In a Kentucky High School Athletic Association Ninth Region that has featured legendary coaches in Nell Fookes, Bill Goller and Don Shields, and dominant players like Donna Murphy, Jaime Walz-Richey and Maddie Scherr, one team now stands alone in the history books.
The Cooper Jaguars.
The school whose doors opened in 2008, well after Boone County and Highlands had pulled off regional three-peats in the 1980s and 1990s, became the first to ever win four straight regional titles with a 60-57 win over Notre Dame Academy on Friday night at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena.
“It’s pretty special. With the 50th anniversary of the Ninth Region, to be able to win the region again but do it for the fourth time is really special. It’s a testament to everybody in our program. The coaches, the players, administration, everybody bought into what we’re trying to do,” Cooper head coach Justin Holthaus said.
A back-and-forth battle for the ages
It was a game of runs up until the very end. After Notre Dame took a 5-4 lead three minutes into the game, Cooper went on an 11-2 run over the remainder of the first quarter. About the only thing the Jaguars couldn’t do was keep the Pandas off the offensive glass; 6 of their first 7 points were on second chances. They finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second-chance points, but just 6 of those points came in the second half.
Notre Dame responded with a 12-3 run in the second quarter to tie it at 23. It was made possible by five Cooper backcourt turnovers, forced by an intense Panda press meant to steadily wear down the Jaguars as the game went on.
“Blitz, our press, was fantastic,” Notre Dame head coach Kes Murphy said.
Addyson Brissey responded for 5 straight points for Cooper. While Haylee Noel led her team with 17 points, the Jaguars were powered by key moments from every player who saw the court. Brinkli Rankin swished a corner three at the end of the third quarter for a 44-35 advantage. A Lyric Hooper drive and basket stopped a 6-0 Notre Dame midway through the fourth quarter. Alivia Scott knocked down a free throw and Zene Thompson added a basket to give the Jaguars a 53-45 lead with 3:34 left.
“We knew coming into this game, even with it being the region championship, it wasn’t going to be big lights for those kids. They performed in the first and second round. I really thought we had one of the toughest draws playing Holy Cross in the first round, then Dixie and then playing Notre Dame,” Holthaus said. “Our kids continue to fight for each other and just compete at a high level.”
Noel’s efforts can’t go unnoticed. Her points came in bunches and in big moments. She had a 3-point play at the end of the first quarter to kickstart a run of 8 points in under four minutes. She then scored 6 points in less than a minute in the middle of the third quarter. She was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 19 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals over three games.
“It’s been amazing just knowing how my team has confidence in me to help lead this team, especially coach Holthaus. It’s definitely helped my confidence,” Noel said.
Trailing 55-49 with 2:17 left, the Pandas gradually closed the gap thanks to the Jaguars only making 8-of-16 free throws in the fourth quarter. A Gibson layup got them within four. An Addie Lawrie drive to the hoop closed the gap the three. Two Megan McGraw free throws made it 57-55 with 58 seconds left. Another layup from Gibson made it 58-55 with 44 seconds left, but that was the closest they would get.
After two free throws from Thompson, Notre Dame pushed the ball up the court and found an open Megan McGraw, but her 3-pointer hit the back of the rim as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“I was definitely nervous but I knew we had this the whole time,” Noel said.
Mistakes piled up late for the Pandas
On two occasions, Notre Dame turned the ball over on their first possession after a timeout. When Cooper was able to slow down and hold the ball in the half court, the Pandas simply fell for the bait one too many times. When the Pandas extended their defense, Hooper, Noel and Thompson beat them off the dribble and used the increased floor size to get to the basket.
“They know that if I get downhill and I get deep enough to where I can bring a defender in and pass it out that they’ll have their shot. If a defender doesn’t come on me, I’m going to shoot it,” Thompson said.
Notre Dame center Sophia Gibson finished with a game-high 20 points; just four of those came in the final 11:49 of game time. The Pandas slightly switched up their offensive scheme, moving away from Gibson in favor of an up-tempo style that could score points in a hurry. The Jaguars also did their part to take the Yale commit out of the equation.
“She had to deal with a whole lot of physical play and there’s nothing we could do about that,” Murphy said.
