“Lucky” was the word Campbell County coach Davey Johnson used Friday.
Whether it was luck, serendipity or a whole lot of good fortune, the Camels advanced to the girls 10th Region finals with a 66-55 win over Nicholas County at Harrison County.
It took about three minutes to determine the Camels’ opponent in Saturday’s 7 p.m. final: four-time defending region champion George Rogers Clark, a 101-37 running-clock win over Mason County.
“We didn’t execute our game plan,” Johnson said. “We’re actually lucky we got out of here with a win.”
Having senior Izzy Jayasuriya helped – she scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Jayasuriya remembers last year’s 68-34 semifinal loss to the Cardinals – she scored 17 points to go with five rebounds. She calls this year’s Camels “prepared.”
“We’re prepared and we’re ready, and the younger girls, they’re not as nervous like last year, when they didn’t have as much experience,” Jayasuriya said.
Campbell County (23-6) is 6-2 over its last eight games, and Jayasuriya was a large reason – she averaged 19.3 points and 11.0 rebounds.
Jayasuriya was not the only reason the Camels have at least one more game – Madeleine Barbian scored 11 points, and Lily Bittner added 12 bench points.
The Camels’ primary goal Friday? Contain Nicholas County’s Maggie Simons, whose 22 points led all scorers, by sending combinations of Jayasuriya, Faith Whitford and Stella Brockman whenever Simons had the ball.
“We didn’t do a good job tonight, we really didn’t,” Johnson said. “… Nobody was over helping.”
Nicholas County coach Reesa Martin, meanwhile, bemoaned the Lady Jackets’ icy shooting.
“We missed a lot of shots that, you know, we needed to make,” Martin said. “A lot of ‘bunny’ shots, we like to call them, right there around the basket.”
Nicholas County (19-13) never led, but the Lady Jackets stayed close for much of the first quarter – Simons’ bucket created a 10-10 tie with 1:56 left. The Camels countered – a 9-2 run on Jayasuriya’s and-1 and Barbian’s and Amerie Mullin’s 3s.
A Loralee Orazen 3 and Simons’ 8-footer over Mullins pulled Nicholas County to within 21-19 early in the second. It was as close as the Lady Jackets came because the Camels finished with a 12-8 run.
Jayasuriya did more than score. An example: late in the second stanza, she drove right of the paint and passed to Kendall Augsback, who knocked down the 3 and gave the Camels a 29-21 lead.
One of Johnson’s favorite plays was Bittner’s 5-foot floater in the paint with a little less than three minutes to go in the game, which gave the Camels a 63-49 lead.
“Actually, I think it stopped their momentum,” Johnson said. “I mean, that’s what she does, man. She gets into the paint, she can knock down that floater. She can shoot the 3, she makes her free throws; she’s only a freshman.”
Kyleigh Chestnut led GRC with 16 points against Mason County. Teigh Yeast had 12, Kennedy Stamper had 11, and Logan Kennedy added 10.
While Johnson spent the last three days worrying about Nicholas County, assistants Eric Clark, Jaylyn Jackson, Jason Guthier, Maddie Flaugher and McKinlee Miller concentrated on GRC. There could be a two-word strategy – expect everything.
“I expect full-court man, 2-2-1 (press), Diamond (1-2-1-1 zone), all of it,” Johnson said. “I think we’re going to see waves and waves of presses, and we’ve got to do a good job of taking care of the ball and then keeping them off the glass. Easier said than done.”
CAMELS 66, LADY JACKETS 55
NICHOLAS CO. 12 15 14 14 – 55
CAMPBELL CO. 19 14 20 13 – 66
Nicholas Co. (55) — Dunn 2, Simons 22, Brown 9, Anderson 6, Orazen 8, Sexton 8. 3-Pt. FG: 4 (Orazen 2, Simons, Brown). FT: 5-8. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: Brown.
Campbell Co. (66) — Barbian 11, Mullins 5, Davis 8, Augsback 5, Bittner 12, Brockman 4, Jayasuriya 21. 3-Pt. FG: 8 (Jayasuriya 3, Barbian 3, Mullins, Augsback). FT: 12-16. Rebounds: x (top two). Fouls: 8. Fouled out: None.
Records: Nicholas County 19-13, Campbell County 23-6.