No. 2 Lexington Catholic Cruises in 78-43 11th Region Win Over Dunbar
Being the number two team in the state carries a certain pressure. Especially when you’re looking for your program’s second state championship ever and first since 2002.
Lexington Catholic’s 22-year gap is surprising, especially with the talent that has come through the Knights’ gym. However, the 11th Region has always been known as one of the best in the state. In fact, the last team to win a state championship from the 11th region was the opponent for Lexington Catholic on Friday night.
Paul Laurence Dunbar has a history of great teams. However, this season has not gone as planned for Coach Morgerson and the Bulldogs. Dunbar entered Friday’s contest with an 11-13 record, including a 5-8 record within the region. A far cry from Lexington Catholic’s 23-2 total record and 8-1 record within the 11th Region.
Lexington Catholic’s lone losses came to Travis Perry and Lyon County plus Malachi Moreno and fellow 11th region member Great Crossing. The Warhawks have been on the warpath, with a 25-1 record and a perfect 12-0 record in the 11th Region. Surprising all across Kentucky has been the play of Coach Champ Ligon’s No. 20 Bryan Station Defenders, as their elite defense has led them to a 20-3 record and 12-1 in the same region.
Nothing comes easy in the 11th Region this season.
Lexington Catholic Continues Domination
However, Lexington Catholic has looked unbeatable over the past three games, including a rock fight with Madison Central. On Friday night, Dunbar aimed to slow down the Knights, who feature nine seniors on their squad.
The last time the two teams met, Lexington Catholic dominated the Bulldogs to the tune of 87-48 on the road. Senior Tyler Doyle scored 27 points on 10-15 shooting in their first matchup. This time, Lexington Catholic was led by John Reinhart, who, before the game, was honored after scoring 1,000 points for the Knights.
He followed this momentous honor with a nuclear first-half performance. Reinhart dazzled with five threes, each looking better than the last. Each triple sizzled through the net, making that beautiful swish sound that every basketball player craves. Lexington Catholic Coach Brandon Salsman spoke on Reinhart’s impact.
“He got a thousand points on Tuesday night, and, you know, he just does a great job of getting open, and when he hits a three, you can feel the energy on our team pick up.”
Knights Pull Away
Even with Dunbar keeping it within a possession as late as the second quarter, the Knights never seemed fazed as they commanded a 35-16 lead at the half. Lexington Catholic’s 2-1-2 press caused havoc in the backcourt, forcing multiple turnovers from the Bulldogs.
Mason VanDyke tried to keep Dunbar in the game with a beautiful step back, leading to a four-point play. However, the play of Reinhart and Doyle proved to be too much. Doyle commanded the game at the point, with aggressive drives breaking up the defense multiple times.
Coach Salsman raved about Doyle’s impact, “He’s always looking for the pass, and we’ve tried to get him to become more selfish and put the ball in the basket, but he’s almost unstoppable in a full-court set and doing some things like that.
“So if he continues to do that, he’s going to be really good and he’s going to be great at the next level too.”
In all, the Knights cruised through the second half on their way to a 78-43 victory. Reinhart finished with 15 as Doyle added 21.
Turnovers proved to be a major difference as Lexington Catholic continued to force possession losses at an elite level. The Knights forced 16 turnovers, leading to many easy buckets in transition. Lexington Catholic is elite from behind the arc as they continued this trend, making 10-19 from three.
If the Knights shoot efficiently and force turnovers like they did against Dunbar, they’ll be a real threat to cut the nets at Rupp Arena this spring.
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