Boys district finals: Douglass clamps down for 5th straight title; LexCath gets bench boost

Frederick Douglass put a troubled season behind them and avenged a pair of regular-season losses to Bryan Station with a convincing 64-55 win over the top-seeded Defenders on Friday in the 42nd District Tournament championship game.

“We wanted to get our lick back,” Douglass coach Stephon Harris said after his team won its fifth consecutive district title in front of a standing-room only crowd at Henry Clay High School. “They beat us both times in the regular season, but this time we won it when it really counted. I wanted our kids to fight. I told my guys ‘win or lose, I want you to come out and fight your butts off.’ And they did.”

Bryan Station dominated the Broncos in a 73-60 win at The Farm on Jan. 9 and rallied to a thrilling 67-64 win over Douglass on the Northside two weeks later. In both games, Douglass struggled to contain Bryan Station standout sophomores Amari Owens and Taeshawn Adams, who combined for 80 points in those matchups.

Friday, Douglass held Owens to 14 points as the only Defender in double figures. Adams and Matthew Golinski added eight points each. Despite the loss, the Defenders (23-8) will also advance to next week’s 11th Region Tournament.

“The key was being disciplined and, in the second half, withstanding their runs,” Harris said. “They stuck to the game plan and the game plan was to wall up, go zone and not let Owens get loose.”

Though Douglass eventually built its lead to as many as 17 points in the second half, the game remained tight in the early going. The lead changed hands four times in about a minute as a Taeshawn Adams layup and Bryson Carpenter 3-pointer were answered by an Aveion Chenault 3-pointer and Armelo Boone dunk.

Boone’s slam was followed by six straight points from Logan Busson to end the half on an 8-0 run that helped the Broncos take a 26-19 lead into the locker room. Bryan Station got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Chenault led the Broncos with 17 points. Boone and DeMarcus Surratt added 14 apiece.

“(Bryan Station is) a great team and very talented, but when we come out and play our best basketball, I don’t think anybody can mess with us,” Chenault said.

Though No. 20 Douglass (20-12) has been ranked in the Herald-Leader’s Dave Cantrall Ratings throughout the season, it lasted only briefly in the Kentucky Basketball Media Poll as its losses piled up amid injuries and illnesses along the way.

Harris, an assistant coach with more than 20 years experience, got thrust into the head coaching position in November when last year’s 11th Region coach of the year, Wes Scarberry, took an unexpected leave of absence from the sideline.

“We’ve been through so much,” Harris said. “This is my first time being in the hot seat, being ridiculed and criticized all year — the kids having to see things on social media. It’s just about being resilient and being able to overcome all the outside noise.”

Now, the Broncos will look to defend their 11th Region title and hopes the spark they’ve found this week can carry them back to the Boys’ Sweet 16, where Douglass reached the state semifinals last year.

“The season was really tough. It was a battle every game, but we got better every week. And then we came out and defended the district title like we know how to,” Chenault said. “If we keep playing like we’re playing these past two district games then we’ll be fine.”

All-tournament team: Armelo Boone, DeMarcus Surratt, Aveion Chenault, Frederick Douglass; Taeshawn Adams, Amari Owens, Bryan Station; Jackson Stephan, Henry Clay; Brock Coffman, Sayre; Tristan Christopher, Scott County.

Lexington Catholic fends off LCA

With less than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter of Lexington Catholic’s 55-42 victory over Lexington Christian in the boys 43rd District Tournament championship on Friday night, LCA sophomore Saxton Howard hit a clutch 3-pointer to pull the Eagles within one possession of the Knights, who had led by as many as 11. Immediately after the shot fell, Lexington Catholic head coach Brandon Salsman called a timeout to regroup.

“We just called that timeout,” Salsman said, “and we were like, ‘There’s nine seniors on this team, you either want to win or you don’t right here, and this is where you show it.’ And they stepped up.”

Slowly but surely, the veteran leadership for the No. 2-ranked Knights (30-2) took over. Bellarmine-bound Tyler Doyle and fellow senior standouts John Reinhart and Rowen Williams combined for a quick eight points before senior guard Sam Smith came in off the bench and pushed the Knights’ lead to 11. Lexington Catholic kept its foot on the gas and never looked back.

Lexington Catholic’s bench — including Smith, guard Sam Clements and forward Owen Kennedy — found ways to impact the game all night on both ends of the floor. When Doyle, the 11th Region Player of the Year, picked up two fouls in the first half and had to sit, the seniors disrupted LCA’s game plan.

“Gotta give credit to my guys on the bench,” Salsman said. “Sam Clements, Sam Smith, you know, … stepped in, filled in for him and did a great job. I really thought the game turned on our bench guys getting out there and playing great defense and doing a lot of great stuff. So it was a heck of a run for them, and a great experience for us going down.”

The trio combined for 12 points, three assists, one block and one steal, while only turning the ball over once.

“We trust all our guys,” Williams said. “They tried to take our point guard and our shooter out of the game, so our other guys had to step up.”

LCA (15-15) got 18 points, including four 3-pointers, from junior guard Saxton Howard and 11 points from junior guard Hagan Preston as Lexington Catholic held the Eagles to 34.1% from the field.

The Knights shot 46.7%, with both Reinhart (14 points) and Williams (18) finishing in double figures. Williams also pulled in 10 rebounds for a double-double. Williams’ brother, Miller, also grabbed 10 boards.

“Rowen has kind of been, you know, a little bit of the unsung hero for us,” Salsman said. “Johnny and Tyler get the accolades of being on the all-region team. But Rowen, Mr. Double-Double … He just does such a great job. He’s so important to us. And, you know, when teams try and take Johnny and Tyler away, and you know, leave him in some sort of a junky defense, he’s able to just blister people like he did tonight.”

Lexington Catholic’s 43rd District championship marked the third time this season the Knights have defeated the rival Eagles.

“We knew it was gonna be a gritty game,” Doyle said. “Coming to their place for the district championship. So we knew we just had to stay focused, and they were gonna go on runs. And I feel like we responded well, and came out with the W.”

As district champion, Lexington Catholic will host its first-round game Tuesday in the 11th Region Tournament. LCA, as a district runner-up, will play on the road Tuesday. The region draw is scheduled for Saturday morning.

All-tournament team: John Reinhart, Rowen Williams, Tyler Doyle, Lexington Catholic; Hagan Preston, Kenyatta Hardge, Lexington Christian; Mason VanDyke, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Tyler Hunt, Lafayette; Dawson Garth, Tates Creek.