Conner boys basketball coach Nate Browning and Campbell County counterpart Brent Sowder agreed on one thing.
The first three minutes of Tuesday’s Cougars vs. Camels game largely determined the outcome. Conner was on the winning side – an 11-0 run on the way to a 68-57 win at Bill Warfield Court.
“We hit a couple 3s, shot the ball really well early,” Browning said. “Other than the first possession of the game, we shot the ball pretty well.”
Chase Huff led Conner with 17 points, Finn Louden and Landon Warner each had 13, and Brady Bushman added 10. Campbell County’s Garyn Jackson led everyone with 21 points, Austin Davie added 16, and Zach Franzen chipped in with 14.
Warner started Conner’s run with a bucket 40 seconds in. Louden followed with a 3, and Huff knocked down two of his four triples.
“We started to hit a couple shots, and we looked over at their bench,” Huff said. “Their coaches looked a little frustrated that they weren’t guarding us. All of our players can knock down shots.”
Going into Tuesday, Conner’s 52.1% field goal accuracy was 11th best in Kentucky, and the Cougars’ 41.4% from three was eighth highest.
Campbell County (12-4) didn’t score until Davie’s free throw with 5:08 left in the first, and the Camels didn’t have a field goal until Franzen’s bucket less than a minute later.
“Those first three minutes, that was the difference,” Sowder said. “We get down 11-0 and lose by 11.”
Conner (12-4) hit nine 3s for the game, including six in the first quarter; as far as Huff knew, the Cougars hadn’t knocked down that many since the Cougars drained 11 in a 68-64 win over Dixie Heights on Dec. 17.
Warner and Bushman split the defensive duties against Davie. The plan: force the right-handed Davie to his left.
“I think Brady’s really good at being kind of like a pesky defender, and I think I’m good at being long and using my (6-foot-5) size to defend shots,” Warner said.
Davie’s 18.3 points a game average led the Camels going into Tuesday. He scored nine of his team’s 19 first-quarter points but only seven the rest of the way.
“I thought Austin had a nice game,” Sowder said. “He got where he wanted to; he’s a skilled player, he’s a special kid. We’re very confident in him; I was pleased with his game overall.”
Conner’s defense on Davie worked better in the second quarter – he scored only two more for the half.
“(Davie) just had a tendency of just going right, and if he went left, he would spin back,” Bushman said. “So I tried and force him left and expect that spin coming back right.”
What Conner didn’t do as well was corral Jackson. An and-1 late in the first quarter pulled the Camels to within 21-17 – which became 35-19 Cougars a little more than two minutes into the second stanza.
Campbell County hung around early in the third – Davie’s two assists led to a pair of Jackson layups, and after Franzen knocked down a top-of-the-key 3 and Davie bagged a pair of free throws, the Camels trailed by just 43-38.
Conner effectively put the game out of reach less than two minutes into the fourth – Bushman’s bucket, Landon Rankin’s 3 and Louden’s two gave the Cougars a 61-48 lead.
“Conner runs really good stuff; they got a lot of good looks,” Sowder said. “We knew they were capable – they’re like one of the top shooting teams in the state. We just didn’t come out ready, and that falls on me.”
COUGARS 68, CAMELS 57
CAMPBELL CO. 19 7 20 11 – 57
CONNER 26 14 14 14 – 68
Campbell County (57) — Franzen 14, Davie 16, Jackson 21, L. Anthrop, 2, C. Anthrop 4. 3-Pt. FG: 4 (Franzen 2, Davie, Jackson). FT: 9-12. Fouls: 10. Fouled out: None.
Conner (68) — Huff 17, Rankin 8, Bushman 10, Abousaleh 2, Louden 13, Raider 5, L. Warner 13. 3-Pt. FG: 9 (Huff 4, Rankin 2, Bushman, Louden, L. Warner). FT: 9-11. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: None.
Records: Campbell County 12-4, Conner 12-4.