By Dan Weber NKyTribune sports reporter
Good thing the Holy Cross basketball team chose Our Lady of Perpetual Help for Sunday Mass before their repeat All “A” Classic championship game appearance.
Down 42-34 late in the third quarter to Kentucky’s No.4-ranked Pikeville, unbeaten in the state, the eighth-ranked Indians needed all the help they could get.
Which is when they chose to help themselves. And set forth on a 22-10 comeback run that resulted in the Latonia school’s second straight All “A” championship. And third in history.
“Amazing,” senior Ahmiayah Wimzie, named to the All-Tournament team, told the Holy Cross radio team afterwards.
“Wonderful” said junior Aaliyah Hayes, also named All-Tournament.
“No better feeling,” said senior All “A” Classic MVP Julia Hunt, who was winning the award for the second straight year. “I feel we all deserved MVP’s,” said the state’s 6-foot-2 top volleyball player headed to the University of Washington.
Hunt certainly did. Blocking a potential game-winning three-point attempt by Pikeville’s Kyera Thornsbury with 40 seconds left and then hitting two free throws with 5.0 seconds left after getting the Indians’ last inbounds pass, Hunt had a hand in the breathless finish made even closer by a buzzer-beating three to pull Pikeville to within one, 56-55, as the horn sounded.
“I expected Julia to block it,” Wimzie said of the game-deciding play, even though you seldom see a post defender getting out to the perimeter like that.
“What in the world just happened?” Holy Cross Coach Ted Arlinghaus imagined is all that other teams can say when Hunt does something like that. “But we’re spoiled rotten. I see that every day in practice . . . Kentucky doesn’t have this award – Defender of the Year – but they should have and name it the Julia Hunt Award.”
As to his strategy on the final inbounds pass, “There was literally no chance of drawing up a play not to get it to Julia,” Arlinghaus said. “Don’t pass it. You’re going to shoot the shots,” he told her, “and she didn’t miss.”
Hunt’s offense wasn’t bad either, scoring 18 points with seven rebounds, three assists . . . and the game’s only four blocked shots. Of that 22-10 game-winning run through the entire fourth quarter, not a problem, Hunt said. “We’ve been down eight-10 points before. It’s no big ‘sup for us.”
And of that crucial block? “I said I’m going to get her.”
“I love playing with Julia,” her senior classmate Hayes said. “It’s like going out with a bang.” Or a block.
“You do feel the pressure in a game like this” trailing the way the Indians did, said junior Aniyah Carter, the third Indian All-Tournament selection along with MVP Hunt. “You do what you have to do.”
They did, indeed. Even down eight late to a Pikeville team that hadn’t lost to a Kentucky team all season. Arlinghaus told his team “just to go back” to what got them there for a second straight season – take it to the basket . “We were just missing shots . . . basketball has a funny way of evening out.”
Which Holy Cross did. The Indians started making shots and forcing turnovers, going from down eight to up four. But as Hunt made clear, this wasn’t just about her, about players like freshman D’Miyah Williams, who finished the game icing a knee injury on the bench.
One further note from the Holy Cross radio team of Terry Niehaus and Jeff Trame. The Newport Wildcat boys’ team — playing in the second game — arrived at halftime at Corbin Arena, sat behind them and rooted loudly for Holy Cross. And made a difference.
Looking at the stat sheet, across the board, there was little difference. Holy Cross had four more free throws – 11 to seven – and Pikeville seven more rebounds – 21 to 14. But there was one line: blocked shots. Holy Cross had Hunt’s four. Pikeville had none.
“I can’t wait to get home and celebrate another win,” said junior Aumani Nelson whose free throw with 22.5 seconds left gave Holy Cross a 54-52 lead.
SCORING SUMMARY
PIKEVILLE 16 10 16 13—55
HOLY CROSS 14 9 15 18—56
PIKEVILLE (16-3): Rowe 9-13 3-4 0-0 21, Whited 4-10 2-5 1-2 11, Thornsbury 2-11 2-9 3-6 9, Jackson 3-4 0-0 1-2 7 Theiss 1-6 0-0 2-2 4, Alvin 1-5 1-4 0-0 3, Kidd 0-0 0-0 0-0 0; TOTALS: 20-49 8-22 7-12 55.
HOLY CROSS (19-5): Hunt 6-11 1-1 5-7 18, Hayes 4-10 2-4 0-0 10, Nelson 2-4 2-3 3-6 9, Wimzie 3-9 0-1 2-4 8, Carter 3-4 0-0 1-2 7, A. Arlinghaus 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 2-3 0-0 0-0 4; TOTALS: 20-41 5-9 11-19 56.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.