By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports writer
Covington Catholic senior guard Cole VonHandorf knows what it takes to win a 9th Region boys’ basketball championship and make a strong run in the state tournament. He played on teams that did that when he was a freshman and sophomore, including the 2014 state championship team.
Now he’s a senior captain for the Colonels and he provided the leadership the team needed to beat Dixie Heights, 57-45, in a regional first-round game on Wednesday at BB&T Arena.
VonHandorf played well at both ends of the floor in the victory. On offense, he scored a team-high 18 points with three assists and only one turnover. On defense, he had six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
“Every game means the world to me, not only for myself but for my teammates,” he said. “Being a senior leader and (having) all the experience in the world, I just don’t want to let the team down.”
CovCath (28-5) advances to the regional semifinals to play Newport Central Catholic (21-12) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Last year, the two teams met in the championship game and NewCath came out on top.
Dixie Heights finishes the season with a 26-7 record under coach Ken Chevalier, who is stepping down after 13 years in charge of the program.
“I’m so proud of these kids,” Chevalier said of his final season. “I just think we had a group of six seniors who came together and bought into the team aspect of things. They played great defensively all season and just battled.”
CovCath and Dixie Heights finished the regular season with the lowest defensive averages in the 9th Region, but CovCath prevailed in Wednesday’s showdown. The Colonels made 13 steals, snagged 18 rebounds on the defensive glass and held Dixie Heights to 40 percent (16 of 40) shooting from the field.
CovCath ended up scoring 22 points off 17 turnovers and got several breakaway baskets that helped the team shoot 48.7 percent (19 of 39) from the field.
“We’ve really been working on defense the last couple weeks,” VonHandorf said. “I don’t think some of our guys know it yet, but in big-time games against big-time teams we have to play good defense. That’s what’s going to win us big games.”
CovCath took it’s first double-digit lead on a slam dunk by junior center Jake Walter that made it 21-10 early in the second quarter. Dixie Heights mounted a comeback in the final seconds of that quarter by taking advantage of a technical foul called against Walter for pushing an opposing player.
After Dixie Heights forward Cameron Thornberry made both free throws, his team got the ball and Tyler Schreck scored on a driving scoop shot that reduced CovCath’s lead to 25-21 at halftime.
There were some heated words in CovCath’s locker room during the halftime break, according to coach Scott Ruthsatz. But he must have gotten his point across because the Colonels went on an 18-10 scoring run in the third quarter to regain control of the game.
CovCath scored seven straight points off steals early in that run and went on to take a 43-31 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Colonels extended the margin to 15 points, 52-37, with less than three minutes left on the clock, but they didn’t finish very strong.
CovCath missed five free throws in the closing minutes and Dixie Heights pulled to within nine points, 54-45, before the Colonels got the last three points of the game.
“If we made free throws like we normally do, there would’ve been no question,” coach Ruthsatz said. “But you’ve got to learn from those and make them understand that in really tight games you’ll need those free throws. It’s something we’ll address tomorrow, probably watch some film, and then get back to practice on Friday to get ready for NewCath.”
The leading scorer for Dixie Heights was senior guard Hunter Meyer with 19 points while Schreck had nine points and 10 rebounds. CovCath junior guards C.J. Fredrick and Aiden Ruthsatz finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
COVCATH 17 8 18 14 — 57
DIXIE HEIGHTS 10 11 10 14 — 45
COVCATH (28-5): Fredrick 5 4 15, VonHandorf 6 5 18, A. Mayer 3 2 8, Ruthsatz 4 4 13,Walter 1 0 2, M. Mayer 0 1 1. Totals: 19 16 57.
DIXIE HEIGHTS (26-7): Buechel 1 0 2, Meyer 7 3 19, Schreck 3 3 9, Thornberry 2 2 8, Bradfield 2 0 4, Schweitzer 1 0 3. totals: 16 8 45.
Thjree-pointers: CC — VonHandorf, Fredrick, Ruthsatz. DH — Meyer 2, Thornberry 2, Schweitzer.