By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Conner boys basketball team ended a frenetic first month of the regular season Monday with a 79-64 win over Lloyd in the championship game of the Central Bank Classic at Lexington Christian Academy.
It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Cougars following a five-game losing streak. Three of the losses came while leading scorer Finn Louden was sidelined by an injury, but the senior point guard made a strong comeback during the three-game tournament.
Louden scored 20 points in the championship game and was received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award. The all-tournament team included Tyler Warner and Brady Bushman of Conner along with Anthony Blaackar and Isiah Golsby of Lloyd.
In the second quarter of the championship game, Conner made six 3-pointers to open up a 43-35 halftime lead and then opened the third quarter with a 8-3 run that extended the margin to 51-38.
Blaackar sparked a Lloyd rally by scoring 16 of his 26 points during the third quarter, including a driving scoop shot that cut the lead to 58-52. But the Cougars responded with an 8-2 run that made it 66-54 and maintained a double-digit lead during the fourth quarter.
Conner (7-5) had 10 players in the scoring column and five of them made treys. The team’s other-double figure scorers were senior forward Holten Raider with 12 points and sophomore guard Juan Rondon with 11.
In other finals of in-state boys holiday tournaments, Central Hardin defeated Campbell County, 73-64, and LaRue County edged Dixie Heights, 58-56.
LaRue County opened the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run to take its first lead, 48-44, against Dixie Heights. The Colonels’ weren’t able to regain the momentum and their record dropped to 9-3. The margins in the three losses were four, three and two points.
Harlan County handed Beechwood (10-1) its first loss of the season, 62-61, in a downstate tournament on Sunday. But the Highlands boys team pushed its record to 9-0 Monday with a 76-54 win over Letcher County Central in the semifinals of the Hilton Sandestin Invitational in Florida.
The Brossart girls team extended its perfect record to 12-0 Monday with a 52-43 win over Hopkins County Central in the semifinals of the Lady Invitational of the South at Allen County-Scottsville. The Mustangs will play in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.