By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The most successful playoff run in the history of the Campbell County boys basketball team came to an end Saturday night. Louisville Trinity blocked a last-second shot and escaped with a 42-40 win over the Camels in the semifinals of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 boys state basketball tournament at Rupp Arena.
Campbell County trailed by 15 points in the second quarter and battled back to take a 29-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. The game came down to the final possession. The Camels got an inbound pass to leading scorer Reid Jolly, but his layup attempt from the left side of the basket was blocked by Trinity’s 6-foot-5 senior guard David Johnson just before the final horn sounded.
A good portion of the crowd booed the referees as they hurried off the court. In the post-game press conference, Jolly said he thought there was contact on the play, but he didn’t press the issue.
“You can’t always judge a game on the last call,” Jolly said. “That’s just how it goes.”
Louisville Trinity (30-8) will play Scott County (34-3) in the championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday. This is the first time in three years that a Northern Kentucky team has not been in the title game.
Campbell County (31-5) has a history of unfortunate losses in the post-season playoffs. The Camels got beat on a last-second shot in the quarterfinals of last year’s state tournament and the same thing happened to them in the 10th Region tournament in 2017 and 2016.
The latest season-ending loss was hard to handle because no Campbell County team had never reached the state semifinals before and the seven seniors on this year’s roster wanted a shot at the coveted state championship.
“To get this far, this is going to sting because we wanted to keep going,” said Campbell County coach Aric Russell. “But tomorrow we’ll wake up and realize what a great season it is. And it’s something we’re going to be happy (about) for a lot of years.”
After Trinity took a 20-5 lead early in the second quarter, the Camels got their act together and went on a 15-2 run that closed the gap to 22-20 at halftime. During that run, senior guard Drew Wilson scored seven points followed by Jolly and senior forward Andrew Helton with four each.
Campbell County outscored Trinity, 9-5, in the third quarter to take a 29-27 lead. The Shamrocks opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 spurt to go back on top, but the Camels tied it, 33-33, on a pair of free throws by senior forward Noah Wirth with 4:34 left on the clock.
Trinity scored its last nine points at the foul line. With 15 seconds left, Johnson made the last free throw to give his team a 42-40 lead and then he blocked Jolly’s potential game-tying shot.
Jolly scored seven of his game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter. He often drew double coverage when he got the ball, but he was only fouled once during the final eight minutes.
“I felt like Reid got some good strong moves in there and we didn’t get a couple calls,” coach Russell said. “Normally, he’s at the line shooting free throws and it didn’t go our way with that.”
Jolly and Wilson were named to the state all-tournament team. Jolly also received the Larry Conley Ultimate Teammate Award from the Kentucky Basketball Coaches Association.
Jolly posted a double-double in his team’s first two state tournament victories. His three-game totals were 60 points and 27 rebounds. Hopefully, the talented 6-foot-5 senior forward, who was named 10th Region Player of the Year, impressed a few more recruiters with his performances at Rupp Arena.
“I think some (college) teams would be happy if they could land him to play some basketball,” coach Russell said after Friday’s game. “He does so much, and for a kid his size and strength to be able to handle the ball and shoot it the way he does, there’s some teams missing out on him.”
After getting his second double-double this week, Jolly was asked about his future plans. He wants to play basketball in college, but he didn’t come to the state tournament with the idea of impressing recruiters.
“That’s always a goal in the back of my mind, but I’m here to win with my friends that I grew up with,” he said. “Ever since we were little kids, we dreamed of this moment right here.”
CAMPBELL COUNTY 5 15 9 11 — 40
LOUISVILLE TRINITY 15 7 5 15 — 42
CAMPBELL COUNTY (31-5): Wirth 0 2 2, Wilson 4 1 10, Jolly 7 2 17, Gross 1 0 3, Lawrence 2 0 4, Helton 2 0 4. Totals: 16 5 40.
LOUISVILLE TRINITY (30-8): Rice 1 3 6, Johnson 6 1 13, Kenemore 1 1 3, Hardaway 1 2 4, Turnier 2 0 5, Hodge 3 4 11. Totals: 14 11 42.
3-point goals: CC — Jolly, Wilson, Gross. LT — Rice, Turnier, Hodge.