By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Taylor and Tanner Clos celebrated their 18th birthday last week. The twins are a little too old to make a wish when they blow out candles on a cake, but there is a dream they’d both like to see come true.
The Campbell County seniors want to end their high school basketball careers playing in the “Sweet 16” Kentucky state high school basketball tournaments next month.
Taylor Clos and her twin brother, Tanner, want to share the thrill of playing in state tournaments in their final season as high school basketball players.
“I think our biggest thrill would be both going to state because we’d get to experience that thrill together,” said Taylor, the starting point guard on the girls’ team.
“That’s my dream,” said Tanner, a shooting guard on the boys’ team. “I’ve been wanting to get there so bad, and for the both of us to get there the same year would just be unbelievable.”
Campbell County is the top-ranked team in 10th Region boys’ and girls’ basketball going into the postseason playoffs that begin Monday. If the Camels do sweep the regional titles and earn state tournament berths, it’ll be the first time in school history that has happened.
In fact, the only local high schools that have ever sent boys’ and girls’ teams to state basketball tournaments in the same year are Boone County in 2012 and Highlands in 2001.
Taylor is a four-year starter on the Campbell County girls’ team. She played on the 2016 regional championship team that made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
The last time the Campbell County boys’ team won regional was 2015. Tanner was a freshman and didn’t make the varsity roster that year, but he has been in the Camels’ starting lineup the last three seasons.
In the boys’ regional final last March, Scott senior guard Jake Ohmer hit a last-second 3-point shot to give his team a 78-77 win over Campbell County and deny Tanner a chance to play in the state tournament as a junior.
“I’ve experienced it before and know how good the feeling it is (to win region),” Taylor said. “So watching that shot go in was heartbreaking for me, just feeling bad for him.”
Averaging 22.2 points per game this season, Taylor Clos is one of 18 seniors nominated for Miss Kentucky Basketball. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
During their high school careers, Taylor has gained a bit more notoriety than her twin brother. She is one of the school’s most prolific scorers with more than 2,400 total points and she was widely recruited before signing with Northern Kentucky University.
Last week, Taylor was named one of 18 finalists for Miss Kentucky Basketball after leading the Camels to a 26-3 record and second place in the state power rankings.
Tanner’s career scoring total stands at 938 points and he’s being recruited by small college teams. He’s averaging 15.6 points per game this season, well below his sister’s 22.2 average, but he has never felt overshadowed by his sibling’s level of success.
“She excelled a lot quicker than I did,” Tanner said with a smile. “She got a gift from God. From the time when she could barely hold the ball, she was putting it in the goal like it was nothing. She’s got a skill set that’s just unbelievable. I’m really proud of her.”
In grade school, the twins played together in a recreation basketball league. There where a lot more boys than girls in that league, but Taylor held her own.
“That helped me develop into a stronger player,” she said. “I had to learn how to play against more athletic people because, even as kid, boys tend to be more athletic than you.”
When she got to junior high school, Taylor said she stopped playing soccer and softball to develop her basketball shooting and ball-handling skills. She and her brother would often do drills together and play one-on-one games on the backyard court at their home.
That’s how the sport created a bond between the two of them, and it became stronger as they got older.
Tanner Clos is averaging 15.6 points per game in his third season as a starting guard for the Camels.
“Everything that we do in our lives pretty much revolves around basketball, and that’s just cool that we have a relationship that we can build so much off of,” Taylor said.
The twins have gone to each others games as much as possible during high school. After a boys’ game last week, Tanner wasn’t happy with his shooting performance and asked his sister what he was doing wrong.
“She helps me and I take her criticism just like I would from my coach or my dad,” Tanner said. “She knows when I’m doing something wrong, just like I know when she’s doing something wrong. We both listen to each other and that’s been really good.”
With their high school basketball careers coming to a close, the twins want their teams to go as far as possible in the postseason playoffs. The ideal ending would be watching each other play in the “Sweet 16” state tournaments.
“I’ve loved every minute of it,” Tanner said of sharing the sport with his sister over the last four years. “It’s bittersweet that our high school ball is coming to an end. Being able to see each other grow and see each others accomplishments, it’s really been something special.”
Both Campbell County teams are seeded No. 1 in the 37th District tournaments that will be played at Campbell County Middle School this week. Here are schedules for all of the district playoffs that include schools in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties:
Girls district tournament schedules
32nd DISTRICT AT WALTON-VERONA
Monday
Simon Kenton vs. Williamstown, 6 p.m.
Walton-Verona vs. Grant County, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
33rd DISTRICT AT RYLE
Tuesday
Ryle vs. Boone County, 6 p.m.
Conner vs. Cooper, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
34th DISTRICT AT LUDLOW
Monday
Lloyd vs. Villa Madonna, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Dixie Heights vs. Lloyd-Villa Madonna winner, 6 p.m.
St. Henry vs. Ludlow, 7:45 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 6 p.m.
35th DISTRICT AT NOTRE DAME
Tuesday
Holmes vs. Beechwood, 6 p.m.
Holy Cross vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
36th DISTRICT AT HIGHLANDS
Monday
Bellevue vs. Dayton, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Highlands vs. Bellevue-Dayton winner, 6 p.m.
Newport vs. Newport Central Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
37th DISTRICT AT CAMPBELL COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Monday
Calvary Christian vs. Silver Grove, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Campbell County vs. Calvary Christian-Silver Grove winner, 6 p.m.
Scott vs. Brossart, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
Boys district tournament schedules
32nd DISTRICT AT WALTON-VERONA
Tuesday
Walton-Verona vs. Williamstown, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Simon Kenton vs. Grant County, 7 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
33rd DISTRICT AT RYLE
Monday
Conner vs. Heritage Academy, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Cooper vs. Conner-Heritage Academy winner, 6 p.m.
Ryle vs. Boone County, 8 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
34th DISTRICT AT LUDLOW
Monday
Ludlow vs. Villa Madonna, 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday
Dixie Heights vs. Ludlow-Villa Madonna winner, 6 p.m.
St. Henry vs. Lloyd, 7:45 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 8 p.m.
35th DISTRICT AT HOLMES
Wednesday
Covington Catholic vs. Beechwood, 6 p.m.
Holy Cross vs. Holmes, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
36th DISTRICT AT HIGHLANDS
Monday
Bellevue vs. Dayton, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Newport vs. Bellevue-Dayton winner, 6 p.m.
Highlands vs. Newport Central Catholic, 8:15 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
37th DISTRICT AT CAMPBELL COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Monday
Calvary Christian vs. Silver Grove, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Campbell County vs. Calvary Christian-Silver Grove winner, 6 p.m.
Scott vs. Brossart, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
