LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Campbell County boys basketball team is advancing to the Sweet 16 tournament quarterfinals Friday night.
Campbell County defeated Newport 43-40 Thursday night in a UK HealthCare Boys' Basketball Sweet 16 first round game at Rupp Arena.
Campbell County (27-6) plays Harlan County (32-4) in a state quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Friday at Rupp Arena. Campbell County is making its eighth Sweet 16 appearance and its first trip since being a 2019 state semifinalist.
After a memorable 10th Region final victory, Campbell County coach Brent Sowder said the Camels just wanted an opportunity for one more game. The journey will continue on Friday night in Lexington.
"We know Newport's a great team," Campbell County coach Brent Sowder said. "We knew they were going to make a run there at the end. Our guys kept their composure. I'm really proud of how they did that. How they defended, how they rebounded. I talked about that before the game that rebounding was going to be a big part of this so my heart is full. I'm super proud of these guys."
Campbell County's Connor Weinel said the Camels played together as a group - something many of the players have done since the third grade.
"It's an awesome experience," Weinel said. "We battled it out."
The Camels were led by several players including Broc Sorgenfrei who scored 12 points. Garyn Jackson added 11 points. Weinel scored nine points and had 10 rebounds.
"Coming down here winning this state game it feels amazing honestly," Jackson said. "I can't even imagine it."
Campbell County's defensive effort was strong throughout the first half Thursday night. The teams traded leads throughout the first quarter and the Camels had an 11-10 advantage through the first eight minutes.
The Camels jumped out to an 8-0 run early in the second quarter, leading by 12 points (24-12) after Weinel's two free throws at the 1:13 mark.
Campbell County led 24-14 at halftime. The Camels limited Newport to just 29% shooting in the first half. Campbell County shot 60% including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers. Jackson scored a game-high nine points on 4 of 4 shooting from the field in the first half.
Newport made things interesting in the third quarter as the Wildcats went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 32.
The Camels jumped out to a 7-2 run early in the fourth quarter and went ahead 39-34 on Sorgenfrei's uncontested layup through the lane with 5:37 left.
Newport closed the gap to 39-36 on Jabari Covington's bucket with 3:26 left. James Turner scored about a minute later to put the Wildcats within one point (39-38).
Campbell County's Nathan Smith made two free throws with 38.3 seconds left to extend Newport's lead to 41-38.
Newport's DeShaun Jackson made a 15-foot jumper to close the deficit to 41-40 with 26 seconds left.
However, Campbell County's Xavier Fancher made two free throws to seal the game with 6.6 seconds left.
Turner scored a team-high 14 points and had five rebounds. Covington added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Thursday night was the first meeting between the schools since Dec. 8, 2022 when Campbell County won 61-40 over visiting Newport.
Newport, which made its second straight Sweet 16 appearance and third time since 2010, had a 24-game win streak this season entering Thursday night. Newport was trying to win its first Sweet 16 game since 1955.
