By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Campbell County boys’ basketball coach Aric Russell made one request to his players going into the fourth quarter of the 37th District championship game against Scott on Friday at the Campbell County Middle School gym.
“Coming out of the huddle,” Russell said, “we were like, ‘I know you guys have some more defense left in you to give me and I need it right now.’ And that’s what they did.”
By limiting Scott to two field goals in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, the Camels were able to take the lead and then held on in the tense final seconds for a 58-57 victory.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Campbell County has beaten Scott in the district final and the second straight year that the game has been decided by one point. When the two teams faced off in last year’s 10th Region championship game, Scott made a last-second basket for a 78-77 win and a trip to the state tournament at Rupp Arena.
“We didn’t forget about that (loss),” said Campbell County senior guard Joel Day. “We had to put it behind us, but we still know what they took from us. That’s our one goal, we want to get to Rupp. That’s what we’ve all been working for.”
Both of the district finalists will return to the 10th Region tournament at Mason County Fieldhouse next week. But Day made sure the Camels will be the top-ranked team in the bracket by doing most of his scoring in the fourth quarter of Friday’s district final.
Day made a pair of free throws to give Campbell County its first lead of the second half, 49-48, with 5:22 left on the clock. Less than two minutes later, Scott tied the score, 52-52, on a basket by junior guard Michael Meister.
But the Eagles didn’t score on their next five possessions and Campbell County opened up a 58-52 lead with Day making a free throw and two driving baskets during his team’s 6-0 run.
“I was just trying to get into the lane and finish,” Day said of his back-to-back field goals. “If it wasn’t there, I was going to bring it back out, but it was there so I took the layups.”
In the closing seconds, Scott scored five straight points off steals by guards Chad Ohmer and Nelson Perrin to make it 58-57. After Day missed two free throws, the Eagles called a timeout with 15 seconds left to set up a final play. The ball ended up going to Perrin, who missed a 3-point shot just before the final horn sounded.
“Scott is a great team and it seems like whenever we play it comes down to one or two points,” coach Russell said. “This was definitely a big confidence booster for us, and we needed it going into the regional tournament. It was a good win.”
Scott shot 55 percent from the field in the first three quarters by effectively attacking the basket, but the Eagles were 4-for-18 in the fourth quarter and finished at 44.5 percent (24 of 54). Perrin was the the team’s leading scorer with 14 points, followed by Meister with 13.
“We really picked our defense up,” Russell said. “We let them get to the basket way too easy in the first half, plus we weren’t boxing out. I thought we cleaned all that up in the second half.”
Campbell County ended up shooting 59 percent (23 of 39) from the field, but the Camels committed 12 turnovers and went 10-for-18 at the free throw line. They missed five of 10 foul shots in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve been shooting (free throws) really good, one of the top teams in the state,” coach Russell said. “I don’t know what happened (Friday), but we overcame it.”
Campbell County’s leading scorer was junior guard Drew Wilson, who got 11 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter. Senior guard Tanner Clos had 17 points and nine rebounds. Senior forward Reid Jolly posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Day scored seven of his 10 points in the fourth quarter to help nail down the victory for the Camels, who have a 12-0 record in games against 10th Region opponents this season.
“We all wanted this really bad, but we’re not done yet,” Day said after Friday’s win. “We want that region, and people might not believe us, but we know we can win state. So we’re going for that too.
SCOTT 16 17 13 9 — 57
CAMPBELL CO. 21 8 16 11 — 58
SCOTT (21-9): Ohmer 4 3 11, Meister 5 2 13, Perrin 6 1 14, Joyce 2 0 4, Hunter 5 0 10, Pouncy 2 1 5. Totals: 24 7 57.
CAMPBELL COUNTY (25-5): Jolly 5 0 10, Clos 6 5 17, Day 3 3 10, Wilson 9 2 21. Totals: 23 10 58.
3-pointers: S — Meister, Perrin. CC — Day, Wilson.
OTHER BOYS DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
32nd — Walton-Verona 40, Simon Kenton 38
33rd — Cooper 66, Ryle 36
34th — Dixie Heights 71, St. Henry 46
35th — Covington Catholic 87, Holy Cross 61
36th — Newport 68, Newport Central Catholic 67
GIRLS DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
34th — Dixie Heights 51, St. Henry 44
BOYS REGIONAL TOURNAMENT QUALIFIERS
9th Region — Cooper, Ryle, Dixie Heights, St. Henry, Covington Catholic, Holy Cross, Newport, Newport Central Catholic.
10th Region — Campbell County, Scott, Harrison County, Pendleton County, Mason County, Bracken County, Clark County, Paris.
8th Region — Walton-Verona, Simon Kenton, Oldham County, South Oldham, Collins, Anderson County, Henry County, Gallatin County.
GIRLS REGIONAL TOURNAMENT QUALIFIERS
9th Region — Ryle, Conner, Dixie Heights, St. Henry, Holmes, Holy Cross, Highlands, Newport Central Catholic.
10th Region — Campbell County, Scott, Harrison County, Nicholas County, Mason County, Bracken County, Clark County, Paris.
8th Region — Walton-Verona, Simon Kenton, Oldham County, South Oldham, Anderson County, Spencer County, Owen County, Gallatin County.