It's taken a village to help Eighth Region champion Spencer County reach its first Sweet 16.

Much of that village will be at Rupp Arena to watch Spencer County (25-9) play in this week's UK Healthcare/KHSAA Sweet 16 in Lexington.

The Spencer County community came together to raise enough money to purchase nearly 350 Sweet 16 tickets — for students, including the cheerleading squad, band and dance team — and cover the cost of food, travel and lodging in Lexington. More than $5,000 was raised, according to Spencer County athletics director Mike Marksbury.

The Bears will need that village at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday when they face top-ranked Great Crossing (34-1).

"That’s what Spencer County does,” senior Camden Cox, an Ohio Dominican signee who sunk the game-clinching free throws in the Eighth Region final, said. “At a region tournament, we have homecourt advantage. That’s just how crazy (the community) is. (Taylorsville) is just a really special town."

With a population under 21,000, according to the latest U.S. Census data, the Spencer County community rallies around Spencer County High School — and that extends well beyond athletics.

“It’s the one thing that drives the community,” Charles Tichenor, a lawyer and 1995 Spencer County High School graduate, said. "Fans will wish athletes good luck on gamedays wherever they cross paths. Region tournament games at Henry County felt like home games for the Bears. After Spencer County won, there were up to 150 cars following the team bus home celebrating as they traveled back to Taylorsville."

Lifelong residents of Spencer County, like Tichenor and longtime teacher Bland Baird, who retired in 2022, never thought they’d see the day the Bears reached the Sweet 16. Baird said it feels “almost like a dream.”

This season marked Spencer County's sixth regional tournament appearance, and its first since 2019. The Bears last reached the Eighth Region final in 2011, falling to Oldham County, 70-50.

“It’s not like we came out of nowhere,” Marksbury said. “We’ve had a really solid program for several years. It’s been building — we’ve played in the King of the Bluegrass a couple of times. Our name has been out and about in athletics. This year, we had six seniors. It’s kind of like everything aligned. You also have to have some luck along the way.”

The Bears are led by seniors Luke Erhardt (20.1 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game), Cox (15.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) and Keaton Baird (13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds) and junior Jack Armstrong (9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game). The group ranks among the state's top teams in 3-point attempts this season.

Tichenor, who helps stream Spencer County games, said reaching the Sweet 16 feels surreal. But he felt the Bears would be Eighth Region title contender after watching them win 18 of 19 games following a Jan. 5 loss to Woodford County.

Tichenor and Baird will be part of the village from Spencer County at Rupp Arena on Wednesday night, supporting their Bears as they look to stun a Great Crossings team on a 22-game winning streak.

“Next to God and family, basketball is probably the next most important thing for a lot of folks in Spencer County,” Baird said.

KHSAA Boys Sweet 16: Ranking this week's field from No. 16 to No. 1

Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Boys Sweet 16: Spencer County community will be at Rupp Arena