By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
In the first two weeks of the boys high school basketball season, Lloyd put up some impressive numbers during its 4-0 start. The Juggernauts averaged 71.2 points per game, shot 56.6 percent from the field and averaged 36.8 rebounds on the boards.
But the first big test comes Wednesday when Lloyd plays Louisville St. Xavier in the opening round of the King of the Bluegrass tournament at Fairdale High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
St. Xavier entered the season ranked No. 2 in a statewide poll of coaches conducted by the Courier-Journal newspaper. On Sunday, the Tigers defeated top-ranked Great Crossing, 72-58, to raise their record to 5-0 and lay claim to the No. 1 spot.
Lloyd has one of the state’s top seniors in 6-foot-8 post player EJ Walker, a University of South Carolina recruit. In the first four games, he averaged 21.2 points and 12.2 rebounds while shooting 70 percent (35 of 50) from the field.
Walker’s teammate Anthony Blaackar is next in line in all three of those categories. The 6-foot-2 junior guard is averaging 19.2 points and 5.2 rebounds and shooting 63.8 percent (30 of 47) from the field for the Juggernauts.
St. Xavier has four players with double-figure scoring averages and a deep bench that the Tigers use to apply relentless defensive pressure on opponents. The senior team leaders are point guard Chance Dillingham and 6-foot-7 post player Graham Kriezmien, who had 19 points and seven rebounds in the win over Great Crossing.
Newport is the other local team in the King of the Bluegrass. The two-time defending 9th Region champions take a 3-3 record into their first-round game against Lexington Bryan Station (5-0) at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Cooper quarterback could reach 10,000 mark in career passing yards next season
Cooper junior quarterback Cam O’Hara has put himself in position to surpass the 10,000 mark in career passing yards during his senior season next year.
According to team statistics posted on the khsaa.org website, O’Hara has passed for 8,996 yards and 120 touchdowns to set Northern Kentucky career records in both categories.
His season totals were 3,617 yards and 52 touchdowns this year, 3,361 and 47 last year and 2,018 and 21 in 2022.
Kentucky high school football records posted on the khsaa.org website have not been updated since September of 2021. At that time, there were 11 quarterbacks with 10,000 or more career passing yards.
The state’s highest career total is 13,642 yards by Zach Lewis of Clay County. The list includes Tanner Morgan, who passed for 10,303 yards while playing for both Hazard and Ryle.
Cooper reached the Class 5A state final the last two seasons with O’Hara running the offense. The team’s top three pass receivers this season were seniors Isaiah Johnson, Austin Alexander and Jaiden Combs. Johnson set Northern Kentucky records in career receiving yards (3,343) and touchdowns (53).
Notre Dame graduate on Louisville volleyball team that reached NCAA Final Four
Notre Dame graduate Kamden Schrand is a sophomore defensive specialist on the University of Louisville women’s volleyball team that reached the Final Four of the NCAA Division I playoffs scheduled for Thursday and Sunday at the Yum Center in Louisville.
Schrand has played in every match for the 29-5 Cardinals. She has 71 digs and 24 service aces going into her team’s semifinal match against top-ranked Pitt at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The other semifinal match is Nebraska vs. Penn State at 9 p.m.
Both semifinal matches will be televised on ESPN. The national championship match at 3 p.m. Sunday will be on ABC. Six years ago, Stanford won the 2018 national championship with Notre Dame graduate Morgan Hentz in the starting lineup.
Other former Northern Kentucky high school players in this year’s Division I national tournament were St. Henry graduates Abby Schaefer and Alivia Skidmore (Western Kentucky), Holy Cross graduate Julia Hunt (Washington) and Dixie Heights graduate Irene Wogenstahl (Morehead).