Late rally sparks Lexington Catholic to Kentucky 2A Championships title win
A couple of clutch three-pointers by sophomore guard John Reinhart helped Lexington Catholic erase a seven-point third-quarter deficit and the Knights’ defense shut down defending 13th Region champion Knox Central in the fourth quarter to earn a 48-44 victory in the finals of this year’s Kentucky 2A Championships in Owensboro on Sunday.
“We knew we needed something special to happen and John Reinhart, who wasn’t having the greatest tournament ever, steps up and makes two of the biggest threes,” Lexington Catholic Coach Brandon Salsman said. “That really sent us forward, and we were just stellar from the free-throw line going down the stretch.”
Trailing 37-30 with two minutes to go in the third quarter, LexCath big man Reece Potter (6-foot-11) hit a short hook shot to narrow the gap. A minute later, a Hudson Sparks steal set up Reinhart’s first three-pointer from the right wing to cut the deficit to 37-35. They were Reinhart’s first points of the game.
Knox Central’s Jevonte Turner, last season’s 13th Region Player of the Year, got a bucket to give the Panthers a 39-35 advantage just before the end of the third quarter. Turner finished with a game-high 21 points.
Reinhart hit his second three-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter and got a floater in the lane that pulled the Knights to within 44-42 with about four minutes left. A Jack Gohmann steal and fast-break layup tied the game at 44 with 3:30 to play. Free throws settled it from there.
Over the full course of the rally, Lexington Catholic outscored Knox Central 18-7 over the game’s final 10 minutes and held the Panthers to a single point over the last five.
“We lost a rebounding battle, 41-20, those guys, and we were still able to come out with a winner. So I was very excited,” Salsman said. “Our defense is playing at a very high level and that team there has been averaging 70 to 75 points per game. They are really good.”
Potter, who finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and four blocks, was named the tournament’s MVP. Gohmann added 10 points and five assists.
In its third year, the Kentucky 2A Championships opens play in basketball as the season begins in December with 28 member schools divided into eight geographic sections for both boys’ and girls’ basketball. The format brings the eight section winners to the Owensboro Sportscenter for a three-day event culminating in boys’ and girls’ title games.
Lexington Catholic defeated Adair County 60-27 on Friday and topped 10th Region contender Mason County 57-55 on Saturday in the semifinals. Lawrence County was the other boys’ semifinalist, losing 89-64 to Knox Central.
John Hardin won the mid-size school boys’ title in each of the event’s first two years.
Christian Academy-Louisville defeated Rowan County 62-54 Sunday afternoon for its third consecutive girls’ 2A title.
“I’m a big fan (of the 2A). The people who say it’s a push for classification are dead wrong,” Salsman said. “It just gives other schools a chance to play in an arena in a tournament atmosphere that will only propel you and help you in the end.”
This same weekend, the Louisville Invitational Tournament pitted some of the best boys’ and girls’ teams in the city against a few of the state’s best. Later this month, the All “A” Classic, the inspiration for the 2A event, will hold its boys’ and girls’ field-of-16 games among its region champions in Richmond.
Sunday’s win marked the fourth 2A championship this year for Lexington Catholic. The Knights also won the 2A’s boys’ and girls’ soccer tournaments and its volleyball tournament.
This story was originally published January 16, 2022 at 6:01 PM.
