By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
Down 16-2 after a little more than five minutes, Beechwood’s Tigers were staring defeat in the face in the semifinals of the Ninth Region All-A Classic Friday at Dayton. Newport Central Catholic’s underdog Thoroughbreds had come out with a vengeance on both ends of the court.
“Credit NewCath,” said Beechwood Coach Ross Hart, “they always play like that against us.” With a berth in the finals opposite Newport on the line, Beechwood senior Jack Sullivan took things into his own hands.
“We rode Jack Sullivan to get back into it,” Hart said. At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, the senior Sullivan looks like he could carry his Tiger teammates. And that’s not a problem.
Sounding every bit like a modern Yogi Berra, Sullivan admitted that “I’ve always been big since I was little.”
He was big Friday, “I had a talk with my guys . . . ‘Keep battling,’ I told them.” And then Sullivan took the battle — and the ball — himself and shot the Tigers back into this one, scoring three times in the final 2:26 of the first quarter with a buzzer-beating, perfectly-timed three from the midcourt logo to get Beechwood back within eight, 21-13.
“He’s a matchup nightmare,” Hart said of his leading scorer who he described as someone who “might be the last player you’d pick in a pickup game.” In fact, you’d much more pick Sullivan as a starter for the state champion Tiger football team. But he’s basketball all the way. And looking to play at the next level — at a Mt. St. Joe’s, Centre, Transylvania or Thomas More — where he sees himself as a wing. “After I lose some fat and put on some muscle.”
Not that he needed either against a NewCath team that could not have scrapped any harder with a basic five-man unit of all guards. With Ian Mann and footballer Louie Collopy leading the Breds with 21 and 16 points respectively, it took a full team effort from the Ft. Mitchell guys to get back in a game that had Beechwood on top, 21-10, before Sullivan’s three-point near-half-courter.
Beechwood proceeded to run off15 straight points, with Sullivan’s three straight field goals in the first five minutes of the second quarter finishing off the run for a 25-21 Tiger lead. And that turned this one around for good. Carson Blackburn added 15, Ayden Way 11, sophomore Kingston Brockett 10 and Owen McCormack eight as the rest of the Tiger team got themselves going.
“Our kids played really hard,” Hart said. In fact, they’ve had to dispatch St. Henry, Holy Cross and now NewCath to reach the finals. And right before that trio of challenges, lost a four-pointer — 62-58 — to Covington Catholic eight days ago. “We’ve definitely run the gauntlet,” Hart says.
And now there’s a rejuvenated Newport awaiting them Saturday night at 7. “Nobody’s feeling sorry for Newport,” Hart says, of the Wildcats who are in the finals after having to win just one game — and that was Friday’s clock-running 69-28 romp over Ludlow.
“Don’t get me started on that,” Hart says of the lopsided scheduling. But hear him about his Tigers.
“These kids love each other,” he said. As to Newport, “I haven’t seen them.” But Jack Sullivan has, for a half of Newport’s Friday game.
“They looked good, they’re big and physical,” Sullivan said. “They bring the energy. And their fans do, too.”
Now it’s up to Beechwood to do the same for the Tigers’ fifth game in nine days. And the right to head to Owensboro for the All-A Classic.
SCORING SUMMARY
BEECHWOOD 13 18 24 14–69
NEWCATH 21 5 20 12–58
BEECHWOOD (10-5): Blackburn 6-12 1-4 2-3 15, McCormack 3-6 2-4 0-0 8, Way 4-10 3-8 0-0 11, Brockett 3-5 1-1 3-5 10, Sullivan 9-20 3-6 2-2 23, Popham 0-1 0-0 0-2 0, Coppage 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-1 0-0 0-0 0, Hammons 1-1 0-0 0-0 2; TOTALS: 16-56 10-23 9-12–69.
NEWCATH (8-9): Luhn 0-9 0-3 0-0 0, Collopy 5-13 4-11 2-4 16, Kraft 2-2 0-0 0-0 4, Ian Mann 7-11 0-1 7-8 21, Gearding 4-9 3-6 0-0 11, Verst 1-1 1-1 0-0 3, Petroze 1-4 1-3 0-0 3, Brooks 0-1 0-0 0-0 0; TOTALS: 20-50 9-25 9-12–58.
