[Stardust]

t's been a whirlwind three days for the Conner girls' basketball team which has posted back-to-back signature wins for second-year head coach Aaron Stamm, while going 3-0 in pool play at the Conner State Farm Holiday Classic.

The Cougars, ranked ninth in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, upset fifth-ranked Highlands, 63-56 in Thursday's Group A finale one day after surprising a Paducah Tilghman squad that has won nine games.


"The last two days have been great," said Stamm, a former coach at Ludlow. "We started this thing last year and we got 11 wins. To beat Paducah Tilghman and Highlands in a two-day span is as satisfying a time since I've been here."

The Cougars (10-2), the lone squad among the eight participants to complete pool play unbeaten, have a chance to deliver coach Stamm his biggest victory yet at Conner when they play fourth-ranked Newport Central Catholic in Friday's 4 p.m. championship. Highlands (7-5) plays Ashland Blazer in the fifth-place contest at noon.

NewCath, the defending Ninth Region champion, won Group B with a 2-1 record and advanced to the final by virtue of head-to-head tiebreakers. If the Cougars beat the Thoroughbreds, they will equal their win total of last season.

"Tonight is a big win and playing NCC is going to be great," Conner's Emily Pluto said. "We're really coming together now. Our coach has really changed everything and we play a lot better."

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