Holy Cross enters All “A” Classic girls basketball playoffs looking for third consecutive state title

By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

The Holy Cross girls basketball team doesn’t have a dominant presence in the paint like the last two seasons when 6-foot-3 center Julia Hunt led the Indians to back-to-back All “A” Classic state championships, but there’s no reason to think they can’t take the title once again.

The Indians have a 13-1 record going into the 9th Region All “A” Classic that will begin Tuesday at St. Henry High School unless the oncoming winter storm changes the schedule. The region champion will advance to the small school state tournament to be played Jan. 22-25 at Owensboro Sports Center.

Despite the graduation of Hunt, the leading scorer and rebounder on last year’s team, Holy Cross has gotten off to a great start this season by utilizing pressure defense and balanced scoring.

That combination has put the Indians in position to become the first Northern Kentucky team to win three consecutive girls All “A” Classic state championships.

“Everything we do in December is to get us ready for our All A regional run,” Holy Cross coach Ted Arlinghaus said Friday after his team extended its win streak to 10 games with a 60-43 victory over Conner.

“We’ve seen a lot of different styles,” Arlinghaus added. “We played big teams, we played small teams. We played teams that have pressed us, we’ve played teams that use zone (defense), we’ve seen man-to-man. We do all this on purpose. That way we can be as battle tested as we can be.”

Holy Cross will play Ludlow (6-6) in the final first-round game of the 9th Region tournament at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at St. Henry. The semifinals are set for 6 and 7:45 p.m. Friday with the championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Indians enter the region tournament allowing just 44.2 points per game with their gritty defense. The only games when they gave up more than 50 points were a 62-61 loss to Highlands in double overtime, 66-54 win over Cooper and 68-58 win over Russell in the championship game of the Berea Holiday Classic.

The team’s offensive average is 60.4 with a good share of the points coming off turnovers created by their defense. The Holy Cross players with double-figure scoring averages are senior forward Aumani Nelson (16.9) and senior guard Anyiah Carter (10.6).

Sophomore guards Dmyah Williams and Alyssa Arlinghaus are averaging 9.6 and 9.4 points per game. Arlinghaus and Nelson have made 61 of the Indians’ 95 3-point goals. Williams is the team’s leading rebounder with a 6.1 average.

Walton-Verona teams are scheduled to play in the opening games of the boys and girls 8th Region All “A” Classic on Monday and Tuesday at Owen County High School. The 10th Region tournaments get under way Friday when Brossart plays tournament host Robertson County in a boys and girls double-header.

The 9th Region All “A” Classic boys tournament will be Jan. 13-18 at Dayton High School. Last year, region champion Newport went on to win the state tournament.

Girls All “A” Classic region basketball schedules

9TH REGION AT ST. HENRY HIGH SCHOOL
Tuesday
Newport Central Catholic vs. Beechwood, 6 p.m.
Dayton vs. Bellevue, 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday
St. Henry vs. Villa Madonna, 6 p.m.
Ludlow vs. Holy Cross, 7:45 p.m.
Friday
Semifinal games, 6 and 7:45 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.

8TH REGION AT OWEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Tuesday
Walton-Verona vs. Gallatin County, 6 p.m.
Owen County vs. Trimble County, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Williamstown vs. Eminence, 6 p.m.
Walton-Verona-Gallatin County winner vs. Owen County-Trimble County winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.

10TH REGION AT ROBERTSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Friday
Brossart vs. Robertson County, 6 p.m.
Saturday
Bracken County vs. Paris, 11 a.m.
Calvary Christian vs. Nicholas County, 2 p.m.
St. Patrick vs. Augusta, 5 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 13
Bracken County-Paris winner vs. Calvary Christian-Nicholas County winner, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Brossart-Robertson County winner vs. St. Patrick-Augusta winner, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16
Championship game, 6 p.m.

Boys All “A” Classic region basketball schedules

8TH REGION AT OWEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Monday
Walton-Verona vs. Trimble County, 5:30 p.m.
Cornerstone Christian vs. Gallatin County, 7 p.m.
Owen County vs. Williamstown, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Eminence vs. Walton-Verona-Trimble County winner, 6 p.m.
Cornerstone Christian-Gallatin County winner vs. Owen County-Williamstown winner, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7 p.m.

9TH REGION BOYS AT DAYTON HIGH SCHOOL
Monday, Jan. 13
Beechwood vs. St. Henry, 6 p.m.
Newport Central Catholic vs. Dayton, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Villa Madonna vs. Newport, 6 p.m.
Ludlow vs. Bellevue, 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Holy Cross vs. Beechwood-St. Henry winner, 6 p.m.
Heritage vs. Newport Central Catholic-Dayton winner, 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 17
Semifinal games, 6 and 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18
Championship game, 7 p.m.

10TH REGION AT ROBERTSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Friday
Brossart vs. Robertson County, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Bracken County vs. Paris, 12:30 p.m.
Calvary Christian vs. Nicholas County, 3:30 p.m.
St. Patrick vs. Augusta, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 13
Bracken County-Paris winner vs. Calvary Christian-Nicholas County winner, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Brossart-Robertson County winner vs. St. Patrick-Augusta winner, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.