By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Outside the locker room, you could hear Cooper girls basketball coach Justin Holthaus complimenting his players after their 48-38 win over Holy Cross in the opening round of the 9th Region tournament on Sunday at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena.
He told the Jaguars rebounding and limiting turnovers on offense were two things they did better this time than they did in an 66-54 loss to Holy Cross in December that ended the program’s long winning streak against 9th Region opponents.
“We’ve grown a lot,” Holthaus said of his team that entered the season with only one returning starter. “We’ve played a very tough schedule and really challenged ourselves, and the kids are beginning to grow up and figure things out.”
Cooper (23-5) is two wins away from becoming the first girls team to claim four consecutive 9th Region championships. The Jaguars need to get past Dixie Heights (21-8) in a semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to keep that drive alive.
Holthaus would like to see his team get off to a good start in their next game as they did against Holy Cross.
The first quarter ended with the Jaguars holding a 12-4 lead and they extended it to 22-12 on back-to-back 3-point goals by sophomore Binkli Rankin in the second.
Cooper was ahead, 25-16, at the halftime break. At that point, the Jaguars had a 21-12 advantage on the boards with 10 second-chance points following offensive rebounds.
“In the first quarter, rebounding was an issue,” said Holy Cross coach Ted Arlinghaus. “I think we got out-rebounded by 10 in the first quarter and if you look at the final stats the rebound margin was 10 (36-26) so the rebound margin was even for the rest of the game. We just kind of stubbed our toe in the beginning and were playing from behind the rest of the time.”
Cooper took its biggest lead, 34-18, in the third quarter on a second chance basket by sophomore Aliva Scott.
Holy Cross pulled to within 39-31 with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter, but the Indians did not score on their next five possessions.
Holy Cross made a late run that cut the margin to 43-36 with less than a minute left. Cooper then made five of six free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory.
“Early on in the season when we played (Holy Cross) we didn’t really come together as a team,” said Cooper junior guard Addyson Brissey. “We were all different, trying to score on our own. But now we’ve finally figured it out and came together, and I feel that really helped us finish this game.”
Brissey posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cooper’s leading scorer was sophomore Haylee Noel with 17 points. Their team outscored the Indians 14-4 in second-chance points and 22-5 in points-off-turnovers.
“Obviously, we feel like we have kids who shoot the ball well and we can get good shots, but to be able to get second chance opportunities really extends your post season if you’re able to do that,” Holthaus said of his team that was ranked No. 3 in the final statewide media poll.
The leading scorers for Holy Cross (25-8) were senior forward Aumani Nelson with 18 points and sophomore guard Dmyah Williams with 13. The two players also had a combined total of 14 rebounds.
Coach Arlinghaus told his seniors to be proud of the mark they’ve left on the Holy Cross girls program after finishing this season tied for No. 13 in the state.
“What we’ve done the last three years with this senior group — 25 wins, 28 wins, 26 wins — ranks right up with the best runs in school history,” Volpenhein said. “To do that our school, where our enrollment is 300 or less kids, boys and girls, for us to be able to compete with the big boys, it’s awesome.”
COOPER 12 13 11 12 — 48
HOLY CROSS 4 12 7 15 — 38
COOPER (23-5): Brissey 5-11 1-3 11, Hooper 2-10 2-2 6, Noel 4-10 7-10 17, Rankin 2-2 0-0 6, Scott 4-8 0-2 8. Totals: 17-47 10-17 48.
HOLY CROSS (25-8): Arlinghaus 1-7 0-0 2, Nelson 7-13 1-2 18, Carter 2-8 1-2 5, Williams 5-9 3-5 13. Totals: 15-40 5-9 38.
Three-point goals: C — Noel 2, Rankin 2. HC — Nelson 3.