‘It certainly means a lot.’ Sayre appreciates hard-fought shot at All ‘A’ Classic
When Sayre defeated Lexington Christian 70-63 in the All “A” Classic’s 11th Region Tournament at Model High School in Richmond on Jan. 15, it ended years of frustration for the Spartans’ program — 24 years.
Spartans Coach Rob Goodman knows that frustration well. He was an assistant coach in 1998 for the only other Spartans team to advance to the full All “A” Classic, the midseason state tournament reserved for small-school programs. He took over head coaching duties in 2013.
“I can’t explain why we haven’t been back other than the 11th Region is tough, and there’s always been some good teams,” Goodman said. “The stars have got to align. Fortunately, this year was our year. I feel like we have a very good team.”
The 11th Region has had three All “A” Classic state champions, Lexington Catholic, twice, in 1992 and 1997 before the Knights outgrew the event, and Lexington Christian in 2018. LCA has been the 11th Region All “A” representative 16 times, the third most of any school.
Of the seven 11th Region teams who battled in this year’s All “A’‘ regional, only LCA, Frankfort, Model and Sayre have advanced to the statewide event in its 32-year history.
“It certainly means a lot,” Goodman said. “It’s a great tournament.”
Senior guard Zander Collett, Sayre’s leading scorer at 19.9 points per game, sat out Monday night’s game against 42nd District opponent Scott County as a precaution as he comes off a non-COVID-19 illness. He knows what being in the All “A” means to Sayre. He’s expected to be in the lineup on Thursday when Sayre faces Covington Holy Cross.
“The past few years, we’ve been really close to winning (the region),” Collett said. “Last year we lost in the finals. It was also the first time we’ve beaten LCA in almost 20 years. … The year before they knocked us out in the first round. … So, to get them back in my senior year, it feels great.”
Sayre lost to Scott County 64-56 Monday in a game the Spartans trailed by as many as 18 points early in the fourth quarter before storming to close the gap in the final two minutes.
“We still have moments,” Goodman said. “We’ve gotten over so many humps since I’ve been here. We’ve beaten some city schools and done some good things. … You never like losing, but we weren’t scared to death when we walked on the floor and we still competed even when we got down.”
Like in their game against LCA, senior Dant Bowling and junior Davis Miller stepped up their production above their season averages against Scott County, a welcome sign. Collett expressed confidence in them and the rest of his teammates.
“Those guys can play. It can be any of us on any night,” Collet said. “It’s good to see them play well when I’m not out there.”
Thursday night, in the last game of the boys’ All “A” Classic opening round at 9:30 p.m. Sayre will face a Covington Holy Cross team who has the state’s leading scorer, Jacob Meyer, a junior guard who averages 39.9 points per game.
“He’s special. He can score and he can score in bunches,” Goodman said. “We’re going to work hard and get ready, but more importantly, I’m worried about my team stepping on the floor and how are they going to stop us. We’ve got to execute our offense and score points as well. …
“We can’t wait to get down there and play some basketball.”
All ‘A’ Classic
When: Wednesday through Sunday
Where: Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena in Richmond
Tickets: $10
Video stream: Pay per view ($10) at Go.PrepSpin.com.
All ‘A’ Classic schedule
Games listed in bracket order.
BOYS’ TOURNAMENT
Thursday’s games
8:30 a.m.: Danville Christian (14-5) vs. Murray (15-2)
10 a.m.: Pikeville (15-1) vs. Owensboro Catholic (10-9)
11:30 a.m.: West Carter (8-7) vs. Todd Co. Central (15-3)
1 p.m.: Kentucky Country Day (10-8) vs. Evangel Christian (8-7)
5 p.m.: Walton-Verona (11-8) vs. Bracken Co. (14-4)
6:30 p.m.: Campbellsville (12-7) vs. Harlan (13-6)
8 p.m.: Breathitt Co. (14-4) vs. Lyon Co. (12-4)
9:30 p.m.: Covington Holy Cross (14-6) vs. Sayre (9-9)
Friday’s quarterfinals
Tip-offs at 5, 6:30, 8 and 9:30 p.m.
Saturday’s semifinals
Tip-offs at 3 and 4:30 p.m.
Sunday’s finals
2 p.m.: Championship
GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT
Wednesday’s games
Owen Co. 72, Carlisle Co. 46
Jackson Co. 44, Cumberland Co. 28
Covington Holy Cross 60, Paris 36
Lyon Co. 59, Campbellsville 40
Owensboro Catholic 39, Berea 33
Whitefield Academy 51, Louisville Holy Cross 44
West Carter 53, Knott Co. Central 49
Pikeville 63, Danville Christian 32
Friday’s quarterfinals
8:30 a.m.: Owen Co. (15-6) vs. Jackson Co. (15-4)
10 a.m.: Covington Holy Cross (14-8) vs. Lyon Co. (12-8)
11:30 a.m.: Owensboro Catholic (16-6) vs. Whitefield Academy (17-5)
1 p.m.: West Carter (16-4) vs. Pikeville (18-1)
Saturday’s semifinals
Tip-offs at noon, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday’s finals
Noon: Championship
This story was originally published January 25, 2022 at 7:58 AM.
