No. 2 Lexington Catholic Survives Road Clash with Frederick Douglass
The #2 team in the state, the Lexington Catholic Knights, took their 24-2 record on the road across the city to play the 17-9 Frederick Douglass Broncos.
Douglass was coming off a rough three-game losing streak where star player Armelo Boone was sidelined with an injury. However, the Broncos got a big win Tuesday over Henry Clay, getting back in the win column. On the other hand, Lexington Catholic has not left the win column in a long time.
The Knights entered riding a 12-1 record in their previous 13 games. What happens when a great team goes on the road playing a team desperate to put wins together? Wednesday night proved that the answer is usually a classic.
First Half Dominance from Lexington Catholic
That being said, after the team teams squared off in the first quarter, a classic was far from the minds of those in attendance. Lexington Catholic began the game with a barrage of offense from all parties. Senior John Reinhart continued to be one of the best shooters in the state with four first-quarter triples.
Lexington Catholic head coach Brandon Salsman spoke on Reinhart’s elite shooting, “I mean, it feels like it’s gonna go in every time, so you know I’m not that far off of it. He’s been one of the best shooters I’ve coached.” He continued, “He’s third all-time in the school’s history and three points made, and the number one guy was Mr. Basketball. So he’s doing great. You know, I’m proud of his other things, but he’s got to continue to work, which he will.”
Work he did. Reinhart opened the offense up for others to create.
Tyler Doyle ran the point as well as he has all year, and senior Rowan Williams provided Lexington Catholic with an intensity that was needed out of the gate. The Knights commanded a 21-6 lead after the first, a thorough butt-kicking. The second quarter was a complete 180 from the first though, and Douglass started playing great defense. In fact, Douglass outscored Lex Cath in the second quarter 14-11 to only be down 12 at the half.
“They went one of 11 at halftime. And we knew that that wasn’t going to last. You know, we knew they had missed some that they probably thought should have gone down.” Coach Salsman said on the resurgent Broncos.
Second half Scaries
The third quarter saw the emergence of Douglass sophomore forward DeMarcus Sarratt, as he locked down Doyle on defense and started to get offense for himself. Also, Armelo Boone began to play like himself again.
Boone entered the game averaging 21.6 ppg and was returning from an injury, so it seemed he settled down in the second half. Logan Busson began to get physical for Douglass, and this allowed the Broncos to control the third quarter, outscoring Lex Cath 15-9.
Once Armelo Boone takes over, it leaves the opposing team scared. However, not when the other squad has Tyler Doyle commanding their offense. Doyle battled hard in the paint, and Reinhart added two threes as the fourth quarter got close. Then, Boone and Sarratt both splashed threes to bring the Broncos all the way back to only trailing by two.
Doyle gave credit to Douglass and their fight, “They beat us in the region last year. So we had a little chip on our shoulder. We were going to come out hard regardless. And they responded well.”
However, it was Lexington Catholic that sealed the game with crucial stops and a John Reinhart three. Doyle then knocked down free throws to ice the game away.
Doyle spoke on Reinhart, “So anytime I get the chance to get down here and get in the paint, I’m going to drive. And it just opens up a lot. And we got John, one of the best shooters in the state. So it’s an easy kick-out for me. And he’s going to hit it probably 50% of the time.”
The game, unfortunately, ended with a scuffle that saw Armelo Boone ejected. Aveion Chenault received a technical along for the Broncos along with Lex Cath’s Rowan Williams. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but suspensions could follow as some players seemed to leave their benches.
All in all, it was a game that solidified Lexington Catholic as one of the best in Kentucky and Douglass as a frisky team that nobody wanted to see. Tyler Doyle and John Reinhart finished with 21 and 20, respectively, while Armelo Boone scored 21 for Douglass.
Coach Salsman spoke on his team, “Anytime I had Johnny Reinhardt and Tyler Doyle and Roan Williams, and you know, my senior guys and Reinhardt were on the floor. You know, I feel like we’ve always got a chance. Playing these close games going down the stretch will do nothing but help us.”
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