Droves of cars will head down I-75 to Rupp Arena on Thursday as a Campbell County battle between Campbell County High School and Newport High School will take place at Rupp Arena in Lexington for the first round of the UK Healthcare KHSAA boys’ Sweet 16 state basketball tournament.
Why this matchup? Well, back in February, the random ping pong ball draw at the KHSAA took place and pitted the 9th Region with the 10th Region in the first round. It’s the first meeting between the two regions in the state tournament in the first round since 2015, when Covington Catholic took down Campbell County, 64-43.
Thursday’s matchup is the last first round matchup of the eight, taking place at 8:30 p.m.
Here’s a primer on what to look for in the battle:
Who: Campbell County (26-6) vs Newport (32-3)
What: UK Healthcare KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament
When: Thursday, March 21, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington
How: Campbell County is here after winning the 10th Region championship in victories over Bracken County (97-49), George Rogers Clark (75-62) and Harrison County in overtime (64-63). Newport won the 9th Region title for the second straight year with wins over Ryle (45-43), Lloyd Memorial (60-29) and Cooper (46-39).
Campbell County: The Camels were consistent all year, going 26-6 and not losing more than two in a row. While they turned over a new leaf when Aric Russell retired after last season, the program stayed in house when they hired assistant Brent Sowder. Sowder’s familiarity with his players went a long way as they were coached by him in JV. They share the ball well and have three players that average in double figures. After knocking off four-time defending champ George Rogers Clark in the semifinals of the 10th Region tournament, Garyn Jackson hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime against Harrison County in the 10th Region championship. Connor Weinel averages a double-double for the Camels while Jackson is the facilitator with Broc Sorgenfrei providing the spacing with his perimeter shooting. They’re 9-3 against the 9th Region, the three losses coming against the top tier teams Cooper, Covington Catholic and Lloyd Memorial. They were slated to play Newport, but the Wildcats reached their regular season game limit and had to cancel the game.
Newport: The Wildcats are the hottest team in the state, entering the state tournament with 24 straight victories. Their last loss came Dec. 23, 2023 at the King of the Bluegrass in Louisville. The 32 wins is the most in a season in program history. They feature a wide array of explosiveness and athleticism that begins with Taylen Kinney. Kinney averages 18 points a game for the Wildcats and holds over 20 offers from Division I colleges. His status entering the tournament is in question due to an injury suffered in the 9th Region championship game nine days ago, but Wildcats coach Rod Snapp said that they’ll try and give it a go with Kinney Thursday night. If Kinney is unable to go, Jabari Covington and Deshaun Jackson will have to shoulder the load in the backcourt. James Turner and Griffin Starks man the interior and provided a tough duo to score on. Since Starks was inserted into the starting lineup, the Wildcats haven’t lost a game.
What the coaches are saying about the opponent:
Camels coach Brent Sowder, “They’ve won 24 straight for a reason. They’re athletic, read the game and dictate the way every game is going to be played with their coaching and length. Kinney controls games and they’re solid at every position. They are relentless on the boards, they control the boards and have guys that leak out. We have to try and keep them from dominating the game there.”
Newport coach Rod Snapp, “They’re physical, smart and run their stuff really well. They’re patient, start four seniors and don’t make a lot of mistakes. They run a lot of the same stuff with Sowder like they did with Russell, same system. They lost some kids that were solid last year, but the kids they have now are just as solid this year.”
Leading scorers: Campbell Co. — Connor Weinel 15.7, Broc Sorgenfrei 12.7, Garyn Jackson 11.6, Xavier Fancher 7.0, Cole Johnson 6.8
Newport –– Taylen Kinney 18.0, Jabari Covington 12.6, Deshaun Jackson 11.0, James Turner 8.6, Griffin Starks 5.4
Leading rebounders: Campbell Co. — Connor Weinel 10.0, Garyn Jackson 4.7, Nathan Smith 3.4
Newport — Deshaun Jackson 6.2, James Turner 5.9, Jabari Covington 4.4, Taylen Kinney 4.1, Griffin Starks 3.5
Field Goal Percentage: Campbell Co. 47.7%, Newport 50.5%
3-Point Percentage: Campbell Co. 33.7%, Newport 35.6%
Free Throw Percentage: Campbell Co. 65.7%, Newport 68.3%
Points Per Game: Campbell Co. 67.0, Newport 64.6
Points Allowed Per Game: Campbell Co. 52.6, Newport 48.7
