Breds lose heartbreaker to Campbell in regional finals

After falling behind by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, Harrison Co. spent most of the rest of the game playing catch-up. Thorobred senior Kaydon Custard sent the contest into an extra period when he drove in for a layup with 0:02 left in regulation, tying the matchup at 57-57.

The defeat ended a great run by Harrison Co. The Breds bounced back from a 2-9 start to the season in which only the most ardent of fans kept alive hope for an exciting trek through the post-season. The players did about as well as they could in the ill-fated title tilt, taking the 16th-ranked Campbell Co. squad to the brink. Harrison Co. showed its fans what the combination of effort, energy and enthusiasm can do for a team that carried the hopes of the Thorobred nation throughout the post-season.

The Camels took control of the game midway through the opening period. After Harrison Co. senior Mason Smiley scored on a trey that brought his team to within a point at 8-7 with 3:05 left, Campbell Co. seniors Nathan Smith and Broc Sorgenfrei recorded a deuce and a triple from the left corner, respectively, that extended the Camel lead to 13-7 with 1:36 remaining in the initial stanza. Thorobred senior Justin Craycraft knocked down a short jumper in the lane with 0:14 left that sent Harrison Co. into the second quarter trailing 13-9.

With 5:43 remaining in the second period, Campbell Co. senior Connor Weinel swished a shot from beyond the arc that increased the Camels advantage to 22-13. Not to be outdone, Harrison Co. senior Elijah Harris helped his team keep pace with an old-fashioned three-point play that cut the deficit to 22-16 with 5:30 left in the first half.

That’s when Campbell Co. began a stretch in which the Camels flexed their muscles as they put together a 10-2 run that saw their lead grow to 32-18 when Weinel hit the back of the rim with a high arcing shot that bounced 10 feet in the air before splashing through the net.

That rally could have sounded the death knell for a lesser team. But the strength of the will of the Breds would not allow them to lie down. After Campbell Co. senior William Johnson scored on a transition layup that set the score at 36-23 with 0:37 remaining until halftime, Harris contributed a steal and layup followed by a couple of free throws with 0:14 showing on the clock that made the deficit more manageable at 36-27 as the teams headed to their locker rooms.

Harrison Co. continued their comeback starting out the third quarter when Harris hit a three-pointer that cut the one-time 14-point deficit down to six at 36-30. The Breds had a hard time getting any closer to the determined Camel squad but kept nipping at Campbell Co.’s heels. Harrison Co. senior Garrett Wilson scored on a layup with 3:21 left in the third period, narrowing the gap to five points at 42-37.

After Sorgenfrei and Harris exchanged long-range bombs, Weinel continued his career-best game with another triple and was fouled on the next possession. After making both free throws, Weinel had helped the Camels expand their advantage to 50-40 with 0:46 remaining in the third stanza. Craycraft closed the quarter with a turnaround jumper with 0:31 left that made the score 50-42 in favor of Campbell Co.

Weinel began the final period with a shot from the block that gave the Camels a 52-42 lead. That’s when the power of the Thorobred nation filled its players with a great resolve. With its fan base cheering them on, the Breds embarked on an 11-0 run that was punctuated by a putback basket by Craycraft that put Harrison Co. in front 53-52 with 2:18 remaining in regulation.

Sorgenfrei responded with a triple the next time down the floor that returned the advantage to Campbell Co. at 55-53. After the Breds missed a shot, Camel senior Nathan Smith was fouled and sank both free throws, increasing his team’s lead to 57-53 with 0:34 left.

Custard then slashed his way to the basket, scoring a layup with 0:21 remaining and bringing Harrison Co. back to within two points at 57-55. With the clock winding down, Johnson was fouled. Fortune seemed to be shining on the Breds when he missed both free tries from the charity stripe. However, the rebound off of the second miss flew right into the lap of Camel junior Zach Franzen.

Lo and behold, Franzen missed both free throw attempts as well. Wilson grabbed the carom and got the ball to Custard who raced down the floor and scored the tying bucket on a layup with 0:02.4 on the clock. After a timeout, Jackson took the ball up the court and put up a shot from 30 feet away that was off the mark, sending the game to overtime. It marked the first time that the 10th Region championship game had gone to an extra session since 1985 when Mason Co. defeated Paris 50-48 in double overtime.

Custard put Harrison Co. in front 59-57 on a layup with 2:44 left in the extra session. Franzen returned the favor the next time down the floor with a layup of his own that tied the score at 59 apiece. With 1:56 remaining, Custard was fouled and made both free throws to put his team back out in front at 61-59.

Campbell Co. worked the ball around on the ensuing possession but missed a shot with the Breds coming up with the rebound. Custard got the ball in his hands and was fouled with 1:10 left. Custard missed the first free try but made the second, increasing Harrison Co.’s advantage to 62-59.

With the clock ticking under one minute to go, the Camels got the ball to Jackson who found a hole and delivered a layup at the 0:47 mark that brought his team back to within one at 62-61. A missed shot by the Breds was followed by a turnover by Campbell Co.

After a timeout, Harrison Co. worked the ball around but a pass was stolen by Camel junior Xavier Fancher who then turned the ball over himself on the rarely called palming violation. With only 0:13 on the scoreboard, Custard was fouled as he received the inbounds pass. After making the first free throw attempt, Custard missed the second, giving his team a 63-61 lead.

Fancher pulled down the rebound and got the ball to Jackson who called a timeout with 0:06.8 remaining. Out of the timeout, Jackson threw in the inbounds pass and quickly received it back on the right wing. Jackson then took a dribble to the left, followed by a dribble to the right and then launched the winning shot from behind the arc and into the goal, setting off a celebration by the Camels and their fans.

I can’t say enough or express how proud we are of the way the Thorobreds played this year. From the darkness of a 2-9 start, the coaching staff kept improving the team as the season went along and remained positive about its outlook. To a player, these guys played with such great effort, energy and enthusiasm that their contributions to the program’s rich history are set in stone.

Harris led the Breds in scoring with 22 points. Weinel paced Campbell Co. with a career-best 26 points. Harrison Co. made 22-of-42 shots for 52%, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Camels hit 25-of-48 field goal attempts for 52% and were 9-of-22 on three-point tries. The Breds were 14-for-20 from the free throw line while Campbell Co. made 14-of-21 tries from the charity stripe. The Camels outrebounded Harrison Co., 26-19.

The Breds finished the season with a record of 17-15. Campbell Co. improved to 26-6 and will take on third-ranked Newport in the first round of the state tournament next week.