Covington Catholic is your 101st boys’ Sweet Sixteen champion
When a list showing a second century’s worth of Kentucky high school basketball champions is drawn up 99 years from now, it’ll start with one name: Covington Catholic
The Colonels defeated Scott County, 73-55, to win the 101st Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen basketball state tournament championship game Sunday afternoon at Rupp Arena.
BOX SCORE: COVINGTON CATHOLIC 73, SCOTT COUNTY 55
CJ Fredrick poured in 32 points in the finals, tied for ninth-best all-time in the last game. He scored 111 over four games in the tournament, putting him alone in 12th place for a single tournament. He passed Dominique Hawkins’ total from the 2013 tournament (107) and finished a point behind Chris Lofton’s total in the 2003 tournament (112).
Fredrick, who’s signed with the University of Iowa, was named Sweet Sixteen MVP. He shot 63.6 percent during the tournament; that’s tied for the 20th-best percentage over four games.
The 9th Region champion won four games in four days to claim their second state title.
CovCath played 3rd Region champion Apollo in the first round on Thursday, advancing with a 71-47 victory. The Colonels avenged one of their two in-state losses in the quarterfinals after knocking out 6th Region champ Fern Creek, 66-58. They followed that late-night win with the first running-clock decision of the tournament, a 67-28 victory over Oldham County in the semifinals.
Covington Catholic became the third school to win a boys’ basketball championship and a football championship in the same school year, all doing so in the last seven years. Trinity did it first in the 2011-12 season and Bowling Green did it last season.
Cooper Robb, a senior who’s signed with Charlotte, had 22 points to lead Scott County. Michael Moreno, a junior, had with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Scott County fell to 2-4 all-time in state finals appearances
Josh Moore: 859-231-1307, @HLpreps
This story was originally published March 18, 2018 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Covington Catholic is your 101st boys’ Sweet Sixteen champion."