1430! Henry sets SR scoring record
PHOTO BY BETH SCHMALTZ
As if Homecoming Night in Versailles wasn’t a big deal in itself, South Ripley boys basketball senior Cole Henry made the 2025 version a memorable one, becoming the program’s all-time scoring leader as his 1,430th point set a new mark en route to the Class 2A No. 1 Raiders holding off Lawrenceburg 49-39 on Saturday.
Henry’s record-setting basket came with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter and allowed South Ripley a 39-35 lead. The new mark breaks the prior of 1,429 points set by Cody Samples. Henry finished the game with 14 points and his records for the school now include combinations of single season, single game and career marks for points, rebounds and free throws.
It was an evening in which the Raiders were on upset alert as Lawrenceburg (10-9) battled back from deficits of 11 points and seven points in the first half and trailed just 35-33 heading into the fourth quarter. Once Henry’s historic bucket went in, the rest of the night belonged to South Ripley who went on a 14-6 run to put the game away. Blaine Ward scored 10 points in the final frame to pace that surge for the green and white.
Speaking of Ward, it was a historic night for him as well as his game-high 21 points put him up to No. 3 on the program’s all-time career scoring list. Ward surpassed the three points needed to pass former all-time leading scorer and 1978 graduate Steve Allen and Ward’s career total now stands at 1,305 points. He trails Samples by 124 points for the No. 2 spot.
Lawrenceburg was led by 12 points from Kaleb Cole and Keaten McGrath added 10 points.
For the first time since regional appearances in 2012 and 1981, South Ripley was back in the Spartan Bowl on Friday and defeated Connersville by a 63-44 final score. The Raiders got 15 points from Henry and six points by Ward in the first quarter for a 20-8 lead and that double-digit advantage practically stayed the rest of the way.
Connersville (7-10) briefly trimmed things down to 47-38 after the third quarter but South Ripley closed the game with an 16-6 run that put things back out of reach for the home team.
Henry’s 23 points and Ward’s 22 points got the job done for the Versailles crew and Chancie Volz came up with six points in the second half. Jordan Peterson led Connersville with 18 points.
South Ripley is now 17-0 on the season and is set for arguably its biggest game of the regular season on Thursday night. The Raiders host Southwestern (Hanover) in a matchup that not only could decide the Ohio River Valley Conference champion but will also be a preview of a potential Class 2A Sectional 45 clash. Southwestern comes in with a 13-3 record and 4-0 mark in the ORVC.
SATURDAY’S BOYS BASKETBALL GAME at South Ripley
CLASS 2A NO. 1 SOUTH RIPLEY 49,
LAWRENCEBURG 39
LB – 8. 13. 12. 6. – 39
SR – 19. 9. 7. 14. – 49
LB (10-9) – Kaleb Cole 12, Keaten McGrath 10, Noah Knigga 5, JP Izzo 4, Evan Lewis 4, D’Kari Mucker 2, Ollie Safarynan 2, Luke Kaiser 0.
SR (17-0) – Blaine Ward 21, Cole Henry 14, Chancie Volz 6, Bryson Sipples 4, Drew Volz 2, Landon Werner 2.
3-Point Goals – LB 2 (Cole 1, Lewis 1), SR 3 (C.Volz 2, Ward 1). Total Fouls – LB 17, SR 12. Free Throws – LB 7-9, SR 8-12. Fouled Out – None.
FRIDAY’S BOYS BASKETBALL GAME at Connersville
CLASS 2A NO. 1 SOUTH RIPLEY 63, CONNERSVILLE 44
SR – 20. 13. 14. 16. – 63
CV – 8. 12. 18. 6. – 44
SR (16-0) – Cole Henry 23, Blaine Ward 22, Chancie Volz 6, Drew Volz 3, Landon Werner 3, Bryson Sipples 2, Blake Gunter 2, Eli Gilpin 2.
CV (7-10) – Jordan Peterson 18, Judd Garrett 7, Hunter Allen 6, Aaron Kidd 4, Zane Bently 4, Maddux Rees 3, Griff Wilson 2, Zader McHenry 0, Mitch Steele 0, Logan Young 0.
3-Point Goals – SR 4 (Ward 2, C.Volz 1, Werner 1), CV 7 (Peterson 4, Allen 2, Rees 1). Total Fouls – SR 12, CV 18. Free Throws – SR 13-15, CV 5-7. Fouled Out – None.
