The Kentucky Wildcats will head off into the Christmas break on a winning streak after defeating Bellarmine by a final score of 99-85.
Kentucky
Starting 5: Louisville and Kentucky basketball targets to face each other for title, more
Louisville and Kentucky basketball recruiting targets Tyran Stokes, a five-star sophomore from Louisville who plays for Prolific Prep, and Jasper Johnson, a five-star junior from Woodford County who plays for Link Academy, are scheduled to play for a national high school basketball title at the Chipotle Nationals tournament in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Third-seeded Prolific Prep is set to play sixth-seeded Link at 6 p.m. April 4 in a first-round game. The last time the teams played, Prolific Prep escaped with a 77-76 win in December at the Derek Smith Invitational hosted by St. Xavier.
Around the city: Louisville women’s basketball assistant to be inducted into inaugural Hall of Fame class
Louisville women’s basketball assistant coach Stephanie Norman will be part of the inaugural A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Norman, who has spent 17 seasons with the Cardinals on Jeff Walz’s staff, will enter the Hall of Fame on May 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This year’s A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame class includes coaches from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12..
Around the state: Former KHSAA star, Kentucky basketball standout back on coaching carousel
Travis Ford, a former KHSAA star and Kentucky standout, is back on the coaching carousel after Saint Louis fired Ford on Wednesday. Ford went 146-109 during his eight seasons with the Billikens. The Madisonville North Hopkins alum has coached in seven NCAA Tournaments. He led Eastern Kentucky to the Round of 64 in 2005 as its coach.
High school recruiting: North Oldham track star commits to Penn State
North Oldham senior Brendan Ruggles committed to run for Penn State track. Ruggles is the defending Class 2A state champion in the 800 meters. He ran the fastest 3,200 in school history in February. He also ranks 11th in the state in the 1,600. Ruggles is a top-25 400 runner nationally, and he is the sixth-ranked 200 runner in Kentucky.
More: Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson named Gatorade Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of Year
Mark your calendars
- Bellarmine baseball is scheduled to visit Louisville at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Knights are set to host Jacksonville in an ASUN series beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville softball is set to visit Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The Cardinals are scheduled to host Duke in an ACC series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
- Bellarmine softball is set to visit Stetson for a three-game ASUN series beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville men’s golf is scheduled to compete at The General Hackler Invitational beginning Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
- Louisville women’s golf is set to compete at the Clemson Invitational beginning Friday.
- Bellarmine women’s golf is scheduled to play at the Nevel Meade Collegiate beginning Monday in Louisville.
- Bellarmine men’s lacrosse is set to visit Mercer at noon Wednesday and Queens University of Charlotte at noon Saturday.
- Louisville women’s lacrosse is scheduled to visit Liberty at noon Thursday and North Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday.
- Louisville men’s tennis is set to host N.C. State at noon March 24 and Tennessee State at 5 p.m. March 24.
- Bellarmine men’s tennis is scheduled to visit Eastern Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. Monday and host Florida Gulf Coast at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville women’s soccer is set to visit Kentucky at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.
Kentucky
Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky offers free rides Christmas day
The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky will offer free rides on Christmas day, according to a news release from the organization.
There will be no cost for riders on any Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky vehicles, including fixed-route buses, the Southbank Shuttle and the Regional Area Mobility Program throughout Thursday, Dec. 25.
The transit organization serves Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties and downtown Cincinnati. Routes will look a little different on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, as drivers will be operating on a Sunday schedule.
On Sundays, the transit authority’s vehicles start running about an hour later and stop running about an hour earlier. Route schedules can be found on the transit authority’s website.
“Offering free service on Christmas Day is one small way we can give back to the community we’re proud to serve,” said Jenny Kammes, marketing manager for the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. “We hope this helps families connect with loved ones and makes the holiday a little easier for everyone.”
The Cincinnati Metro will still be charging for fares. Cincinnati’s public transportation will operate on a weekday schedule on Dec. 24 but will operate on a Sunday schedule on Dec. 25. Some Metro routes don’t operate on Sundays. View the schedule on Metro’s website.
Kentucky
Maverick McIvor rallies Western Kentucky to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss 27-16
Kentucky
Kentucky Basketball defeats Bellarmine: 3 things to know and postgame cheers
In a game Kentucky was favored to win by 35.5 points, the Knights came out strong and stayed within striking distance much of the way.
Thankfully, big days by Kam Williams (26 points) and Mo Dioubate (20) helped the Cats get to the finish line for win No. 9.
Otega Oweh flirted with a triple-double, going for 10 points, 10 assists, and eight boards.
Jaland Lowe sat out this game as Kentucky manages his shoulder injury, while Jayden Quaintance played just eight minutes as he continues to improve his conditioning following a nine-month layoff from ACL surgery.
Here’s what you need to know from Kentucky’s final game of 2025.
Kam Williams stole the show
Kentucky may have beaten Bellarmine by 14, but this game didn’t start like a runaway. It started like exactly what it was: a 1 p.m. Tuesday tip right before Christmas, with Kentucky taking a while to find its legs.
If you’re naming an MVP, it’s Kam Williams, no debate.
He buried 8 of his 10 3s and finished with 26 points, giving Kentucky the exact kind of perimeter punch that changes how defenses have to play them. Kentucky has been searching for a dependable shooter to emerge, and this was the loudest answer they’ve had in a while.
Bellarmine never let Kentucky run away
Kentucky led 46-38 at halftime, but Bellarmine made it work early by shooting well and living at the line.
Bellarmine shot 52% in the first half and went 10-for-10 on free throws. Kentucky shot even better (55%) and hit 7 threes, but the Knights were annoying in the way you don’t want a midweek opponent to be.
They cut it to three late in the half, and you could feel the “are we really doing this today?” vibe for a moment.
Thankfully, Kentucky flipped the game with a much better second-half start.
The Cats came out of the locker room sharper, built the lead to 74-56 with just over 10 minutes left, and basically removed the drama, though the Knights would stay within 12-14 points down the stretch as both teams traded score for score.
Balance shows up with 10 scorers
Kentucky had 10 different players score, which is an underrated reason the second half never got weird again. Brandon Garrison is the only player who played for the Cats who didn’t score, and he didn’t attempt a shot.
On days when the start is sluggish, balance keeps you from pressing. It also keeps your rotation engaged, which matters heading into a stretch where Kentucky is going to need everyone ready to contribute.
Bellarmine deserves credit for hanging around early, including 14 first-half points from Jack Karasinski, but Kentucky’s shooting punch and depth eventually made the gap feel inevitable even though Karasinski finished with 24.
Kentucky didn’t play a perfect game. It played a winning one. And when Kam Williams shoots like that, it’s a lot easier to look like yourself.
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Drew Holbrook has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion
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