By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Bellevue girls basketball coach Tommy Sorrell admits he had tears in his eyes after his team’s 53-51 win over Newport Central Catholic in a 35th District semifinal game on Tuesday clinched a 9th Region tournament berth.
The last time Bellevue made it to the second round of the post-season playoffs was 2010, one year after Sorrell became head coach. Over the next 13 years, the Tigers had a 5-13 record in district tournament games, but this team broke the dry spell by getting the first win over NewCath in program history.
Bellevue girls basketball coach Tommy Sorrell
“It’s been a pretty unbelievable season for us, and we’re all sophomores and juniors,” Sorrell said of his 22-9 team that has won the most games in program history.
But Bellevue will face two-time defending champion Cooper (26-4) in the opening round of the 9th Region tournament at 8 p.m. Sunday at Northern Kentucky University.
The other three games that day will be Highlands vs. Notre Dame at 1 p.m., Dixie Heights vs. Ryle at 2:30 p.m. and Holy Cross vs. St. Henry at 6:30 p.m. The semifinals will be 6:30 and 8 p.m. on Friday with the championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.
This will be the 50th region tournament played since girls basketball was renewed as a state-sanctioned sport in 1975. Bellevue was 9th Region runner-up in 1977, but the Tigers have gone 0-5 in region playoff games since then.
Ending that streak will take a major upset. Cooper entered the post-season playoffs ranked No. 2 in the state by media members. The Jaguars also have a 29-0 record against 9th Region opponents over the last three seasons.
Bellevue’s leading scorer is junior guard Sydni Massey with a 14.4 average. She was voted Player of the Year in the Division III conference by local coaches. The lineup also includes Ally MacPherson, Paulina Long, Jayda Dowell and Jaylah Dowell, who made the game-winning basket against NewCath.
Bellevue has posted a winning record in nine of the last 12 seasons under Sorrell, who has a 235-219 record in 16 seasons as Bellevue’s head coach.
CovCath senior quarterback receives “That’s My Boy” Award
After missing the last five games of the 2022 season due to an injury, Covington Catholic quarterback Evan Pitzer had a combined total of 3,229 yards passing and rushing for the Colonels in his senior season last fall.
Evan Pitzer
That impressive total is one reason Pitzer received the Brian Williams “That’s My Boy Award” for being the top student-athlete in Northern Kentucky high school football at the National Football Foundation banquet on Thursday.
The award is based on a ratings system that awards points for achievements in football, academics and extra-curricular activities. Pitzer scored higher than three other finalists — Brody Benke of Highlands, Jack Lonaker of Cooper and Beni Mwamba of Dixie Heights — who were also recognized at the banquet.
With Pitzer running the offense, CovCath was Class 4A state runner-up and finished the season with a 14-1 record. He completed 170 of 243 passes for a team-record 69.9 percent, 2,592 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also rushed for 637 yards and 11 TDs.
Pitzer had career totals of 3,926 yards passing and 1,002 yards rushing. He has not announced a college commitment.
Three high schools name new head coaches for fall sports
Notre Dame and Newport Central Catholic have named new head coaches in girls soccer and Covington Catholic has appointed a new head coach for its boys golf team.
Former assistant coach Cory Dan is taking charge of the Notre Dame soccer program. He’s replacing Brian Woeste, who will remain on the coaching staff. Last season, the Pandas won the 9th Region championship, reached the semifinals of the state tournament and finished with a 21-4-2 record.
NewCath’s new girls soccer coach is Emily Wagner, a former college player and coach for Kings Hammer Soccer Club. She’s taking charge of a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2018 and posted a 3-20-1 record last fall.
Ryan Lubbers, the new boys golf coach at CovCath, is a former high school golfer and still active in the sport. He succeeds Alex Ammerman, who had two teams that won region championships and 10 players who went on to play in college during his seven-year tenure. The Colonels placed second in the Region 7 tournament last year with three seniors in the lineup.
Basketball officials choose two players for scholarship money
Maleah Alexander of Cooper and Carson Shea of St. Henry are the 9th Region basketball players chosen to receive $2,500 to be used toward their post-secondary education from the Ray Gabbard Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The 9th Region Officials Association started the scholarship program in honor of Gabbard, a former member who was a local high school official for many years. The money is raised at an annual golf outing that’s scheduled for Sept. 7 at the Golf Courses of Kenton County this year.
Alexander and Shea were among the local players who submitted applications for the scholarship money. They will receive their checks during the 9th Region boys and girls basketball tournaments at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena.
Alexander is a starting guard on the Cooper girls team that’s going for its third straight region title. The St. Henry boys team’s season ended in the 34th District semifinals.
