By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Kentucky All “A” Classic state basketball tournaments will be played at the Owensboro SportsCenter once again next season instead of returning to Eastern Kentucky University, where the event was held for 27 years.
Gary Munsie, chairman of the All “A” Classic organizing committee, plans to sign a one-year contract with Owensboro SportsCenter to host the 2026 boys and girls small-school state tournaments. He said that’s the best facility willing to accommodate the five days necessary to play 30 games on Jan. 21-25.
Munsie said EKU will not be able to host the tournaments due to conflicts with its men’s and women’s basketball schedules at McBrayer Arena. The same thing happened last year when the tournaments were played in Owensboro for the first time.
“We’d love to go back to Eastern. That’s where our home is, really,” Munsie said.
“We’re continuing talks with them. We just had a meeting with them a couple weeks ago and we’re going to meet with the AD (athletic director) his summer. Hopefully, we’ll see what the future holds for us there.”
All “A” Classic state basketball tournaments were played at EKU from 1991 to 2011. The site was changed to Frankfort Civic Center from 2012 to 2107 and then returned to EKU from 2018 to 2023.
The 2024 state tournaments were played at Corbin Civic Center because EKU was remodeling its arena. Owensboro SportsCenter stepped in as host last season due to the scheduling conflicts at EKU. But neither of those sites is as centrally located as the EKU campus in Richmond and that has an impact on ticket sales.
“Pikeville made overtures (to host the tournaments) a year ago, but there again, they’re at the other end of the state,” Munsie said. “To me, my home was once up there in Northern Kentucky, and I wish we could go up there. I’ve never talked to them (at NKU), but I know they’ve got scheduling problems too with the men and women (basketball teams).”
Brossart wins All “A” Classic region baseball title
Brossart won the 10th Region All “A” Classic baseball tournament for the first time since 2019 and will visit 9th Region champion Beechwood at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the sectional round of the state playoffs for small-school teams.
The Mustangs took the 10th Region title on Saturday with a pair of five-inning wins over Augusta, 12-0, in the semifinals and Paris, 11-1, in the championship game.
The winning pitcher in the shutout was senior Alex Noe. The only run his senior teammate Ben Volmer gave up in the title game was a solo homer in the final inning.
Brossart senior catcher Keegan Gulley hit two home runs in the win over Augusta. Volmer and senior Aiden Schultz each had three RBI against Paris. The two wins lifted the Mustangs’ record to 8-3.
Walton-Verona won the 8th Region All “A” Classic for the eighth consecutive year and will play a sectional game at 7th Region champion Kentucky Country Day at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Cooper graduate signs WNBA training contract
Cooper graduate Lexi Held is one of four players who signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury, one of 12 women’s pro basketball teams in the WNBA.
This is the second time that Held has signed a WNBA training contract. The 5-foot-10 guard went through preseason workouts with the Chicago Sky team in 2022 after finishing her college career at DePaul University.
Held is currently playing on a women’s pro team in Hungary. She was averaging 16.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals through 19 games. She started her pro career three years ago with a team in Sweden.
As a three-year starter for DePaul, Held totaled 1,578 points and 388 assists, which ranks ninth in the team record books. The Blue Demons had a 63-26 record with her in the starting lineup. In high school, she scored more than 2,430 points and finished her senior season with the state’s second highest scoring average at 28.3 points per game.