Saturday, March 06, 1999
CovCath eliminates Boone County
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
HEBRON — The Covington Catholic basketball team has a saying: One more pass. In Friday's Ninth Region semifinal game against Boone County, the Colonels coined a new slogan: One more game.
Junior guard Steve Purdon scored 19 points, and senior forward Jarrod Overmann added 18 to give the Colonels a 64-57 win at Conner High School.
The Colonels meet Enquirer No. 1 and state No. 5 Highlands for the title at 7 p.m. Highlands ousted Simon Kenton 63-49.
Tonight's winner meets the Second Region champion in the opening round of the Sweet 16 state tournament at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
CovCath won its 11th straight game with precision passing. Overmann had seven assists and senior forward Alex Williams had four.
“We've been getting the ball to the open man,” coach Dan Tieman said. “It's a matter of choices.”
Said Purdon: “I feel our momentum and the way we're jelling, how we're playing, will help us in the finals.”
Boone County coach Jay Mulcahy said his Rebels lost because they made the wrong decisions.
“We let them play to a strength,” Mulcahy said. “Their three-point shooters got three-point shots. Overmann hurt us with his penetration, we knew he liked to penetrate. We let them do what they're pretty good at.”
The first quarter started as a battle of three-pointers. Purdon and Boone County junior Matt Seever each hit one.
Boone County senior forward Neil Dillon, who scored 12 points in Monday's win over Lloyd, then gave the Rebels their only lead of the half. He turned two offensive rebounds into stick-back field goals and a 7-5 lead with 3:43 remaining in the first.
CovCath's main weapon continued to be the long shot. Senior guard Mickey Fritz hit two three-pointers, and Purdon and senior guard Jim Hiltz each sank one.
Boone County countered with threes from seniors Mike Buchanan and Kyle Mulcahy, but CovCath still led 19-13 after eight minutes.
Hiltz, who sank 6-of-7 three-pointers against Lloyd, hit two more in the first three minutes of the second quarter.
Boone County answered with Dillon's field goal and a three-pointer apiece from Seever and senior Nathan Madden to close CovCath's lead to 25-21 with 5:03 left in the half. But then CovCath junior guard Brian McQuade hit a three, Overmann and Purdon each scored, and the Colonels had a 35-23 lead three minutes later.
Three was a key word. CovCath was a crisp 9-of-15 from long range for the night, while Boone County was 11-of-30.
Boone's Madden hit a layup with just under five minutes left to cut CovCath's lead to 47-45, but that was as close as the Rebels got.
COVINGTON CATHOLIC (64) — Overmann 6-6 18, McQuade 1-0 3, Fritz 2-4 10, Purdon 6-5 19, Hiltz 4-2 14. Totals: 19-17 64.
BOONE COUNTY (57) — Mulcahy 2-0 5, Miller 6-2 16, Buchanan 2-0 6, Seever 4-0 12, Madden 3-1 9, Dillon 3-1 7, J. Birtcil 1-0 2. Totals: 21-4 57.
CovCatholic ....... 19 16 8 21—64
Boone County ....... 13 13 12 19—57
Three-point goals: CC-Hiltz 4, Fritz 2, Purdon 2, McQuade. BC-Seever 4, Madden 2, Buchanan 2, Miller 2, Mulcahy. Records: CC 21-9, BC 17-13.
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