Frederick Douglass, North Laurel lock up spots in Boys Sweet 16 with region titles
The bracket for next week’s 2023 UK Healthcare Boys Sweet 16 is beginning to take shape. On Monday night, five programs across the Commonwealth locked up their spots in the state tournament by winning their region. KSR was in attendance for a few of them, making stops at Western Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Corbin Arena to cover all the action.
Below are game recaps from Frederick Douglass’ top-five win over Lexington Catholic in the 11th Region championship and North Laurel’s blowout victory over Corbin in the 13th Region title.
Douglass Wins Programs First 11th Region Championship in Win over Lex Cath
BY: Brady Byrdwell
With 20 seconds quickly dwindling off the clock, it was time for legends to be made.
On Monday night in a battle between two top-five teams, No. 2 Lexington Catholic had worked hard for their one-point lead over No. 4 Frederick Douglass, but the Broncos’ destiny was in their hands. Senior Kai Simpson received a dribble handoff at the top of the key and began to attack the basket. After scoring 10 points in the second half alone, Simpson seemed to be the obvious choice for the shot. However, as he attacked the basket, he noticed sophomore Armelo Boone wide-open.
As the shot entered the air, the packed Alumni Coliseum at Eastern Kentucky University fell anxious. Boone waited with an outstretched arm as the ball slowly dropped into the bucket… cash. The Broncos are going dancing — the final ended with Douglass taking the 43-41 win.
Simpson broke down the play after the game, “We attacked the basket; three people were there. I saw Armelo Boone, I told him (in the timeout) shoot that ball. He shot it. It went in.”
After the game, Boone seemed in awe of what happened, as if he was in a movie. “When I shot it, it looked good. The rim looked weird, but it went in. I was getting to my spot, Coach drew up a play to get me to the spot, so I shot it.”
Boone was the star of the show for Douglass, showing the lights are not too big for the sophomore. He finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Simpson also turned in a fantastic game after the slow start, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Lexington Catholic dominates at the beginning of the game
Lexington Catholic’s Reece Potter showed why he had dominated so many teams this season. Potter, a Miami (OH) commit, started the game with nine of Lexington Catholic’s first 11 points. Then, early in the second quarter, it was all Potter as the Knights settled into their 3-2 zone that has caused many teams fits this season. Lexington Catholic rode Potter’s points to a 19-15 halftime lead. However, the big momentum swing was a John Reinhart three that pushed the Knight’s advantage from one to four points. The three dropped with no time remaining, sending the Lexington Catholic student section into a frenzy.
The story of the first half also belonged to Armelo Boone. The sophomore started the game slowly. However, a dunk would completely change the outlook of this Douglass team. As Boone received the ball at the top of the key, only one man stood between him and two points, Reece Potter. Now, if you are unfamiliar with Lexington Catholic basketball, you may not know that Potter is a clean seven-foot. However, this did not stop Boone from taking flight, sending the crowd into a fever and finishing with one of the nastiest dunks of the year.
Boone talked about the dunk casually, saying, “I didn’t see him (Potter) under the basket; I just saw the rim. So I went up and dunked it.” If only it were that simple, Armelo, if only it were that simple. The Boone dunk seemed to be a sign of things to come for the Broncos.
Second-half surge from the Broncos
At halftime, a single thought raced throughout the Douglass faithful, when will Kai Simpson take over? Seemingly hearing the noise, Simpson came out firing. With every moment continuing to get bigger than the last, Simpson was ready for the challenge. After starting a measly 1-7 from the field, Simpson ended at 6-13 from the field, or 5-6 in the second half.
A significant aspect of the run from Douglass was the improved shooting. In the first half, the Broncos shot 6-23 from the field for 26.1% — not great. This included shooting 11.1% from behind the arc, hardly a winning formula. However, the second half marked a completely different shooting team from the Broncos. In the second half, Douglass shot 44% from the field, a mark that led to them capturing the win.
The forgotten aspect of the victory is the charge heard around the commonwealth. As Lexington Catholic began to milk the clock with under a minute left, Douglass knew it was now or never. After Tyler Doyle got the ball from Reece Potter, Logan Busson slid over and took the charge of his life. Now, the call can be debated for hours, and the fans yelled and screamed on both ends. However, it cannot be denied how big of a play Busson made.
After the game, Kai Simpson mentioned Busson, saying it was one the biggest plays anyone has made all year. “That man is a dog; he’s 6’2, 6’3 guarding the biggest dudes in the entire region. Big kudos to him.”
Homecoming for Coach Scarberry
Head coach Wes Scarberry was emotional after the victory. The court meant a lot to him, as he attended EKU and spent many days at Memorial. He even coached in the 44th District, causing him to have a close attachment to the Colonels’ home court. Scarberry has now cemented himself as a Frederick Douglass legend, and deservedly so. However, all of the Douglass staff and players echoed the same thing after receiving the 11th Region trophy: the jobs not finished.
“When I first came out of the tunnel for warmups, I realized this is what it’s all about,” Scarberry said. “This is why you get into coaching; this is why you play. Atmospheres like this. To win this thing on this court is really special to me.”
The Broncos are heading to Rupp to not only make noise but to win the whole thing.
North Laurel cruises to second straight 13th Region championship
BY: Logan Paugh
Looking past the fact that North Laurel had the biggest target on their back this year, being the defending 13th Region champs, North Laurel has made history by capturing back-to-back region championships in a commanding 70-33 finish over Corbin on Monday night at Corbin Arena.
Not only did the Jaguars make program history, but they also set a new 13th Region championship scoring margin record with a 37-point victory, dating back to the Corbin Redhounds’ victory over South Laurel in 2009.
The feeling of intensity was there. Doors opened an hour early, and hundreds of fans were lined up in anticipation for the “big game”. Corbin is never a team you want to see in a “win or go-home” chance. But North Laurel knew what they had to do, and they brought the energy in the stands and on the court, not to mention in front of a sold-out Corbin Arena.
North Laurel, led by McDonald’s All-American, and future Kentucky Wildcat Reed Sheppard, got a very early lead on Corbin, quickly going on a 10-2 run in the first couple minutes of action. North Laurel ended up building a very high lead at the half, 32-16. Before a devastating third-quarter push allowed the Jags to pull off the 37-point victory.
Sheppard, in his last game against a 13th Region opponent, recorded a triple-double. He went for 13 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. He also finished with four blocks and four steals. Ryan Davidson, Sheppard’s cousin, also shined during the game for North laurel, leading all scorers with 20 points while also racking up eigh rebounds, six assists, and one block.
The Jaguars shot 26-of-48 from the floor, hitting 8-of-21 threes. North Laurel also outrebounded Corbin 33-25.
North Laurel will move on to the UK Healthcare Boys Basketball Sweet 16 Tournament. The Jaguars will play the Winner of the 10th Region championship on March 16th at 8:30 p.m.
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