Top teams, star players (including UK commit Reed Sheppard) headline LexCath tourney
Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard and his North Laurel Jaguars and Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 Ballard are among the top players and teams in town beginning Sunday to compete in the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.
The action begins at 11 a.m. Sunday as 15 teams will play over four days, culminating in what is sure to be a top-flight finals on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
No. 6 North Laurel (6-2) opens against perennial powerhouse Trinity (4-6) at 7 p.m. Sunday. Sheppard, a 6-foot-3 junior who committed to UK last month, has been averaging 24.6 points and 6.9 per game and was recently named the most valuable player of the King of the Bluegrass holiday tournament in Louisville despite the Jaguars falling to No. 3 Covington Catholic in the event finals.
Earlier Sunday, at 3 p.m., No. 1 Ballard (6-3), led by 6-foot-9 senior center Maker Bar, faces up-and-coming Great Crossing (7-1), which features 6-foot-10 freshman sensation Malachi Moreno (11.6 points, 14.6 rebounds).
Among the other top teams scheduled to take part in this year’s classic are No. 5 Clark County (8-1); No. 7 Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-4); No. 8 Madison Central (6-2), the defending 11th Region champion; No. 10 Bardstown (6-1); No. 16 Pleasure Ridge Park (8-1); and host No. 13 Lexington Catholic (9-1), which has coveted big man Reece Potter, a 6-foot-11 junior who has been averaging 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season.
One of Sunday’s best games could come in the first one out of the blocks at 11 a.m. as a resurgent Henry Clay (10-0) program takes on Woodford County (8-1), a team bolstered by transfers John McCrear and Jackson Twombly this season.
This week
What: White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic boys’ basketball tournament
Where: Lexington Catholic
When: Sunday through Wednesday (game times vary, LexCath has two gyms)
Select Sunday games include: North Laurel vs. Trinity, 7 p.m.; Madison Central vs. Bardstown, 9 p.m.; Henry Clay vs. Woodford County, 11 a.m.; Pleasure Ridge Park vs. Dunbar, 1 p.m.; Lexington Catholic vs. McCreary Central, 5 p.m.
Quarterfinals: 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Monday
Semifinals: 6 and 8 p.m. Tuesday
Finals: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Complete schedule: Online at https://bit.ly/3pnIkBc
Tickets: $10
Pay-per-view video stream: Go.PrepSpin.com
This story was originally published December 24, 2021 at 11:12 AM.
