Lex Cath, North Oldham Cruise to WGM Holiday Classic Finals
After two blowouts Thursday night, the 2022 White, Greer, & Maggard Holiday Classic Championship Game has been set.
#8 Lexington Catholic has been the most impressive team so far in the tournament, winning their matchups against Christian Academy-Louisville, #12 Bowling Green, and #18 Lyon County by an average of 24 points. The Knights’ defense stifled every Lyon not named Travis Perry, who was kept at a modest 25 points (five below his season average). Catholic took down Lyon County 73-53, and it didn’t even seem that close.
After moving up nine spots to #10 in KSR’s Post-Christmas Kentucky High School Basketball Top 25 Rankings, North Oldham will continue to make their way upward. They jumped out early on #5 Mason County and led for the entirety of the game, taking it in the end, 65-51.
Lexington Catholic-North Oldham was certainly not the matchup most people were expecting, but it is definitely a welcome one. While many were hoping for a Perry-Reed Sheppard showdown in the Championship Game, Catholic-North Oldham is going to feature some high-level basketball. These two teams have been far and away the best to this point, so tonight’s affair should be a great one. The Perry-Sheppard showdown will just have to wait until January 7th.
The 2022 White, Greer, & Maggard Holiday Classic Championship Game will begin on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. EST. Tickets to attend cost $10 at the door of Lexington Catholic, or you can watch the game live ($) on PrepSpin.
#8 Lexington Catholic 73, #18 Lyon County 53
The most anticipated matchup from Thursday night’s slate got off to a hot start. Four-star Lyon County PG Travis Perry entered Thursday night’s matchup averaging 30 PPG this season, tied for fifth in the entire state of Kentucky. Perry made two of his first three three-point attempts to knot this one up at eight early.
The Lyons took a 21-20 lead midway through the second quarter, but this would soon diminish for good. After Catholic junior Tyler Doyle converted on an and-one layup, the Knights would go on a 9-0 run, punctuated by a statement dunk from 7’1″ Miami (OH) commit Reece Potter. After losing their lead, Lyon County would score just a measly three points over the final 5:55 of the second quarter. Thanks to Perry, who had scored 16 of the team’s 24 points, the Lyons were down only 12 points at the half.
Lyon County came out of the break with a small 5-0 run, getting the game back down to seven. This caused the Catholic defense to stiffen up, and they were tremendous for the final two quarters. Defense quickly turned to offense for the Knights, as they increased their lead to 15 by the end of the third quarter. Perry was Lyon County’s only answer, but he was kept to just two points in the quarter. A double-clutch dunk by senior forward Hudson Sparks with four minutes remaining put this one on ice, propelling the Knights to the Championship Game in front of a large home crowd.
Lexington Catholic had four players finish in double digits, but was led by Doyle and Sparks, who finished with 18 apiece. Junior forward Miller Williams and Potter both finished with 11. Lyon County’s Travis Perry finished with a casual 25 points, which was a down night for him. That’s how good he is. It was a rough night for the Lyon offense, which scored 33 fewer points than it did in Wednesday night’s matchup against #5 Ballard. Junior guard Jack Reddick was the only other Lyon who reached double digits with 11 points.
Lexington Catholic improves to 12-1, with their lone loss coming in the first game of the season to Reed Sheppard and North Laurel. Lyon County falls to 11-4 and needs to figure out how it can provide Perry with some much-needed offensive help before entering the meat of its schedule.
#10 North Oldham 65, #T5 Mason County 51
While the Catholic victory wasn’t exactly surprising, this one may have turned a few heads. The Royals entered this matchup 10-0, sporting one of the state’s best backcourts in seniors Terrell Henry and Khristian Walton. Fresh off a surprise drumming of North Laurel, North Oldham has begun playing its best basketball of the season.
After breaking the North Oldham all-time scoring record Wednesday night, senior Dallas Roberts started out hot again. Roberts scored seven points in the first quarter, propelling the Mustangs to an 18-11 lead at the end of the first.
The Mason County faithful showed out Thursday night, making the near hour-and-a-half drive to Lexington Catholic. After a 7-0 Royal run in the second quarter cemented by a Riley Mastin three-pointer, the Mason faithful came unglued. It almost sounded like a home game. After knotting this one up at 18 midway through the second quarter, the Royals cooled off. North Oldham continued to get open looks on backdoor cuts and led 28-21 at the break.
The second half of this game was owned by North Oldham senior Luke Anderson. Anderson scored the majority of his 16 points in the second half, usually when his team needed points the most. After Mason County cut the deficit to three, Anderson posterized a Royal defender to give his team a momentum boost. After about three or four possessions which ended with easy layups for the Mustangs, they found themselves leading 55-43 with three minutes remaining. This one became a free throw contest, with North Oldham holding on for a 65-51 victory.
Mason County’s Terrell Henry was very impressive (especially in the second half), finishing with 20 points in the loss. North Oldham’s Dallas Roberts finished with 17, forming a great duo with the aforementioned Anderson. Roberts, Anderson and the Mustangs vs. Sparks, Potter and the Knights is looking to be a great matchup.
Mason County takes its first loss of the season, but the Royals should be fine. The schedule for the next few weeks isn’t too challenging, so they should get back on track rather quickly. North Oldham has shown to the entire state that they are for real and will look to cement their place in KSR’s Top Five if they can knock off Lexington Catholic tonight.
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