The one constant in the 37th District for 10 years in a row has been the Campbell County Camels (20-11 overall).
The Camels will try for that number of consecutive district tournament championships Thursday at 7 p.m. back at Campbell County Middle School. The opponent will be the Scott Eagles (14-17) for the eighth time during that span.
Here is how it came to that point:
Scott 69, Bishop Brossart 57
Once Scott made a change defensively, it became a matter of which team executed better against the opposing 2-3 zone defense. The Eagles switched to it in the first half after starting in a man-to-man while the Mustangs (13-16) played it the entire game.
“(Brossart) has gone to it in the last two weeks and has done a really nice job with (the 2-3 zone),” said Steve Fromeyer, Scott head coach. “We prepped it for days honestly and we had the benefit of prepping Simon Kenton for it so a lot of it was pretty fresh. We knew it was going to come. I felt like it would be a game in the 40’s and I felt the way they just attacked the basket, we would have to go to a zone. The zone saved us to be honest. If we’d have stayed in man, we’d have gotten blown out of the gym.”
Scott’s size starting with 6-foot-6-inch center Nolan Hunter and junior forward Connor Griffin. Griffin, Hunter and the likes of junior guard Xarek Sarakatsannis, junior center Carter Eten among others often received the ball in the short corner, laid it in, dished it off to teammates for scores or found wide-open three-point shooters.
“That was the game plan the whole time to get those open looks,” Griffin said. “We got in (inside) and executed. We handled the adversity down there. We finished well around the rim.”
The two Scott leading scorers led the way with senior guard Brayden Howell scoring 20 and junior guard Dylan Giffen scoring 14, making three 3-pointers. Howell hit one three and made 9-of-11 free throws. Howell was aware of what happened last season when they beat the Mustangs during the regular season, but had their season ended by the Mustangs in the postseason.
“This game last year hurt all of us. It was rough mentally,” Howell said. “The beginning of the season was also rough. But we fought and we’re a lot better team now. I’m feeling confident. I think we did well keeping our cool.”
Griffin finished with 13. Hunter and Sarakatsannis scored seven points each. Sophomore guard Kaymon Coleman and junior guard Jon Evans helped bring the ball up the court against consistent Brossart pressure. Coleman added six crucial points and Evans had a crucial bucket in the first quarter.
“It’s extremely important,” Giffen said of handling the ball. “If we want to close out and win games, we have to stay under control, get what we want and not force anything so (opponents) can’t come back and win the game.”
The Eagles made five three-pointers and 16-of-26 free throws, including 6-of-10 in the game’s final two minutes to pull away.
Bishop Brossart displayed balanced scoring trying to make it to the region tournament for consecutive years for the first time since 2014. Senior guard Anthony Kruse and senior forward Mason Sepate led the Mustangs with 14 points each. Senior guard Logan Woosley and Brandon Bezold followed with 13 and 11, respectively.
Bishop Brossart made 23-of-53 shots, but just 4-of-19 from 3-point range. The Mustangs also had 26 rebounds, eight assists, 14 turnovers, six steals, 19 fouls and two blocked shots.
“We felt like (the 2-3 zone) was our best chance to win the last couple weeks,” said Ben Franzen, Brossart head coach. “We gave up a couple three-pointers. We had a couple things not go our way on the other end. Their length disrupted what we were trying to do. (The Eagles) did what they needed to do to be in the spot that they are in.”
The first quarter saw a number of lead changes. Brossart built an 18-13 lead after two Sepate scores. But Howell scored five straight to tie the game before Bezold hit a jumper with 18 seconds left to give the Mustangs a 20-18 lead after the first quarter.
Scott scored the first seven points of the second quarter to take the lead for good after Howell completed a three-point play with 6:41 left in the half. The Eagles built the lead to eight three times. Woosley hit a jumper to trim it to 34-30 with 34.2 seconds left before Griffin made a jumper to make it 36-30 Scott at halftime.
Brossart got within one in the third after a Sepate jumper and two free throws, but Scott countered with a 7-0 run to make it 48-40 with 1:16 left in the quarter. Woosley hit a lay-up with 3.2 seconds left to make it 48-42 Scott entering the fourth quarter.
Bishop Brossart did get the lead down to 53-49 with 5:34 remaining when Kruse scored in the paint. But Hunter had an offensive putback and ensuing free throws before Howell hit a free throw to increase the lead back to eight points. After Brossart senior forward Luke Schumacher made a free throw to make it 59-52 Scott, the Eagles pulled away.
“In the man-to-man, (the main concern) was the dribble-drive stuff, especially with Anthony Kruse, who is just really good at that,” Fromeyer said. “He facilitates Brandon Bezold and Mason Sepate very well. Ben is a great coach. Ben knows the pieces that he has and has made their offense what it needs to succeed. It’s no secret why they play six, seven guys because that’s the way the system fits.”
Brossart has seven seniors on the team. They are Kruse, Woosley, Bezold, Sepate, Schumacher and forwards Jack Poe and Sam Willike.
“I just told (the seniors) I couldn’t have asked for a better effort from the time I took the job,” Franzen said. “I couldn’t have asked for better guys in my first season to coach. I know for a fact that those guys will be great family guys, great fathers and they’ll be great leaders for their families someday.”
Bishop Brossart has not won a district championship since 2013 and Scott last won a district championship in 2011. The Eagles won the region and drove to the state semifinals in 2017.
Campbell County 89, Calvary Christian 23
The Camels made quick work of the Cougars (4-27) building a 51-12 halftime lead. Their constant ball pressure all over the court led to a number of open-court steals and fastbreak lay-ups.
“We weren’t going to take (Calvary) lightly,” said Aric Russell, Campbell County head coach. “We just wanted our kids to come out and play like we’re going to Thursday, play strong defense and move the ball a bit. I thought overall we did a nice job.”
Twelve different Camels scored with senior guard Jake Gross leading the way with 40 points and senior forward Aydan Hamilton added 12. Gross scored his 1,000th career point making two free throws with 45 seconds left in the third quarter in the same gym his father Jerry did many years ago.
“Defense is very important to getting wins,” Gross said. “If teams can’t handle pressure, you have to get it done. It was all about playing Campbell County basketball. Toward the end, they were trying to get me the ball so I could get it and get it over with. I couldn’t ask for better teammates.”
Calvary Christian saw six players score. Freshman guard Luke Corbin led the way making two three-pointers on his way to six points.
“In the past, we’ve struggled to get the ball past halfcourt,” said Orlando Donaldson, Calvary head coach. “We just weren’t putting the ball in so it was the reverse effect. We have to put those two together. Going into next season, we’re going to be just fine. In the offseason, we’re going to lift weights and put shots up. I have faith in them. They have faith in me.”
Calvary Christian has just one senior in Josiah McCulley. The Cougars struggled this year after losing nine seniors off last year’s 20-12 team.
“He’s our inspirational leader,” Donaldson said of McCulley. “I’m going to miss his energy. Come next season, we’re going to need someone else to step up.”
Campbell County has won nine of the last 10 over Scott since the Eagles beat them at the buzzer in the 2017 10th Region Championship game.