders either swiped the ball, blocked it or swatted it away, often converting it into blazing transition baskets the other way.
No halfcourt game for the Wildcats on this night. No 44-42 win the way they beat Cooper two weeks ago. “A lot of credit goes to them,” Highlands Coach Kevin Listerman said after Newport’s 72-61 win, “their length is the difference and they’re very good on-ball defenders.”
“Our plan was to get to the free throw line first,” Newport Coach Rod Snapp said after going to school on that Highlands-NewCath game. And they did, limiting Highlands to four first-half free throws while ending up in a standoff at the line with Newport shooting 13, Highlands 14.
The Wildcats also took advantage of what their defense gave them to get easy scores on the board.
“Defense and rebounding, our coach says,” is the way 36th District MVP Marquez Miller put it after the 6-4 ½ senior scored a team-high 22 points. “We know we can score,” said the lone Wildcat who will graduate off this roster.
“Go, go, go,” Snapp screamed after the Wildcats would come up with the ball, which they did plenty with a 20-5 first-half rebounding edge.
“Get a stop and get it down the floor,” he said was the plan. “(Taylen) Kinney and (Jabari) Covington are hard to handle when they’re going downhill.”
And downhill flew Newport’s guard tandem of the freshman Kinney, who scored 15 points, and the junior point guard Covington (16). But the two All-District Tournament selections were hardly alone.
DaShawn Anderson, listed as a guard but often taking it inside, scored 17 more as the Wildcats trailed only once,15-14, on a Lincoln Hicks’ three with a little more than a minute left in the first quarter. Newport led by as many as 14, 51-37, in the third quarter, and 17 twice – 63-46 and 65-48 – in the fourth quarter.
But a Nathan Vinson-led run helped the Birds almost get back into it, trailing just 67-61 with 1:20 left before Anderson added the exclamation point on this one with a flying slam dunk with 33.0 seconds left.
Vinson, the junior lefty, could not have been more impressive with his 20-point second-half effort on the way to a game-high 30 points. Will Herald added 13 points while Seth Ryan had 10.
But it wasn’t enough, Listerman said, with his coaches and players having to figure out a way to compete on the boards with a team like Newport next week.
Newport’s Snapp couldn’t help himself despite saying he didn’t want to say anything he shouldn’t with next week’s regional elimination games the ones that matter with both teams advancing.
“We may be the hottest team in the region,” Snapp said, “who else has won nine in a row.” It wasn’t a question for the coach of a team winning just its third district title since 1985.
Asked how he’d describe his team, Snapp said he wouldn’t necessarily go with “smart,” even for a team that took maybe only five bad shots. “Just disciplined,” he said.
And since Newport and Covington Catholic haven’t played this season, the Ninth Region tournament, with first rounds Monday and Wednesday at NKU’s Truist Arena, has some serious intrigue for the top two teams.
Newport will face one of the opposite district losers – Beechwood, St. Henry or a Conner team that beat the Wildcats in double overtime – in a first-round matchup.
Highlands will face one of three district winners — Covington Catholic, Cooper or Lloyd. The draw will be determined in a Saturday morning meeting for the eight coaches at Holmes.
Snapp said he’d rather play on Wednesday, having the extra two days to prepare although the Monday teams will get two days extra rest once the regional starts.
Newport will be heading to UC for practice Saturday to get accustomed to the college-length 94-foot floor they’ll be playing on at NKU, 10 feet longer than the regulation high school floor.
Asked how that will affect his athletic team, Snapp said, “I think it’ll help us.”
While Snapp was talking about next week, Highlands’ Listerman was up on a ladder replacing the nets the Newport kids had cut down. His Bluebirds have to practice as well.
“It’s all about next week,” Listerman said.
BOX SCORE
NEWPORT 19 17 17 19—72
HIGHLANDS 15 13 14 19–61
NEWPORT (25-6): Kinney 15, Anderson 17, Covington 16, Lowe 0, Turner 2, Miller 22, TOTAL: 72.
HIGHLANDS (23-9): Ryan 10, Listerman 3, Hicks 3, Class 0, Herald 13, Vinson 30, Benke 2, TOTAL: 61.