By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The top two scorers in Northern Kentucky boys high school basketball this season produced a net total of 62 points in Walton-Verona’s 64-57 upset win at Cooper on Saturday.
Walton-Verona senior Aaron Gutman took game-high scoring honors with 32 points and Cooper senior Andy Johnson was right behind him with 30. After the game, Johnson’s scoring average was 23.6 and Gutman was next in line at 23.5.
It was Cooper’s first loss at home this season and ended a 10-game win streak. Walton-Verona shot 60.5 percent (23 of 58) from the field overall and 52.9 percent (9 of 17) from 3-point range to outscore the Jaguars, who have the highest RPI in the 9th Region.
Gutman made 11 of 15 field goal attempts for 73.3 percent. He hit 8 of 10 two-point attempts and 3 of 5 treys while converting 7 of 14 free throws. Johnson shot 52.6 percent (10 of 19), making 8 of 11 twos and 2 of 8 threes to go along with 8 of 14 free throws.
There were eight other local players who scored 25 points or more in weekend games. Topping that list was a 39-point performance by Ryle senior Landon Lorms in an 89-65 win at St. Henry.
Lorms set his team’s single-game scoring record by making 13 of 22 field goals, including 5 of 10 3-pointers, and 8 of 10 free throws. He entered this week with a season scoring average of 21.7 with four games remaining until the playoffs.
The other local players who netted 25 points or more in weekend games were Conner senior Chase Huff (35), Scott junior Aaron Hampton (31), Calvary Christian junior Collin Duty (31), Newport Central Catholic senior Ian Mann (27), Calvary Christian sophomore Peyton Morris (27), Heritage Academy junior Landon Reinhart (25) and Highlands junior Vinnie Listerman (25).
Mann made 16 of 19 free throws to account for most of is 27 points in a 66-63 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. He is now shooting 85.8 percent (127 of 148) from the line this season and ranks among the state leaders in that category.
The leading scorer in Northern Kentucky girls basketball is NewCath senior guard Caroline Eaglin with a 22.3 average that ranks among the top 10 in statewide statistics. She finished the last two seasons with the highest scoring average among local girls and broke her school’s career scoring record in January.
CovCath bowling team second in state tournament
Covington Catholic’s bowling team won three matches in the boys state tournament before losing to Louisville Trinity, 3-0, in the championship final on Monday at Kingpin Lanes in Jeffersontown.
After placing 10th in the qualifying round used to seed the 16-team bracket, CovCath defeated No. 7 Franklin County, No. 2 Central Hardin and No. 14 Owensboro Apollo to make it to the state final for the first time. Trinity won the championship trophy for the second time in three years.
Joseph Adams of Trinity won the boys state singles title on Monday. The top finishers from Northern Kentucky were Maddox Kuryla of Boone County and Tyler Blume of Simon Kenton, who placed fifth and seventh.
Due to predicted snowfall in and around the Jeffersontown area, the state bowling tournaments for girls on Tuesday and adapted and unified teams on Wednesday have been postponed by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
Basketball state tournament draws set for Friday
The draws to determine first-round pairings for the Kentucky boys and girls state basketball tournaments is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday and will be televised on khsaa.tv.
Both state tournaments will be played at Rupp Arena in Lexington. The Clark’s Pump-N-Shop girls tournament will be March 12-15 and the UK Healthcare boys tournament will be March 26-29. The tournaments could not be held on successive weeks this year because NCAA men’s tournament games will be played at Rupp Arena on March 20 and 22.
When the high school basketball post-season playoffs begin on Feb. 24, Northern Kentucky teams in the 9th, 8th and 10th Regions will be competing for state tournament berths.