It had the feel of a postseason battle even though it marked the first game of the season for both teams.
The Conner Cougars girls basketball team built a 14-point lead in both the second and third quarters but the host Walton-Verona Bearcats fought back to have a chance at the end trimming the deficit to one before Conner escaped with a 61-58 victory when the Bearcats missed a three-point try in the game’s final seconds.
“Walton always plays hard. You’re always going to get a competitive game no matter who they have out there on the floor,” said Michelle Gambrel, Conner head coach. “It was a good game for us. I felt like we got stagnant with the zone that they have and we have to learn to play with physicality whether they are calling fouls or not. But we stuck together with senior leadership and got a win out of it.”
Both teams displayed balance as Conner saw eight different players score and Walton-Verona had seven. The electrifying junior point guard Anna Hamilton led the Cougars with 18 points and senior guard Kelsee Simpson scored 11.
“That was a great team win and a great start to the season,” Hamilton said. “Practices are just as competitive as it was (Tuesday) and that’s what got us prepared. We bring back a lot of experience. I huddle them up and say, ‘Control what we can control.’ That’s what we did. We keep fighting, knock down free throws and finish games.”
Walton-Verona senior wings Jenna Rogers and Grace Brewer led the comeback scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. The Bearcats also received a huge lift from eighth grade guard Elin Logue with 10 points making three three-pointers.
“I didn’t have any doubt they were going to continue to play hard and give it their best effort,” said Rianna Gayheart, Walton-Verona head coach. “We just got exposed in a couple areas. We have a lot that we need to work on. We’ll continue to put in more sets as the games mov on.”
The Bearcats tried to pound the ball inside to 6-foot-2-inch sophomore forward Braylin Terrell trying to take advantage of her size. But Conner led by 5-11 senior forward Juliet Strange limited her touches in the paint.
Walton-Verona held the lead briefly in the first quarter at 12-8 going on a 9-0 when Logue made two three-pointers and Rodgers hit another. But Conner came back to take a 17-14 lead after one quarter when Strange connected on a three to give the Cougars the lead for good.
The Bearcats trimmed the lead to 22-20 in the second quarter when Brewer made a three-pointer. But Conner used a 12-0 run to go up 34-20. Hamilton led the way with five points before Walton-Verona finished the half with a Rodgers triple and Logue made a free throw.
Conner led 50-38 entering the fourth quarter. Walton-Verona made its run in the middle of the quarter when sophomore guard Cam Christy made a three and Brewer made a free throw to trim the margin to 55-51 with 2:43 left in the game.
Rodgers made a three with 1:45 left in the game to trim the margin to 56-55 before Strange made a free throw and senior guard Emily McGraw hit two with 51.4 seconds left to put Conner up 59-55. Christy gave the Bearcats a chance with a three to make it 59-58 before Hamilton made two free throws with 12.8 seconds left to make the final score.
“You just stick to the same routine that you come with and what you focus on in practice,” McGraw said. “The score may have been close. You just have to step up, do what you need to do and stay calm through it all.”
Both teams play again Friday. Conner travels to Holmes for a 7:30 p.m. game and Walton-Verona takes on Maysville St. Patrick at 8 p.m. in the Donna Murphy Classic at Newport.
Girls basketball
Campbell County 64, Bracken County 38
The Camels opened the season with a 10th Region win over the Polar Bears in a battle of two teams that lost in the region quarterfinals last year.
“We executed on defense. They played hard the whole game, which is all I can ask of them,” said Davey Johnson, Campbell County head coach. “The effort was exactly what it needed to be. As long as we do that, we’ll be able to compete quite a bit this year.”
The Camels (1-0) saw 11 different players score. Senior forward Key Cullum led the way with 13 points and junior 5-8 Lilli Enzweiler scored 10.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction for sure,” Cullum said. “I would say the confidence grew with each play. We were honestly real excited.”
Campbell County travels to Ryle on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Notre Dame 62, Newport Central Catholic 41
The 6-foot-4-inch sophomore center Sophia Gibson dominated the paint scoring 18 points to lead the Pandas to a win to open the season. Senior forward Noelle Hubert scored 11 points and junior forward Kendra Collins added 10. Sophomore guard Caroline Eaglin led NewCath with 14 points.
NewCath plays host to Louisville Butler on Thursday at 7 p.m. Notre Dame travels to Cincinnati (Ohio) Mercy McAuley on Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. game.
Boys basketball
Highlands 102, Scott 75
The Bluebirds hit the road and won the shootout over the Eagles to open the season. Highlands made 42 of 74 shots for 57 percent including 11 of 26 from three-point range for 42 percent and 7 of 9 free throws for 78 percent.
The Bluebirds saw five player score in double figures. Senior Will Herald led the way scoring 25 points. Juniors Nathan Vinson, Brayden Moeves, senior Seth Ryan and junior Brody Benke followed with 17, 16, 13 and 11 points respectively.
Scott made 30 of 66 shots for 45 percent including 6 of 24 three-point tries for 25 percent and 9 of 15 three-point tries for 60 percent. Junior Dylan Giffen led the Eagles with 21 points with senior Brayden Howell and junior Connor Griffin scoring 16 and 13 points respectively.
Highlands won the rebounding battle, 41-21. Herald and junior Carson Class led the Bluebirds with seven rebounds each and junior Carter Eten led the Eagles with seven.
Both teams play again Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Highlands plays host to Boone County and Scott travels to Beechwood.
Other Girls Basketball Scores
Dixie Heights 72, Highlands 46
Henry County 53, Bellevue 43
Gallatin County 57, Villa Madonna 26
Other Boys Basketball Scores
Grant County 64, Beechwood 62
St. Henry 53, Cooper 50
Harrison County 54, Ryle 53
Holy Cross 80, Atherton 58
Milford Christian (Ohio) 67, Calvary Christian 45