By Jake Dickman
NKyTribune sports reporter
After being knocked out of the state tournament as the No. 1 team last season, Newport boys basketball players had revenge on their minds in a rematch with Campbell County on Saturday in the John Turner Classic at Newport.
In the closing minutes, however, Campbell County got a clutch 3-point goal from senior guard Xavier Fancher and converted bonus free throws to come away with a 56-52 victory.
“We knew that they were going to be ready,” Campbell County coach Brent Sowder said of the Wildcats. “They came out and were emotional and physical with us, and I’m just really proud of how our guys were able to handle that.”
What promised to be a passionate game gave the fans exactly that. Newport got off to a good start behind the play of 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Griffin Starks, but the Camels were able to cut the deficit to five points at halftime.
After the break, Campbell County senior guard Garyn Jackson followed coach Sowder’s instructions and scored 14 his team-high 18 points.
“He said to take control I had to be more aggressive going to the basket,” Jackson said of Sowder’s halftime comments. “Once I knew what they were doing on defense, I knew how to break it down.”
The Wildcats gave up the lead in the third quarter. They continued to battle and tied the score, 43-43, with five minutes to go, but the Camels closed out the game with a 13-9 scoring run to get the victory that raised their record to 4-2.
Starks finished with a game-high 19 points and six rebounds. He was one of four double-figure scorers for the Wildcats (3-3). Junior forward James Turner had 10 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots.