LEXINGTON —It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but it was good enough to move Scott County into today’s semifinals of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen.

The Cardinals found themselves trailing by one point (30-29) midway through the third quarter before outscoring Butler 37-15 the final 12 minutes to pick up a 66-45 win.

Four players scored in double figures for Scott County with Bryce Long’s 14 points leading the way. Kobi Harris finished with 12 points, while Diablo Stewart and Micheal Moreno each added 10 points apiece.

Trey Minter turned in a game-high 16-point scoring effort to lead the Bears while Marquis Dorsey followed with 12 points.

Scott County jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter after Stewart’s 3-pointer with 2:08 remaining. Butler was able to counter with four consecutive points to close the period, as baskets by Dorsey and Minter cut the Bears’ deficit to four points (12-8) going into the second quarter.

The Cardinals were able to push their lead to 19-12 midway through the period after Harris and Glenn Covington each scored baskets.

Butler was able to cut its deficit to only three points at halftime (25-22) after seeing Dorsey connect with a 3-pointer while Minter added two long range shots.

The momentum continued to swing the Bears’ way early in the third quarter.

They managed to come out of the gate with a 6-2 run while taking a 28-26 lead after a jumper by Dorsey, but free throws by Moreno and Stewart allowed Scott County to regain a slim 29-28 edge.

Moreno’s layup with 3:21 remaining sparked a 15-5 run that rounded out the quarter.

Scott County hit 7-of-7 attempts from the free-throw line during the stretch while Covington’s mid-range jumper gave his team a 44-35 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals were able to pull away and secure the win by opening the final period of play with a 6-1 run. Consecutive baskets by Hamilton increased their lead to 50-36 while a 6-0 run with less than four minutes remaining pushed Scott County’s advantage to 56-40.

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Scott County (66) — Long 14, Stewart 10, Moreno 10, Harris 12, Hamilton 8, Covington 9, Williams 3.

Butler (45) —Dorsey 12, Tolley 2, Underwood 5, Jackson 2, Brown 2, Lamb 6, Minter 16.

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LEXINGTON — Despite having shooting struggles throughout its quarterfinal battle with Walton Verona, Campbell County lived to play another day, and will now play in its first ever final four.

The Camels (31-4) were able to overcome a 15-of-43 shooting effort to knock off the Bearcats, 49-42, during quarterfinal action of Friday’s Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen.

Campbell County received a double-double effort from Reid Jolly (13 points, 12 rebounds) while teammate Tanner Lawrence added 12 points.

Walton Verona couldn’t get on track against a physical Camel defense. The Bearcats hit 15-of-36 shot attempts, but were outrebounded 29-24, and turned the ball over 15 times. Eighth Region Player of the Year Dieonte Miles was held to 11 points, and five rebounds, but did manage to deliver 12 blocked shots.

“We got off to a good start because of our defense,” Campbell County coach Aric Russell said. “At the end, we just had to hold on. We handled the pressure, made our free throws, and were able to hold on.”

Campbell County’s Lawrence and Drew Wilson each scored four points apiece during the game’s first eight minutes to give the Camels a 13-7 lead at the end of the period.

Walton Verona struggled from the floor during the period, hitting on only 3-of-9 shot attempts while Kam Pardee kept his team within striking distance with four points.

Campbell County continued to build its lead in the second quarter by opening up the period with a 6-0 run. A 3-pointer by Jolly combined with a basket by Drew Wilson increased their lead to 18-7 at the 4:57 mark.

The Bearcats answered with an 11-5 run to end the period, which was capped off by Garrett Jones’ 3-pointer at the buzzer that made the score, 23-18.

Despite clinging to a five-point lead, Campbell County managed to hit only 7-of-26 shot attempts (26.9 percent) in the first half while Walton Verona connected on 7-of-17 shot attempts from the floor.

Things started to heat up in the second half with Miles’ layup to begin the third quarter cutting Campbell County’s lead to 23-20.

The Camels managed to push their lead to 10 points (38-28) after a 3-pointer by Noah Wirth and six consecutive points by Lawrence. Another buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Jones allowed the Bearcats to cut their deficit to single digits once again, and trail 38-31 entering the fourth quarter.

Walton Verona was able to get as close as three points (43-40) with under a minute remaining, but Campbell County wrapped up the win by hitting six consecutive free throws.

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Campbell County (49) — Jolly 13, Lawrence 12, Wirth 6, Wilson 10, Gross 6, Helton 2.

Walton Verona (42) — Pardee 9, Miles 10, Jones 7, Bonne 7, Grubbs 7, Brook 2.

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LEXINGTON — After scoring only 23 points in the first half, Trinity used a 16-3 run to close out the third quarter before cruising to an easy 60-30 victory on Friday.

“I’m very happy,” Trinity coach Mike Szabo said. “Our guys did what they needed to do today.”

The Shamrocks punched their ticket into today’s Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen semifinal matchup with Campbell County by dominating from beginning to end.

“Here we are — the Final Four,” Szabo said. “We’re exactly where we want to be. It was a good, solid, win tonight.”

Trinity received a 16-point scoring effort from Stan Turnier while David Johnson added 13 points and Kolton Rice chipped in 11 points. Turner hit 6-of-10 shot attempts, including a 3-of-6 effort from 3-point range while Johnson was 5-of-6 from the floor.

The Shamrocks used a stellar defensive effort to stifle Ashland’s shooting effort. The Tomcats couldn’t get anything to work on offense, and finished the contest hitting on only 10-of-30 shot attempts.

Ethan Sellars led Ashland with 10 points while Devaunte Robinson added nine points.

Trinity wasted little time taking control of the game in the first quarter.

After falling behind 3-2, the Shamrocks went on a 13-0 run that was highlighted by Kamari Kenemore’s 3-pointer and four points by Johnson. Turnier added five points during the period, helping Trinity take a commanding 18-8 lead into the second quarter.

The Shamrocks hit 7-of-10 shot attempts during the period while the Tomcats struggled with a 3-of-10 effort.

Both teams struggled offensively during the second quarter, combining to hit only three field goals.

Ashland opened the period with a basket, but Turnier answered with a 3-pointer and a jumper while giving the Shamrocks a 23-10 lead during the process.

The Tomcats added two free throws at the 2:38 mark, but still found themselves trailing 23-12 at halftime.

Trinity hit 9-of-18 shot attempts in the first half while Turnier’s 10 points led the way, but Ashland’s shooting woes continued. The Tomcats misfired on 4-of-14 shot attempts, and turned the ball over nine times.

Szabo’s squad turned it up a notch on both ends of the floor to begin the second half.

Trinity opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run that saw Johnson score four consecutive points while Rice’s 3-pointer at the seven-minute mark increased his team’s lead to 30-12.

After seeing Ashland cut its deficit to 32-18 with 5:45 remaining, the Shamrocks closed the period out, and the game, with a 16-3 run.

Turnier’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave his team a 48-21 edge entering the fourth quarter.

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Trinity (60) — Hardaway 6, Turnier 16, Rice 11, Johnson 13, Kenmore 7, Hodge 3, Stahlkman 2, Brian 2.

Ashland Blazer (30) — Robinson 9, Stellars 10, Villers 2, Hudson 3, May 6.