By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The final play didn’t go as planned, but Highlands junior Marissa Green made it work to win the opening game of the 9th Region girls basketball tournament on Sunday at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena.
With eight seconds left, Green took an inbounds pass and didn’t see any of her teammates open. So the 6-foot-4 center dribbled to the top of the lane and fired up a jump shot that rim-rattled into the net to give her team a dramatic 39-37 victory over Notre Dame.
“I just knew the time on the clock and I knew that we needed to get a shot up,” Green said. “I could either get fouled or we’d get the ball back (on a rebound). I just knew we needed a shot.”
Green’s big basket puts Highlands (22-8) in the 9th Region semifinals for the first time since 2021. To reach the championship game for the first time since 2013, they’ll have to beat Ryle at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
When those two teams played a regular season game at Truist Arena on Jan. 28, Ryle came away with a 59-36 victory. But now it’s tournament time and Highlands coach Jaime Walz-Richey likes the way her team is playing.
“Before the game, I said … we’re so hard on you because we want you to be successful in big-time moments and they were successful today,” Richey said. “They didn’t let things rattle them and that’s why we stress the importance of what they need to do.”
The Pandas opened the game with a 7-0 run, but the Bluebirds were on top, 15-12, at halftime. At the break, Highlands was shooting 31 percent (5 of 16) from the field compared to Notre Dame’s 27.8 percent (5 of 18).
In the second half, Notre Dame made five 3-point goals during a 15-10 run that put them ahead, 34-30, early in the fourth quarter. The Bluebirds battled back and took a 37-36 lead on a pair of free throws by Green, but Notre Dame tied it on a free throw by senior Kendra Collins with 0:42 left on the clock.
Richey called one timeout with 24 seconds remaining and another one with eight seconds left to set up the play that resulted in Green’s impromptu game-winning field goal.
“That was not what we drew up,” Richey said. “We knew we wanted one shot and were getting the ball to Marissa, and she had options. She just made a basketball play and went for the basket.”
Green ended up with a game-high 13 points and six rebounds. She made 7 of 10 free throws with the last two coming after Notre Dame center Sophia Gibson’s fifth foul.
Gibson finished with eight points, seven below her average, and had no rebounds. The Pandas’ top scorers were junior starter Maya Lawrie and freshman substitute Amelia Stallard with nine points each.
Both teams ended up shooting 35 percent overall from the field. Eleven of the game’s 25 field goals came from behind the 3-point arc. Highlands sophomore Saylor Macke hit two treys to account for six of her eight points.
“We took good shots and we’ve been stressing to the girls to shoot with confidence,” coach Richey said. “We see them every day in practice and know how they can shoot.”
NOTRE DAME 9 3 13 12 — 37
HIGHLANDS 5 10 11 13 — 39
NOTRE DAME (20-10): Stallard 3 0 9, Collins 2 1 7, Holtzapfel 1 0 3, M. Lawrie 4 1 9, Burden 0 1 1, Gibson 4 0 8. Totals: 14 3 37.
HIGHLANDS (22-8): Macke 2 2 8, Mills 3 0 7, Orme 1 1 4, Green 3 7 13, Barton 1 0 2, Bucher 0 2 2, Barber 1 0 3. Totals: 11 12 39.
Three-point goals: ND — Stallard 3, Collins 2 Holtzapfel. H — Macke 2, Mills, Orme, Barber.
Ryle 51, Dixie Heights 30
Ryle coach Katie Haitz took a long look at a statistics printout when she left the locker room following her team’s 51-30 win over Dixie Heights in Sunday’s first round of the 9th Region girls basketball tournament at Truist Arena.
There were several numbers that the coach liked, especially on the offense end. The Raiders shot 51.2 percent (21 of 41) from the field with 12 assists among eight players.
“We moved the ball well, the transition went well, we were able to get in a nice rhythm in our rotation with the kids, which was very good for us, ” Haitz said. “I’m very proud of our kids.”
It was the recovery victory the Raiders needed after a disappointing 45-34 loss to Cooper in the 33rd District final on Thursday. They shot 35.9 percent and had only two assists in that game.
“They’re energized and love being here,” Haitz said of their region tournament opener. “We love the college floor atmosphere and all those little things. That’s why you play, to get to this spot right now.”
This is the seventh consecutive year the Raiders (20-11) have made it to the final four in the region playoffs. They’ll play Highlands in a semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The four seniors in Ryle’s starting lineup want to end their careers as region champions and they got a lot of help from sophomore starter Jaelyn Jones in taking the first step toward that goal.
Jones scored 21 points against Dixie Heights. She was 8-of-14 from the field overall and 5-of-10 from behind the 3-point arc. Four of her treys came during a decisive 22-9 scoring surge in the third quarter that gave the Raiders a 43-20 lead.
Senior center Sarah Baker scored six of her 12 points during that run. The Raiders’ other double figure scorer was senior guard Quinn Eubank with 12 points. She also had 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
Coach Haitz said having Eubank attacking the basket and pushing the transition after defensive rebounds or turnovers played key roles in the 21-point victory.
Dixie Heights ended up shooting 19.6 percent (9 of 46) from the field and went 4-of-21 on 3-point attempts. The Colonels’ leading scorer was senior guard Jalynn Brooks with nine points. Junior forward Catherine Buddenberg had seven points, eight rebounds and three steals.
RYLE 10 11 22 8 — 51
DIXIE HEIGHTS 7 4 9 10 — 30
RYLE (20-11): Eubank 6 0 12, Peters 2 0 6, Jones 8 0 21, Barker 5 2 12. Totals: 21 2 51.
DIXIE HEIGHTS (18-13): Puitz 1 0 2, Buddenberg 2 1 7, Brooks 3 2 9, Tignor 1 1 3, Moore 1 2 4, Crawford 1 2 5. Totals: 9 8 30.
Three-point goals: R — Jones 5, Peters 2. DH — Buddenberg 2, Brooks, Crawford.
9TH REGION BOYS TOURNAMENT AT NKU
Monday
Lloyd (24-8) vs. Beechwood (16-15), 6:30 p.m.
Newport (29-3) vs. Ryle (19-11), 8 p.m,
Wednesday
Covington Catholic (25-5) vs. Dixie Heights (18-13), 6:30 p.m.
Cooper (22-8) vs. Highlands (17-15), 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 10
Semifinal games, 2 and 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 12
Championship game, 7 p.m.
9TH REGION GIRLS TOURNAMENT AT NKU
Friday — Semifinal games
Highlands (22-8) vs. Ryle (20-11), 6:30 p.m.
Holy Cross (28-5) vs. Cooper (27-4), 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 9
Championship game, 7 p.m.