Two Northern Kentucky teams traveled East down the AA Highway on Monday looking to earn a spot in Tuesday’s 10th Region championship.
Campbell County and Scott came up short, however, in Monday’s 10th Region semifinals played at the Mason County Fieldhouse.
The Eagles fell to George Rogers Clark, 81-53, while the Camels dropped their contest to Montgomery County, 91-71.
It creates an all-40th District region final for the second straight season.
Here’s how it went down Monday night at The Fieldhouse:
Montgomery County 91, Campbell County 71
(By Evan Dennison)
Mongtomery County didn’t miss in the second half, quite literally.
The Indians went 18-of-21 from the field, 7-of-8 from the 3-point line and 15-of-16 from the free throw line in pulling away from Campbell County in the second semifinal of the night, 91-71.
“Just got to tip the cap,” Camels coach Brent Sowder said. “They went 18-of-21 and I thought we contested them too. They got hotter than a firecracker.”
Despite MoCo going scorched Earth in the second half, the Camels still had a 3-point look nearly halfway through the fourth quarter to make it a four-point game, but it clanked off the rim and the Indians went on a 22-9 run from there to pull away in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
The Camels were game early, trying to spoil the anticipated matchup of district rivals Montgomery County and George Rogers Clark in a second straight region final. They jumped out to a 28-16 lead a little more than three minutes into the second quarter.
Braden Elam and Austin Davie got the Camels kickstarted and carried the load for the majority of the night as they scored 27 of the Camels 32 points in the first half. Davie finished with 30 and eight rebounds, Elam with 20 and nine rebounds. They struggled to get much elsewhere, the rest of the team combining to go 9-of-25 from the field and tallying 21 points.
Despite the 12-point advantage, Montgomery County responded as Andrew Terry got going. He’d score nine points in an Indians 17-4 run to end the half and take a 33-32 lead into the break.
Then the Indians second half blitz happened. The Camels regrouped at the break to jump back out 38-35 after an Elam putback, but that’s the last time they’d see the lead. The Indians responded with an 8-0 run, Terry and Tyce Jarvis igniting things and then they hit the Camels with a blitzkrieg of 3-pointers.
“We went zone and we wanted to trap out of it and try to create some tough shots, maybe get them off rhythm,” Sowder said. “But off rhythm, on rhythm, reverse layups with no time left, they all went in.”
They’d hit five 3-pointers in a two-minute span, three by Austin Sears and one apiece from Jarvis and Terry, the last one giving them a 62-45 lead.
“We settled in and did a good job handling the half court pressure,” Indians coach Dustin High said. “We really worked to get great shots. I thought all of the looks that we got in that second half whether they were at the rim or on the perimeter, the guys did a good job executing.”
The Camels answered with a 9-0 spurt to get back within eight and get as close as seven, but they’d inch no closer the rest of the way, ending their season at 22-10.
The Camels were a young team this season with just three seniors on the roster and only one of them in the starting lineup in Lucas Anthrop while Elliot Eaton and Braden Norwell came off the bench. With four of their starting five expected to return, they certainly have the talent to break up the recent run of Montgomery County and George Rogers Clark in region championship games. After all, the Camels are the only team outside of those two to win a region title since 2020, doing so in 2024.
“We have a chance for a special future,” Sowder said. “We’re excited about our future and we’re thankful for those three seniors, Lucas Braden and Elliot, they brought a lot to us.”
George Rogers Clark 81, Scott 53
(By Josh Kalb)
For two days, Scott prepared for the length, speed and pressure of George Rogers Clark.
But preparation and reality can be two different things.
The Eagles kept battling, but the Cardinals ultimately proved why they have been ranked among the state’s best all season, defeating Scott by 28.
GRC was going to be a tall task, both literally and figuratively.
The average height of the Cardinals’ starting lineup is roughly 6-foot-3, anchored by 6-foot-6 Montez Gay and 6-foot-8 Amari Bartelson.
To prepare, the Eagles brought in some alumni to practice, players who had previously made their mark in the program.
“We brought men,” Scott head coach Steve Fromeyer said. “We brought in players from the ’17, ’18 and ’19 teams, literally the who’s who since I’ve been head coach. They came for these boys. None of this is about us. This is about these boys.”
Then finally came game day, and the challenge amplified.
Gay scored 24 points, Bartelson added 12, while Malachi Ashford also scored 12 and Ryder Akins finished with 11.
The Cardinals also controlled the glass, outrebounding Scott 40-17, including an 11-5 edge on the offensive boards. Bartelson led the way with 11 rebounds as GRC turned those opportunities into 18 second-chance points while outscoring the Eagles 24-0 in the paint.
Scott tried to counter from behind the arc. The Eagles generated plenty of looks but struggled to convert, finishing 10 of 34 from three-point range.
Those shots did help keep Scott within striking distance early.
The Eagles scored nine points in the first quarter, all on three-pointers, with two from Ben Brown, trailing 17-9 after the opening eight minutes.
Jordan and Jonathan Clemons and Brown each connected from deep in the second quarter to pull Scott within six at 25-19. Brown, just a freshman who led the team with 18 points, scored 14 in the first half.
“I went in thinking it was just another game,” Brown said. “I just had to play my game. I’m just trying to prove myself to everybody.”
But when the shots stopped falling, GRC created separation, taking a 41-25 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals continued to build their advantage in the second half, stretching the lead to 66-36 by the end of the third quarter. A Montez Gay three-pointer in the fourth quarter triggered a running clock as GRC led by as many as 37 before Scott’s season came to an end.
But before the final buzzer, one more Eagle stepped onto the floor.
Senior Aaron Hampton entered the game late for the final moments of his high school career. Hampton suffered a injury in football that not only ended that season but also kept him out for the entire basketball year. He led the team in scoring last season.
Hampton made the most of his moment, scoring on a layup for the final basket of his career.
“I didn’t know I was going to get in, so it kind of surprised me,” he said. “Coach Stapleton came up to me and told me to go in and said, ‘Don’t do anything dumb.’ I thought I was going to shoot a three, but Coach Fromeyer told me to go for the layup. It was great to be out on the court one more time.”
It was the last bucket scored by a member of Scott’s five-member senior class.
Along with Hampton, seniors Alex Casnellie, Jordan Clemons, Jayden Dodd and Jonathan Clemons also close out their careers. Jordan Clemons scored 16 points for the Eagles in the loss.
Scott finishes the season with a 16-15 record, reaching the region semifinals for the first time since 2019.
George Rogers Clark will face Montgomery County for the fourth time this season Tuesday night in Maysville, with the winner earning a trip to Rupp Arena.