By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Cooper is one win away from becoming the first girls basketball team to win four consecutive 9th Region championships. The fact that the Jaguars reached that historic threshold with four first-year starters in the lineup makes it even more remarkable.
“That’s the special thing about these kids,” Cooper coach Justin Holthaus said after his team’s 64-54 semifinal victory over Dixie Heights on Wednesday. “They’ve always been waiting their turn behind some really talented kids. And for them to step out and showcase their talents, it’s been really special to watch.”
Cooper (24-5) will play Notre Dame (21-7) in the 9th Region title game at 7 p.m. Friday at Northern Kentucky University. The Jaguars won the regular season game between the two teams, 52-49, on Feb. 1.
Haylee Noel, the lone returning starter in Cooper’s lineup at the start of the season, played a major role in getting her team back to the region final.
The sophomore had game-high totals of 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the semifinal win over Dixie Heights.
This is Noel’s third season as a varsity starter. After playing more of a supporting role on the last two region championship teams that included Division I college recruits, she has taken on the role of floor leader this season.
“We have four new starters this year and that was definitely challenging at first, just knowing everybody’s role, but we’ve overcome that,” Noel said. “I just have to trust my teammates that they’ll do the right thing and be in the right spot at all times.”
In the region semifinal game, the Jaguars worked together so well on offense that they made 12 of their first 15 field goal attempts, including seven 3-point shots, to open up a 34-15 lead early in the second quarter.
But the Dixie Heights players kept their composure and ended the quarter with a 15-5 run that reduced the margin to 39-30 at halftime.
Cooper shot 63.6 percent (14 of 22) overall and 61.5 (8 of 13) from 3-point range in the first half.
At that point, the two teams had a combined total of 14 treys and they went on to set a region tournament record with 17.
Noel’s first 3-point goal lifted her career scoring total over 1,000 mark. Her fourth trey came in the third quarter and put Cooper ahead, 48-34.
Once again, Dixie Heights rallied and pulled to within seven points, 50-43, early in the fourth quarter, but the Colonels didn’t score on their next six offensive possessions.
“We were right there knocking on the door and just couldn’t get those shots to fall at that time,” said Dixie Heights coach Joel Steczynski.
The Colonels ended up shooting 29.6 percent (16 of 54) from the field with eight of their field goals coming from behind the arc. Most of the team’s scoring came from guards Catherine Buddenberg and Asia Carner, who had 19 and 16 points.
“We were able to knock down some of our 3-pointers, which we wanted to do,” Steczynski said. “But their interior defense was just really aggressive and really physical, but also disciplined.”
Most of the players on Cooper’s team saw little or no action in last year’s region final, but Noel expects to make tournament history with them on Friday.
“I just feel like I knew what we had coming in and coach believed in us and we just that knew we could make it to state for the fourth time,” she said.
COOPER 23 16 9 16 — 64
DIXIE HEIGHTS 15 15 7 17 — 54
COOPER (24-5): Brissey 4-8 4-5 13, Noel 7-12 5-7 23, Rankin 3-4 1-2 10, Scott 4-10 0-0 9, Thompson 3-8 3-3 9. Totals: 21 13 64.
DIXIE HEIGHTS (21-7): Carner 5-18 4-4 16, Gibson 1-1 0-0 3, Elkins 2-5 2-2 7, Buddenberg 7-10 2-3 19, Crawford 1-13 6-6 9. Totals: 16-54 14-15 54.
Three-point goals: C — Noel 4, Rankin 3, Brissey, Scott. DH — Buddenberg 3, Carner 2, Gibson, Elkins, Crawford.
Girls region basketball tournaments
9TH REGION AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
FRIDAY
Championship game: Cooper (23-5) vs. Notre Dame (21-7), 7 p.m.
10TH REGION AT CAMPBELL COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
FRIDAY
Campbell County (18-9) vs. George Rogers Clark (23-7), 6 p.m.
Bracken County (23-10) vs. Brossart (25-7), 7:45 p.m.
SATURDAY
Championship game, 7 p.m.
8TH REGION AT HENRY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
FRIDAY
Grant County (17-12) vs. South Oldham (16-11), 6:30 p.m.
Simon Kenton (24-4) vs. Anderson County (26-8), 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
Championship game, 7 p.m.