By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
It looks like two of the top point guards in 9th Region boys basketball this season will be teammates next season.
Yamil Rondon, a junior point guard on Cooper’s team that made it to the 9th Region final for the second consecutive year, said he has transferred to Newport and will begin taking classes there on Monday when school resumes after spring break.
Rondon will be joining a Newport basketball team that won the last two 9th Region championship games against Cooper. The Wildcats have one of the state’s top college prospects in sophomore point guard Taylen Kinney.
According to Kentucky High School Athletic Association bylaws, a student who participates in a varsity sport and then transfers to another in-state school is ineligible to compete in that sport for one year unless there is a bona fide change in residence.
Rondon said his parents are divorced and he will now be living with his father, who has a home in Newport.
“I’ve known some of those guys since we were little,” Rondon said of the Newport players, including Kinney, that he met in AAU summer leagues. “I’m excited to play with those guys, and go to school and finish my school work.”
As the floor leader on Cooper’s team, Rondon averaged 13 points and 2.9 rebounds this past season when the Jaguars finished with a 24-9 record. He was among the top vote-getters on the Division I all-conference team selected by local coaches.
“I’m pretty sad because I feel like we built a foundation and I’m just leaving my guys,” he said of the Cooper team.
One of his new teammates, Kinney, was voted Player of the Year in the 9th Region and the Division II conference by local coaches. He averaged 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Wildcats (32-4), who were ranked No. 3 in the state by media members before being upset in the first round of the state tournament by Campbell County.
Newport loses two senior starters on this year’s team. Adding Rondon to the three returning starters — Kinney and forwards Griffin Starks and James Turner — will likely put the Wildcats among the top-ranked teams in the state again next season.
“I don’t really look at the rankings,” Rondon said. “I just want to get through this school year first, make sure I get my grades up and make sure I get my GPA a little higher. And when basketball comes, it’ll be the same thing, make sure I get my GPA up and go on to the next level.”
Holy Cross, Beechwood win 9th Region All “A” Classic tournaments
The Holy Cross softball team and Beechwood baseball team will be 9th Region representatives in All “A” Classic state tournaments later this month.
Holy Cross defeated Dayton, 5-3, in the region softball final on Tuesday to earn a state tournament berth for the first time since 2019. The Indians’ winning pitcher was junior Evie Thomas, who got eight of her 11 strikeouts in the final four innings.
The 16-team state softball tournament at Fisher Park in Owensboro will begin April 27 with pool play. Holy Cross will take on Hancock County in the opening round at 10 a.m.
Beechwood claimed the 9th Region baseball championship for the third consecutive year with a 10-5 victory over Newport Central Catholic in the title game on Monday. The Tigers got nine of their 15 hits from the top four in their batting order. Junior designated hitter Keagan Hutton went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI.
Beechwood will play the 10th Region champion in the sectional round of the state baseball playoffs. The sectional winners will compete in an eight-team state tournament on April 27-28 at a site to be determined.
Rosters released for Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Games at Thomas More
Liz Freihofer, one of four senior starters on the Cooper girls basketball team that reached the final four of the state tournament, will play in the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Games on Saturday, April 20 at Thomas More University.
The Kentucky girls roster will also include Ryle center Sarah Baker and guards Quinn Eubank of Ryle and Anna Hamilton of Conner. There are no local players on the Kentucky boys roster for the all-star games.
Players will compete in a Slam-Jam Festival on Friday, April 19 that includes 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 games, 3-point shootouts and slam dunk competition. For more information and complete rosters, go to oh-kyall-stargame.com.