It was not a surprise the girls’ Crosstown Shootout game at Campbell County Middle School came down to the final shot.
It did not go through the hoop allowing Campbell County (3-5, 1-0) to escape with a 39-37 victory over Bishop Brossart (4-3, 0-1) and earn a step up in 37th District seed play. The top seed in the three-team district will earn an automatic bid to the 10th Region Tournament.
“To be honest, so far this year, nothing’s really been pretty,” said Davey Johnson, Campbell County head coach. “But our defense keeps us in games. The girls that I have play so hard every possession and that’s what kept us in this game.”
Campbell County snapped a four-game losing streak with the win and stopped a four-game losing streak to the Mustangs. The Camels last beat the Mustangs, 48-42 in the 37th District championship game on February 26, 2020.
Senior forward Keauna Cullum led the Camels with a game-high 15 points and junior guard Alli Collins scored nine. Campbell County was able to hold off Brossart despite making just 7-of-17 from the free throw line and two 3-pointers.
Bishop Brossart put two players in double figures in senior guard Jill Planeaux and sophomore guard Zoey Woosley with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Mustangs had a rough shooting night, making just 23 percent from the field and 1-of-13 from three.
“(Campbell County) made one more play than we did,” said Steve Brown, Brossart head coach. “(Brossart’s shooting percentages) are not going to beat a whole lot of people. The kids played hard. We were prepared. We just didn’t put the ball in the basket.”
Both teams played pressure man-to-man defense all over the court. Senior guard Kennedy Johnson brought the ball up the court among others against that pressure for Campbell County. Neither team gave up many open-court lay-ups off turnovers.
“Coming off some losses, we really needed this,” Johnson said. “We played so hard this game. We played as a team most of all and I think that’s what helped us pull off the win. In a game like this where everyone is really hyped up, staying calm is so important because taking care of the ball is most important. Turnovers are going to hurt. But overall, we did so well trying to keep control of it.”
The teams tried to attack the paint with the outside shots not falling. They had the challenge of finishing against tall posts in sophomore 6-1 Macie Peoples and junior 5-8 Lilli Enzweiler from Campbell County and seniors 5-10 forward Molly Kramer and 5-11 Cora Bertsch from Bishop Brossart.
The largest lead either team built was eight points when the Camels led 13-5 in the first quarter with 1:11 left following two Cullum free throws. Campbell County led 13-7 after the first quarter. But Bishop Brossart came back and trailed just 22-20 at halftime after Bertsch hit one near the rim before time expired at halftime.
“(Brossart) had a lot of second-chance points and looks in the first half,” Johnson said. “For the most part, we limited those in the second half. Both teams kind of play the same style. We like to get to the rim. We missed some free throws. But we were able to pull it off securing those defensive rebounds.”
The Mustangs came back and took the lead in the third quarter. A Planeaux offensive putback gave Brossart a 33-26 lead with 22.2 seconds left. But Cullum made a three with 10 seconds left cut the lead to 33-29. Campbell County tied the game at 35 with 2:15 left when Cullum hit a lay-up before senior Claire Hummel scored at the other end to give the Mustangs their final lead at 37-35.
The Camels took the lead for good with 2:15 left in the game at 38-37. Freshman guard/forward Isabella Jayasuriya hit a three from the wing off a nice pass from Johnson.
“I had to keep shooting. I missed the first couple shots. But then I threw it up because I had to get it off,” Jayasuriya said. “It felt good. I was down on myself. But I still shot it.”
Jayasuriya then hit a free throw with 22.2 seconds left to make the final score. Brossart put up a shot from the right corner before time expired, but did not go down.
Campbell County travels to Montgomery County to play in the Gateway Holiday Classic on Wednesday to take on Boyd County (4-1) at 6:15 p.m. Brossart plays host to Harrison County (1-5) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Other Girls Basketball Scores
Lexington Christian 56, Dayton 44
Male 57, Simon Kenton 39
Notre Dame 54, Henry Clay 39
Cooper 63, Montgomery County 27
Highlands 73, Holmes 18
Ludlow 66, Williamstown 39
Conner 50, Mason County 34
Grant County 54, Newport Central Catholic 48
Sacred Heart 67, Dixie Heights 40
Scott 65, Pendleton County 57
St. Henry 45, Nicholas County 30
Bellevue 58, St. Patrick 48
Walton-Verona 64, North Oldham 60
Boys Basketball Scores
Highlands 76, Boyle County 68
Louisville Holy Cross 79, Dayton 35
Beechwood 57, Lewis County 47
Newport Central Catholic 70, Holmes 48
Simon Kenton 52, Anderson County 37
Walton-Verona 88, Trimble County 47
Nicholas County 67, Villa Madonna 52