By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The top four teams in the final regular season Northern Kentucky boys basketball coaches poll lived up to those expectations by making it to the final four in the 9th Region tournament at BB&T Arena.
Covington Catholic, Conner, Highlands and St. Henry, who finished in that order in the coaches poll, all won regional tournament first-round games on Saturday to advance to the semifinals. The match-ups on Monday will be CovCath vs. St. Henry at 6:30 p.m. and Conner vs. Highlands at 8 p.m.
St. Henry outscored Cooper 10-7 in overtime to come away with a 58-55 win in the opening game of the first-round session. It was the Crusaders’ first regional tournament victory since 2015.
Cooper junior guard Gavin Rabe scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer that gave the Jaguars a 33-21 halftime lead. In the third quarter, a layup by Rabe put Cooper ahead, 42-29, before St. Henry started its comeback.
The Crusaders cut the margin to 44-40 going into fourth quarter and the score was tied 48-48 in the final seconds when Cooper missed a 3-point attempt to send the game into overtime.
St. Henry took a 56-50 lead on a pair of free throws by junior guard Corey Shea in the extra period. The Crusaders then missed four straight foul shots and Cooper closed the gap to 56-55 on a driving basket by senior Kevin Centers.
With four seconds remaining, St. Henry missed two more free throws, but junior guard Wyatt Vieth came up with a loose ball after the second miss and laid it in off the glass to give his team a three-point victory. Vieth finished with 22 points.
Two-time defending champion CovCath came on strong in the second half and defeated Newport, 63-36, to post its seventh consecutive regional tournament victory.
The Colonels had a slim 23-17 lead going into the second half, but they shot a torrid 71.4 percent (15 of 21) from the field in the final two quarters to turn a tight game into a runaway.
CovCath senior center Neil Green went 7-for-7 from the field and finished with 15 points. Senior guard Grant Disken had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Conner extended its winning streak to 17 games with a 78-59 victory over Beechwood in the first game of Saturday’s evening session. The Cougars had four double-figure scorers in their first regional tournament win since 2016.
Conner outscored Beechwood, 44-22, in the second and third quarters. The Cougars made seven 3-point goals to account for nearly half of their points in that run. The team’s top scorer was junior Spencer Couzins with 15 points.
Highlands knocked off Dixie Heights, 72-58, behind a 31-point effort by junior Sam Vinson in the final first-round game. It was the Bluebirds’ first regional tournament victory since 2009.
Vinson made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the first half that ended with Highlands holding a 39-29 lead. After Dixie Heights pulled to within eight points, 58-50 early in the fourth quarter, the Bluebirds ran off seven straight points and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Regional tournament basketball games
9TH REGION GIRLS AT BB&T ARENA
Sunday
Championship: Notre Dame (25-6) vs. Ryle (21-11), 2 p.m.
9TH REGION BOYS AT BB&T ARENA
Monday
St. Henry (25-4) vs. Covington Catholic (27-5), 6:30 p.m.
Conner (23-5) vs. Highlands (27-3), 8 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
10TH REGION BOYS AT GEORGE ROGERS CLARK
Monday
Brossart (25-6) vs. George Rogers Clark (26-7), 6 p.m.
Campbell County (18-14) vs. Montgomery County (21-12), 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 7 p.m.