HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Behind the steady play of senior guard Taylor Jolly and the toughness of sophomore forward Mackenzie Schwarber, the Campbell County High School girls basketball team picked up its first state tournament victory.
Jolly posted a game-high 17 points and Schwarber added 13 points and 14 rebounds as the Camels – playing in their home county – beat Trimble County 48-33 on Wednesday in the first round of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Sweet 16 at BB&T Arena.
In the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003, Campbell County got its first victory in its fourth all-time trip.
“Everyone’s doing the dirty work, so I didn’t expect anything less than a victory,” Jolly said.
Campbell County (25-9) – No. 19 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – will face No. 5 Franklin County in a quarterfinal at noon Friday.
Franklin County defeated Campbell County 68-47 on Dec. 2.
“They were a lot better than us then, and we’ll find out if they’re a lot better than us (Friday),” Camels coach Beau Menefee said.
Shelbe Black had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals to lead Trimble County (27-8), which was in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981.
“While we would love to come back in here and play on Friday, the fact that they got to this point and the way they represented themselves, their community and their teammates and coaches, I can’t ask for much more than that,” Raiders coach Kerri Stewart said.
Kaylee Clifford’s jumper pulled Trimble County within 33-29 with 5:08 left in the third quarter before Jolly made a key defensive play to spark the Camels. She stole the ball from Trimble County’s Bailey Duke and turned it into a layup for a 35-29 lead at the 4:21 mark.
That sparked a 10-2 run that put the game away.
“I wasn’t worried, but I knew we couldn’t take this lightly and had to step up our game,” Jolly said.
“Something had to happen to spark our momentum, so luckily that’s what that steal was.”
Trimble County hit just 5 of 21 shots (23.8 percent) in the second half.
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 13 17 8 10 – 48
TRIMBLE COUNTY 11 12 6 4 – 33
Campbell County (25-9) – H. Schwarber 4, Kramer 6, Clos 6, M. Schwarber 13, Jolly 17, Turner 2.
Trimble County (24-8) – Consley 8, Black 12, Duke 2, Clifford 5, Clark 4, Gonterman 2.
3-point goals – M. Schwarber 2, Jolly; Clifford.