The fourth title was ‘definitely the hardest’ for Cooper
The Jaguars won each of their first three titles against their rival, the Ryle Raiders. Those games were decided by 8, 6 and 25 points. The Jaguars have now won 10 straight against their Union compatriots.
After Highlands knocked out Ryle, the Jaguars knew they would have a different path than in recent years.
When the Jaguars and Pandas played at Cooper on Feb. 1, the Jaguars emerged with a 52-49 win. But Notre Dame was without Gibson in that matchup, a factor that made this title game all the more intriguing.
“Just knowing that everybody has doubted us, we came into this game ready to get a four-peat, but it was definitely the hardest one for sure,” Noel said.
After graduating four seniors who are now playing in college, and seeing other teams reload their rosters, there was speculation that the trophy would change hands. What local hoops afficionados might not have considered was that the Jaguars knew what they had and ultimately believed in themselves.
“For me to be a senior, I really wanted to not lose like this at this time. I really wanted to make it and show people that even though we lost a bunch of people, we’re still Cooper. We’re still good,” Thompson said.
Stars of the game
Addyson Brissey, Cooper: The junior hit several big shots for the Jaguars, including a 5-point spurt in the first half to give them a 5-point lead after the Pandas had come back to tie the game. She finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Sophia Gibson, Notre Dame: She was the Pandas’ go-to option on the inside, using her size to power through the Jaguars’ defense. She finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Haylee Noel, Cooper: The tournament MVP finished with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Notre Dame’s seniors led the Pandas to this point
The Pandas graduate five seniors in Gibson, McGraw, Ryan Burden, Maya Lawrie and Tori Lenihan. Gibson and Lawrie were the two full-time starters out of the group but everyone contributed to the team’s success throughout the season.
“To end on this note is tough. However, at the end of the day, what a great journey. The five seniors we have embraced all that we expected of them and hopefully they realize the growth and the experience. They appreciate all that comes with being part of the team,” Murphy said.
What awaits the Cooper Jaguars in the Sweet 16?
Cooper will play the winner of the Sixth Region at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Sixth Region finalists, Mercy Academy and Whitefield Academy, play at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Jaguars are 2-2 all-time against Mercy, most recently losing to Mercy in the first round of the 2023 state tournament. They have never played Whitefield.
Cooper 60, Notre Dame 57
Cooper: Noel 7 3 17, Thompson 5 6 16, Brissey 3 4 12, Scott 2 2 7, Rankin 2 0 6, Hooper 1 0 2. Totals: 20 15 60.
Notre Dame: Gibson 9 2 20, Holtzapfel 4 0 11, M Lawrie 3 2 8, Stallard 2 2 7, M McGraw 0 4 4, LaBordeaux-Humphrey 1 1 3, A Lawrie 1 0 2, Young 1 0 2. Totals: 21 11 57.
Half: C 28-25. Three-pointers: C 5 (Brissey 2, Rankin 2, Scott); ND 4 (Holtzapfel 3, Stallard).
Grant County, Simon Kenton reach Region 8 championship
The Grant County Lady Braves and the Simon Kenton Lady Pioneers will meet for the second time in four games in the 8th Region championship game on Saturday, March 8.
Playing at Henry County, Grant County began the day against South Oldham who beat the Lady Braves 58-46 a month prior on Feb. 7. The playoff rematch was Grant County to the tune of a 64-26 victory.
Led by 23 points from senior Jada Cummins, Grant County took a slim 13-10 lead over South Oldham after a quarter, but outscored the Lady Dragons 23-3 in the second period for a 33-13 lead at halftime. The Grant County lead ballooned again to 51-21 for a 30-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
In the other Region 8 semifinal, Simon Kenton defeated Anderson County 49-27 after turning on the offensive jets in the second half. The Lady Pioneers led 20-11 at the break before finding an offensive groove while keeping the defense strong. In the second half, Simon Kenton outscored the Lady Bearcats 29-16 in the second half.
The Region 8 meeting with Simon Kenton and Grant County will be the third between the teams this season. Simon Kenton won both previous meetings, beating the Lady Braves 53-47 on Jan. 4 and 41-28 on Feb. 27.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cooper girls basketball beats Notre Dame in Ninth Region title battle
