Key Matchups in White, Greer and Maggard Classic Opening Round

BarkleyTruax

Lexington Catholic is set to host the 2021 White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic from Dec. 26-29. The high-profile action begins right away with Sunday morning’s matchups and will continue until Wednesday night when a champion is crowned. Let’s dive into the matchups.

No. 16 Henry Clay vs. Woodford County, 11 a.m.

Game one of tournament action tips off with a battle of the unbeaten—technically.

Henry Clay is a perfect 10-0 (5-0 in Region 11) this season. Woodford County would be 10-0 as well if it weren’t for having to forfeit their season opener to Danville for a self-reported use of an ineligible player. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Admirals 63-43 before the forfeit.

That being said, neither team has lost a game they’ve played this season. The Blue Devils rank No. 1 in Region 11’s RPI heading into the tournament. They win each game by an average of 22 points per contest.

Clay is led by Aziel Blackwell and Kanye Henderson, who combine for 28 of the Blue Devil’s 69 points per outing. Their center Brenden Wicker leads the team in rebounding with 9.4 per game and their offense is rounded out with Konlin Brown, one of the top three-point threats in Region 11.

Woodford County has seen much of the same dominant success from their squad as well. Through nine games where stats were officially recorded, they outscore teams by an average of 16 points per night.

The Yellow Jackets average 70 points per game—Henry Clay averages 69. Whoever has the ball on the final possession might determine the outcome of this one.

No. 21 Pleasure Ridge Park vs. Dunbar, 1 p.m.

A 3-1 promising start has quickly turned into a nightmare for the Dunbar Bulldogs, who were not treated kindly in their King of the Bluegrass matchups.

Despite this, Nick Spalding and Max VanDyke have kept hopes high, as first-year head coach Murray Garvin said Dunbar is playing their best basketball in practice over the last few days leading up to the tournament.

Spalding averages 21 points per game while VanDyke is a threat from deep, cashing in on 42 percent of his three-point looks. They also boast the 6-foot-8 Lionel Kumwimba, though the senior is averaging just five boards per game—his length remains a threat nonetheless.

Pleasure Ridge Park, on the other hand, is the second-highest scoring team in Kentucky, averaging 81 points per game. They also only allow their opponents to score 62.

While PRP has no shortage of scorers, three, in particular, stand out. Victor Lado averages 15 points per game and is one of Kentucky’s most efficient scorers with a 68 percent clip. He’s complemented by Keith Robinson and Zamareon McCown, who average 17 and 14 points, respectively.

No. 1 Ballard vs. Great Crossing, 3 p.m.

This game has two key matchups: Gabe Sisk vs. Vince Dawson and Maker Bar vs. Malachi Moreno.

Bar (6-foot-9) and Moreno (6-foot-10) is literally and physically the biggest matchup of the first round. Bar is currently averaging 15 points and eight rebounds per game while Moreno, a freshman, ranks second in Kentucky with just over 14 rebounds per game while averaging 11 points as well.

Dawson, who’s coming off a 30-point performance against Bryan Station on Tuesday, will have his work cut out for him guarding Sisk. He’s scored at least 20 points in five games, including a 26-point outing against Prolific Prep last month.

Both teams also boast deep lineups as well. You can’t key in on just one play or another will come out of the woodwork and hurt you.

For Great Crossing, Junius Burrell has multiple 20-point games this season. You can’t leave Gage Richardson open from deep, while Tye Schureman is the type of player to dive for loose balls and take charges when need be.

Ballard’s Chaunte Marrero, Derrick Tilford and Kennedy Hayden all have the potential to take over a game as well.

No. 17 Madison Central vs. No. 22 Bardstown, 9 p.m.

The only matchup between two teams ranked in the KSR Top 25, both are ranked second in their respective regions, according to the KHSAA RPI.

Bardstown is 6-1 on the season with their only loss coming to a good Washington County team that held them to just 37 points, a season-low for the Tigers. They’ve scored 50 or more points in every game except for one—against Marion County in their season opener in a 49-48 winning effort.

The Tigers are led by the three-headed scoring trio of Andrew Mason, Grant Bowling and Bryce Riley, who combine for 42 of Bardstown’s 66 points per game on average. Trevon Pope and Jay Trell Curtsinger have also come up big for the Tigers over the last couple of games as well.

Madison Central, Region 11’s reigning champion, has chalked up five-straight wins after dropping two of their first three games to a currently undefeated Pulaski County team in overtime and then to No. 2 GRC by five points.

Depth is an issue for the Indians. The bulk of their scoring comes from five players: Will Hardin (18 ppg), Robby Todd (14 ppg), Jaylen Davis (18 ppg), Trey Skaggs (10 ppg) and Jayden West (9 ppg). Those five combine for 69 points per outing; the Indians only average 69 points per game. There will be another play that scores from time to time, but it’s typically these five against the world.

Hardin ranks No. 2 in Kentucky in free throw percentage at 95 percent (41-43) while Davis ranks seventh in three-point field goal percentage at 54 (30-56), resulting in four made three’s per game on average.