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Dixie Heights 79 - Newport Central Catholic 72
#1
Final
#2
Congrats Dixie Heights
#3
12/8/2011
Dixie Heights 79
Newport Central Catholic 72
Dixie Heights 19 21 20 19 79
Newport Central Catholic 10 18 16 28 72
Dixie Heights (3-0) -- Hassel 12, Fox 10, Bruns 2, Stansberry 15, Evans 11, Wigger 2, Hatton 25.
Newport Central Catholic (0-1) -- Bueter 11, Hightchew 19, Ryan 8, Seibert 2, Miller 4, Schulpe 6, McDonald 22.
#4
Newport Central Catholic coach Grant Brannen's worst fears were realized in the Thoroughbreds' season-opening boys' basketball game Thursday at home against defending regional champion Dixie Heights.

Brannen had pre-game concerns that a hot-shooting Dixie team would take control early, so he instructed his squad to be especially diligent on defense from the get-go in a rematch of last season's quadruple-overtime Ninth Region final. The Thoroughbreds were in the Colonels' faces on the perimeter, they bodied up on Dixie down low and they played the passing lanes by stepping into gaps.

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It didn't matter.

The Colonels shot holes in every plan NewCath came up with in an attempt to stop them on the way to a 79-72 victory in Newport.

"If somebody has an answer on how to guard them, I want it," Brannen said. "Give Dixie credit. They are a very good shooting team."

The Colonels, ranked No. 1 in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, converted 64.4 percent (29-for-45) from the floor for their best shooting performance of the young season. The Colonels (3-0) remained unbeaten in large part because they answered everything fifth-ranked NewCath (0-1) threw at them.

"We got up on them early, but they had momentum in the fourth quarter," said sophomore guard Brandon Hatton, who hit four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 25 points. "We held them off, but we needed to be more focused in the second half."

The Colonels, who had five players score in double figures, were on fire from the start, shooting 75 percent (9-for-12) from the floor in the opening quarter while taking a 19-10 lead. They shot 60 percent (9-for-15) in the second quarter for a 40-28 halftime advantage and 63.6 percent (7-for-11) in the third for a 60-44 lead.

It was little consolation for the 'Breds that they were able to whittle down the margin to five with 30.8 seconds to play. Hatton's pair of free throws with 26.7 seconds left completed the scoring.

"We just kept playing hard because we got a lot of heart," said NewCath senior guard Brady Hightchew, who scored 19 points. "In the second half, we were able to get back on defense and we didn't really do that in the first half."

Senior forward Parker Stansberry gave the Colonels an 18-point lead with a trey at the 4:41 mark of the third quarter. He finished with 15 points. Drew McDonald, a 6-foot-6 freshman center, helped rally the 'Breds by scoring 14 of his career-high 22 in the second half. The 'Breds scored 28 fourth-quarter points, but it wasn't enough to catch the Colonels.

"We got ahead by knocking down shots and setting the tempo early," Dixie coach Ken Chevalier said. "But we have to do a better job of staying focused when we have a big lead. When you have a double-digit lead, you have to take care of it."

Senior guard Jordan Hassel scored 12 points for the Colonels and senior forward Juwan Evans had 11. Sophomore point guard Jordan Fox scored a season-high 10 for Dixie.

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