[strawberryshakeman]

Another area-ranked boys’ basketball team lost its unbeaten status Tuesday as tall and talented Newport Central Catholic locked down overmatched Boone County, 73-33, with a dominating defensive performance in Florence.

NewCath, ranked second in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches’ poll, ruled the inside against the eighth-ranked Rebels and changed shot trajectories with twin towers Jake Schulte, a 6-foot-8 senior center, and junior Drew McDonald, a 6-7 forward.

Combined with the Thoroughbreds’ perimeter pressure and lane-clogging man-to-man defense, Boone County managed few open looks.

NewCath (3-0) gained a running clock with a 50-15 lead on a basket by Zach Pangallo with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Pangallo led all scorers with 17 points.

Lacking the size of their counterparts, the Rebels (5-1) were pounded on the boards.

It added up to another convincing win for the Thoroughbreds, who’ve put a running clock on two of their three opponents by taking a 35-point lead.

McDonald and Tanner Moeves added 10 points apiece for the Thoroughbreds.

Ben Weyer and Josh Verkamp scored nine each, and Schulte had eight.

Much-improved Boone County, 13-16 last season after beating NewCath in the 2012 Ninth Region tournament final, won its first five games by an average margin of 17 points. The Rebels needed 11 games last season to get their fifth win.

Boone, regularly putting four and five scorers in double figures to fuel its hot start, had none against the ‘Breds.

Junior Brenden Stanley led the Rebels with nine points. Nobody else had more than five. NewCath was active in denying the point guard the ball and surrounding him when he got it.

NewCath, top-ranked Holmes (6-0) and third-ranked Covington Catholic (3-0) are the region’s remaining unbeatens.

VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE: “You can’t be a good team without good defense, and we work real hard on that all the time,” NewCath coach Ron Dawn said.

“We wanted to contest shots and make them work.”

Said Boone County coach Greg McQueary: “We didn’t show up, and they got a good team, it’s that simple. You can’t not show up against a team like that.”

PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Pangallo scored eight of NewCath’s first 29 points.

Moeves stopped Stanley from being a factor with excellent defense.

“If we stop Stanley, we pretty much stop their team,” Moeves said.

“It was my job to limit his touches.”

PLAYS OF THE GAME: The ‘Breds scored two pretty first-quarter baskets with Moeves on the passing end while bolting to a 15-0 lead.

His bounce pass in the lane to Weyer produced an easy score, making it 10-0. Moeves snared a rebound, sent the outlet to brother Grant Moeves, who passed ahead to Pangallo for a 14-0 lead.

Newport Central Catholic (3-0) - Pangallo 6 4 17, T. Moeves 4 0 10, McDonald 3 4 10, Weyer 4 1 9, Verkamp 2 5 9, Schulte 4 0 8, E. Anderson 2 0 4, Smith 1 0 2, Rawe 1 0 2, B. Anderson 1 0 2. Totals 28 14 73.

Boone County (5-1) - Stanley 3 2 9, Hixenbaugh 1 3 5, Purnell 2 0 4, Nash 2 0 4, Downs 1 0 2, Thompson 1 0 2, Stockwell 1 0 2, McDonald 1 0 2, Mayberry 1 0 2, Abdulle 0 1 1. Totals 13 6 33.

Halftime: NewCath, 42-15. 3-pointers: N 3 (T. Moeves 2, Pangallo), B 1 (Stanley).

Newport Central Catholic 19 23 14 17 -- 73

Boone County 7 8 3 15 -- 33

[youknowmyname]

31 pt win over Dixie
60 pt win over Dayton
40 pt win over Boone Co.

This team is on another level compared to all the others in NKY (minus CovCath & Holmes).

Should be fun to see how they compare to the rest of the state with the tournaments they play in the next two weeks.

[Omega Man]

I think that question was just answered.
Good but not as good Ballard and PRP