By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Cooper will take a 17-game winning streak against 9th Region opponents into the opening game of the girls region tournament on Sunday at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena.
The defending region champions will face Newport Central Catholic at 1 p.m. in the first of four games on Sunday’s schedule. The last time Cooper lost to a region opponent was on Feb. 1 last year against Ryle.
The Jaguars enter Sunday’s game with a 26-3 record this season and were ranked No. 3 in the final state media poll. NewCath (17-10) lost to Cooper, 72-53, three weeks ago.
The other first-round matchups on Sunday are Notre Dame vs. St. Henry at 2:30 p.m., Dixie Heights vs. Holy Cross at 6:30 p.m. and Highlands vs. Ryle, 8 p.m. Semifinal games will be Friday at 6:30 and 8 p.m. with the championship game on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m.
Cooper senior Whitney Lind pulled off an awards trifecta by being voted 9th Region Player of the Year by members of the Northern Kentucky Girls Basketball Coaches Association earlier this week.
Lind was also named Division I Player of the Year by the local coaches and 9th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches for being the leading scorer and rebounder on the highly ranked Cooper team. The Lehigh University recruit is now a candidate for Miss Kentucky Basketball that will be named in March.
9th Region Girls Basketball All-Star Teams
FIRST TEAM – Whitney Lind (Cooper), Anna Hamilton (Conner), Julia Hunt (Holy Cross), Noelle Hubert (Notre Dame), Abby Holtman (Ryle).
SECOND TEAM – Liz Freihofer (Cooper), Sammy Berman (Dixie Heights), Marissa Green (Highlands), Caroline Eaglin (Newport Central Catholic), Quinn Eubank (Ryle).
THIRD TEAM – Juliet Strange (Conner), Kay Freihofer (Cooper), Ella Steczynski (Dixie Heights), Nejai Lewis (Holy Cross), Kayla Unkraut (St. Henry).
HONORABLE MENTION – Sydni Massey (Bellevue), Jayda Dowell (Bellevue), Alivia Scott (Boone County), Kelsee Simpson (Conner), Logan Palmer (Cooper), Alyssa Harris (Highlands), Aleah Arlinghaus (Holy Cross), Sierra McCoin (Lloyd), Mylee Garrett (Ludlow), Elexis Litton (Newport), DeAyjah White (Newport), Sophia Gibson (Notre Dame), Sarah Baker (Ryle), Austin Johnson (Ryle), Chilota Iloegbunam (St. Henry).