By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Northern Kentucky girls basketball teams had a 2-1 record in holiday tournament championship games played over the weekend.
On Saturday, Conner defeated tournament host Bullitt East, 66-59, to take the first-place trophy in the Queen of the Commonwealth and Campbell County topped Russell, 53-41, in the Frankfort Toyota/Community Trust Bank Hoop It Up tournament at Franklin County.
Highlands lost to Boyd County, 61-59, in the title game of the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic on Sunday at Lexington Catholic. In the consolation final, Ryle defeated Simon Kenton, 69-48.
Conner made 12 3-point goals to account for more than half of its scoring in the win over Bullitt East. Senior guard Courtney Hurst hit seven treys and finished with 27 points for the Cougars, who boosted their record to 10-1.
Hurst netted 71 points in her team’s four tournament victories. She now has an 18.8 scoring average with 129 of her 207 points coming on 3-pointers.
Campbell County junior guard Jalyn Jackson scored 21 points to lead her team to the victory over Russell. It was the fourth straight win for the Camels, who got off to a 3-4 start with three first-year starters in the lineup.
Highlands senior guard Zoie Barth had 20 points in the loss to Boyd County and totaled 70 points in four tournament games. Boyd County senior guard Savannah Wheeler showed why she’s a candidate for Miss Kentucky Basketball by getting 142 points in four games, including 29 in the final.
Wheeler, a Marshall University recruit, is the state’s leading scorer with a 35.3 average. She became the first 16th Region girls basketball player to surpass the 3,000 mark in career scoring during the holiday tournament.
Campbell County wrestling team wins conference tournament
Campbell County won the team title at the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference wrestling tournament on Saturday at Dixie Heights.
The Camels had seven wrestlers reach the championship finals and four of them posted wins to give their team 227 points. Ryle placed second with 158.5 points, followed by Simon Kenton (135.5) and Scott (122).
Campbell County’s weight class winners were James Holden (113), Micah Bowers (126), Thomas Ketchen-Carter (152) and Michael Leicht (195). Ketchen-Carter was state runner-up at 132 pounds last year and has a 22-0 record this season.
Ryle freshman Cole Thomas also remained undefeated by winning the 106-pound conference title. He’s off to a 13-0 start this season. Scott wrestlers had a 3-2 record in championship matches. The winners were Nathan Zinser (160), Jacob Thompson (182) and Nathan Watson (220).
NKAC WEIGHT CLASS FINALS
106 — Cole Thomas (Ryle) over Jonah Bowers (Campbell), 3:42.
113 — Jason Holden (Campbell) over Hunter Corbett (Ryle), 1:09.
120 — Shay Horton (Ryle) over Orien Stacey (Campbell), 16-1.
126 — Micah Bowers (Campbell) over Dylan Berney (Conner), 2:49
132 — Migdoel Ocasio (Simon Kenton) over Austin Peace (Ryle), 3:18.
138 — Jacob Grandstaff (Conner) over Tisen Moore (Scott), 3:28.
145 — Diontae Rone (Holmes) over Brennan Conrad (Simon Kenton), 9-1.
152 — Thomas Ketchen-Carter (Campbell) over Kyle Mardis (Newport), 15-0.
160 — Nathan Zinser (Scott) over Cade Cunningham (Simon Kenton), 10-8.
170 — Clayton Boyd (Conner) over Noah Duke (Ryle), 4-2.
182 — Jacob Thompson (Scott) over Brandon Richmond (Campbell), 10-2.
195 — Michael Leicht (Campbell) over Dakota Brooksbank (Simon Kenton), 11-7.
220 — Nathan Watson (Scott) over Chandler Watkins (Ryle), 5:59.
285 — Michael Manning (CovCath) over Trevor Addison (Scott), 0:30.