By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Walton-Verona pulled off a stunning upset in the 32nd District girls basketball championship game on Thursday when the Bearcats edged long-time rival Simon Kenton, 39-37, at Grant County High School.
Simon Kenton (27-4) was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press media members state poll and the Pioneers had beaten Walton-Verona by margins of 26 and 25 points during the first month of the season. But the Bearcats won the district title game between the two teams for the second straight year.
Senior forward Emma Strunk made the game-winning basket for Walton-Verona (23-9) in the final seconds and finished with a team-high 16 points. Senior wing Emma Gutman was named the tournament’s most valuable player after getting 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in the victory.
Those two players made eight of their team’s 13 field goals. The Bearcats ended up shooting 48 percent (13 of 27) from the field compared to Simon Kenton’s 32 percent (11 of 34). The Bearcats also had a 20-16 rebounding advantage.
Both teams advance to next week’s 8th Region tournament at Collins High School. A draw to determine first-round pairings will be at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Ryle, Notre Dame and Highlands were the other girls teams that won district titles Thursday. They’ll play in next week’s 9th Region tournament at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena along with Conner, Holy Cross, Newport Central Catholic, Dixie Heights and Ludlow. The draw is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday.
In the boys 37th District final on Thursday, Campbell County upset Brossart, 55-46, to claim the championship trophy for the seventh consecutive year.
In the final Northern Kentucky boys coaches poll, Brossart (24-6) was No. 6 and Campbell County (17-14) was No. 9. Neither team was able to take a commanding lead in the district final, but the Camels went on a 6-0 run in the final two minutes to come out on top.
The leading scorers were Campbell County senior guard Jordan Gross and Brossart senior forward Ethan Eilerman with 19 points each. Gross, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter and still managed to score seven of his team’s last 16 points.
Brossart and Campbell County move on to next week’s 10th Region tournament at George Rogers Clark High School. The first-round match-ups will be determined in a draw on Saturday morning.
Here are the remaining district finals involving Northern Kentucky teams:
Boys district basketball finals
32nd DISTRICT AT GRANT COUNTY
Friday
Championship: Grant County (21-9) vs. Simon Kenton (21-9), 7 p.m.
33rd DISTRICT AT CONNER
Friday
Championship: Conner (21-5) vs. Cooper (11-15), 7 p.m.
34th DISTRICT AT DIXIE HEIGHTS
Friday
Championship: St. Henry (23-4) vs. Dixie Heights (10-19), 7:45 p.m.
35th DISTRICT AT BEECHWOOD
Friday
Championship: Covington Catholic (25-5) vs. Beechwood (21-10), 7 p.m.
36th DISTRICT AT NEWPORT
Friday
Championship: Highlands (25-3) vs. Newport (15-13), 7 p.m.
Girls district basketball final
34th DISTRICT AT DIXIE HEIGHTS
Friday
Championship: Dixie Heights (19-12) vs. Ludlow (25-6), 6 p.m.