With one second left, senior guard Alec Garnett stepped to the free throw line and made his second foul shot to give Conner a 54-53 win over Cooper in the 33rd District championship game on Friday at Conner.
Conner senior guard Michael Scott scored a game-high 18 points and was named most valuable player on the all-tournament team. Cooper’s leading scorer was sophomore guard Chris McNeil with 14 points. He made two free throws to tie the score, 53-53, with 12 seconds remaining.
The game’s other double-figure scorers were Conner guard Travis Connley and Cooper guard Brayden Runion with 14 points each and Cooper forward Trevor Rohlman with 13.
Cooper was the top seed in the district tournament, but the Jaguars did not have their top two scorers, Sean McNeil and Adam Kunkel, in the lineup due to injuries.
The team hopes to have McNeil back for the 9th Region tournament that begins Wednesday at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.
This is the first time that Conner has gone to the regional as a district champion since 2006. The Cougars earned a berth as district runner-up three times in the last nine years.
The draw to determine first-round matchups in this year’s regional tournament will be at 9 a.m. Sunday at the arena.
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 85, NEWPORT 79 OT — NewCath outscored Newport, 16-10, in overtime to become the 36th District champion.
The Thoroughbreds were ahead, 38-28, at halftime, but the Wildcats made a run and narrowed the gap in the second half. The score was tied with a minute left and a missed shot by Newport sent the game into overtime.
Both teams had four double-figure scorers. The leaders were Newport senior guard Ethan Snapp with 29 points and NewCath senior forward Ben Weyer with 28. The Thoroughbreds made 22 of 28 free throw attempts while Newport was 12-of-16 at the line.
Both teams advance to the 9th Region tournament to be played next week at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena. A draw to determine first-round pairings is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sunday.
SIMON KENTON 60, WALTON-VERONA 46 — Simon Kenton took the lead early and maintained it through the second half when senior guard Austin Fries scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the 32nd District final at Grant County.
Fries made all seven of his field goal attempts, including a 3-point shot, and went 7-for-8 at the line. He also has eight rebounds for the Pioneers.
Simon Kenton’s other double-figure scorers were Michael Sammons with 14 and J.C. Hawkins with 13. Each of them made four 3-point shots. Walton-Verona’s high scorers were sophomore Austin Lay with 12 points and senior Chance Sullivan with 10.
Both teams move on to the 8th Region tournament next week at Henry County High School.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 76, SCOTT 69 — Campbell County won the 37th District title for the third consecutive year with senior center Matt Wilson leading the way. He scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the district final at Campbell County Middle School and was named most valuable player on the all-tournament team.
Scott junior guard Jake Ohmer was the game’s top scorer with 35 points. He made four of his team’s nine 3-point goals. Campbell County outscored Scott, 30-14, at the foul line.
Both teams advance to next week’s 10th Region tournament that will also be played at Campbell County Middle School. The draw is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.