By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
If the Campbell County Camels win their first-round game in the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 boys state basketball tournament on Thursday, Gary and Tracey Jolly will have to make a difficult decision.
A victory means one of them will return to Rupp Arena on Friday to watch the Campbell County team that includes their twin sons, Reid and Grant, play in a state quarterfinal game.
The other parent will be heading to Minnesota to support their oldest daughter, Taylor, a member of the Thomas More College women’s basketball team that plays Amherst in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III national tournament on Friday.
“It’s a good problem, but it’s not a good problem,” Reid said of the successful playoff runs by both teams that put their parents in such a predicament.
Campbell County (28-5) won the 10th Region tournament to earn a berth in the state tournament. The Camels will face 2nd Region champion University Heights (23-7) at noon Thursday in one of final four first-round games at Rupp Arena.
Reid played a major role in Campbell County’s return to the state tournament after a two-year absence. The 6-foot-4 junior forward posted a double-double in points and rebounds in four of the team’s five post-season playoff wins.
During the 10th Region tournament, Reid scored 65 points and snagged 33 rebounds in three games. His biggest basket came late in the fourth quarter of a semifinal win against Clark County. He hit a 3-point shot that tied the score and sent the game into overtime.
Reid has done most of his scoring in the paint for the Camels. He didn’t plan on taking that season-saving 3-point shot, but something came over him when he got the ball in his hands.
“What convinced me (to shoot it) was before that there was a timeout and my brother said, ‘Do it for grandma,’ and I knocked it down,” he said.
When their grandmother, Mary Jolly, passed away in February, Reid and Grant dedicated the rest of the basketball season to her. They both have, “RIP Grandma,” written on their game shoes.
The twins have another incentive going into the state tournament. Their team is motivated by the fact that Campbell County has an 0-5 record in previous boys state tournament games and they want to get the program’s first win.
“We’ve actually been studying University Heights since last week,” Reid said of Thursday’s first-round opponent. “We understand they have a really good player that we have to handle and try to force him to give the ball away and miss some shots.”
That player is KyKy Tandy, a junior guard averaging 30.5 points per game and shooting 47 percent from 3-point range in the Blazers’ up-tempo style of play. He has the highest scoring average of any player in this week’s 101st state tournament.
Campbell County’s leading scorer is Reid, a first-year starter averaging 18 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
Three of his teammates – Joel Day, Tanner Clos and Drew Wilson – also have double-figure scoring averages. That’s why the Camels are averaging 71.8 points per game while limiting their opponents to 58.3.
“Offensive rebounds is a really big part of (my scoring),” Reid said. “The rest of our team is pretty guard-heavy other than me. I pretty much accepted the role of playing down low and getting on the boards and putting the ball back up if I get it.”
Reid’s twin brother is a 6-foot-1 guard who has seen limited playing time this season, but he helps prepare his teammates in practice.
“He loves to win and he’s very competitive,” Reid said. “He does a lot for our team although it doesn’t look like it (in the statistics). In practice, he’s always going hard and gives us looks at that we have to go through (in games).”
Their older sister is a sophomore guard who has started every game for the 30-1 Thomas More women’s team. In high school, she played in the 2015 girls’ state tournament for Campbell County.
“My twin brother and me and our sister all took turns playing one-on-one against each other,” Reid said. “When I was younger, she actually beat me most of the time, but as I started getting older it turned the other way.”
Reid said he and his siblings are still close and support each other. If their teams continue to do well this week, however, they’ll have to rely on texting to share in each others excitement.
WHITAKER BANK/KHSAA SWEET 16 BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Corbin (25-7) vs. Estill County (26-7), noon
Scott County (34-1) vs. Louisville Trinity (30-3), 1:30 p.m.
Pulaski Southwestern (18-14) vs. Warren Central (29-5), 6:30 p.m.
Pikeville (24-9) vs. John Hardin (28-7), 8 p.m.
Thursday — Lower bracket
Campbell County (28-5) vs. University Heights (23-7), noon
Fern Creek (26-6) vs. Boyd County (29-6), 1:30 p.m.
Oldham County (29-5) vs. McCracken County (28-6), 6:30 p.m.
Covington Catholic (31-4) vs. Owensboro Apollo (16-15), 8 p.m.
Friday
Upper bracket quarterfinals, noon and 1:30 p.m.
Lower bracket quarterfinals, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinals, 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game, 2 p.m.