By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Large crowds at the last three games pushed the attendance total for the 9th Region boys and girls basketball tournaments to a new record, according to statistics released by Northern Kentucky athletic directors in charge of the March Madness event.
The total attendance was 23,399 for seven boys and seven girls games played at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena. At least half of that total turned out to watch the boys semifinal games on March 10 and the boys championship game on March 12.
The previous 9th Region attendance record was 22,264 in 2019, according to statistics from Matt Wilhoite, president of the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Association. Last year’s total of 19,460 now ranks third.
The 9th Region boys and girls tournaments were held in high school gyms before moving to the NKU campus arena in 2012. The region semifinals and finals in 2021 had to be moved to Holmes High School due to Covid-19 attendance restrictions.
Fans had to be turned away at the door whenever a high school gym reached capacity, but that has never been a problem at the college arena. The lowest total attendance there was 12,039 in 2012.
Wilhoite said the athletic directors are currently reviewing a three-year renewal contact with Truist Arena to continue having the region tournaments there.
Cooper won this year’s 9th Region girls championship and made it to the semifinals of last week’s state tournament. Newport will be the 9th Region representative in this week’s boys state tournament at Rupp Arena.
Newport will face 10th Region champion Campbell County in a first-round game at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The playing status for Newport point guard Taylen Kinney remains uncertain for that game. He strained a hamstring in the first quarter of the region final and did not return. He was on crutches after that game.
On Sunday, Kinney was named 9th Region Player of the Year by the Northern Kentucky High School Basketball Coaches Association. He’s averaging a team-high 18 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
The 9th Region Coach of the Year is Rodney Snapp of Newport. His team enters the state tournament with a 32-3 record and 24-game winning streak. The only local team with a win against the Wildcats this season was Covington Catholic, 73-63, on Dec. 9.
Boone County hires current teacher as new head football coach
The new head coach of the Boone County football team is Daniel Court, a physical education teacher who was spent 14 seasons as an assistant on coaching staffs at three other local high schools.
Court was defensive coordinator for Scott’s 2021 football team that won a Class 4A district championship and made it to the region finals. He joined the Boone County faculty in 2022 and was tennis coach for the Rebels.
He’s taking charge of a football program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2011. Former head coach Bryson Warner stepped down after compiling a 13-36 record over the last five seasons and none of those teams qualified for the post-season playoffs.
“Coach Court’s passion for the game, roadmap to create a winning culture, and focus on building complete student athletes make a great fit to lead Boone County to success, ” school officials said in a press release.
Newport graduate led Division II playoff team in 3-point field goals
Newport graduate Me’Kell Burries averaged 14.9 points and made a team-high 75 3-point goals for the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters that lost in the first round of the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament last Saturday.
The redshirt junior guard was a double-figure scorer in 22 games for the 24-9 Railsplitters. He had 14 points in their season-ending 85-76 loss to Lander in the Southeast Regional of the Division II playoffs.
Burries shot 48.7 percent (164 of 337 ) from the field overall and 42.1 percent (75 of 178) from behind the 3-point line this season. In a conference game at Mars Hill on Jan. 17, he was 13-of-13 from the field with seven 3-point goals for a total of 33 points
Lincoln Memorial tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference regular season standings and was runner-up in the post-season tournament. Burries was a third-team all-conference selection.
CovCath’s new wrestling coach was on state championship team
Jordan Mason is the new head coach of the Covington Catholic wrestling team that had five state qualifiers in this year’s Region 5 tournament, the most in the history of the program.
Mason was a member of the Campbell County wrestling team that won the 2012 state championship. He has been an assistant football coach at CovCath since 2019 and religion teacher since 2020. He’s replacing Joe Hunt as head coach of the wrestling team.
“Jordan has taught or coached nearly every student in our school building, and with that, has an excellent rapport which will help continue to grow our participation numbers (in wrestling),” CovCath athletic director Tony Bacigalupo said in a press release.