Loaded field of top players, top teams on tap for Lexington Catholic holiday tournament
A sensational field that includes many of the state’s top boys’ high school basketball scorers, including Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard, and best teams, such as freshly minted No. 1 Warren Central, will take part in this week’s White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic, which begins Tuesday at Lexington Catholic.
Among the standouts scheduled to play are Lyon County’s Travis Perry, a junior guard targeted by Kentucky and more than a dozen other schools; Ballard’s Gabe Sisk, a three-star senior; Covington Holy Cross’s Jacob Meyer, who led the state in scoring with 38.2 points per game last season and is being pursued by Marshall and many more; and Woodford County’s Jasper Johnson, a sophomore who already has offers from the likes of Memphis and Xavier.
Host Lexington Catholic, of course, features 6-foot-11 Miami (Ohio) commit Reece Potter while Woodford also has 6-foot-9 Murray State commit John McCrear.
Last season’s holiday classic included a scintillating 50-point game for Reed Sheppard and a come-from-behind win in the finals by Clark County, the eventual Sweet 16 champions.
The most anticipated first-round game this season might be the 7 p.m. Tuesday tilt between Covington Holy Cross (5-4) and No. 10 Lyon County (9-3), which pits last year’s statewide leading scorer Meyer up against Lyon County’s Perry, who averaged 27.5 points per game in 2021-22 and has been climbing the state’s all-time scoring charts since seventh grade.
Through Thursday, Perry ranked fifth all-time with 3,549 career points. If he stays healthy, over the next few games he will surpass every player on the KHSAA’s all-time list but Wayland legend King Kelly Coleman (4,337 points).
No. 1 Warren Central (9-0) came within a hair of the Boys’ Sweet 16 title last season and brought a loaded roster back for this year’s campaign. The Dragons cruised through Louisville’s King of the Bluegrass tournament last week, thumping No. 4 Great Crossing 89-56 in its finals. Warren Central opens with 11th Region contender Madison Central (4-4) at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Tuesday’s 8 p.m. nightcap will feature a 39th District rival showdown between Bracken County (8-2) and No. 8 Mason County (8-0), two of the 10th Region’s best teams. The Polar Bears are led by junior guard Blake Reed, this season’s statewide scoring leader at 32.3 points per game.
Participants Lexington Catholic (9-1), Covington Holy Cross (5-2), Ballard (7-1) and North Oldham (8-4) fell just outside of last week’s Associated Press top 10 poll, and the field also includes No. 5 Bowling Green (9-1), one of the teams that toppled No. 6 North Laurel (7-4) this month.
“You know, in my 30 years of being involved in this tournament, it’s got to be one of the best fields we’ve ever had,” Lexington Catholic Coach Brandon Salsman said. “There’s just so many good teams with so many good players. It’s such an exciting event this year. We’re very excited to get it going.”
Holiday tournament
What: White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic
Where: Lexington Catholic
Tickets: $10
Streaming: PPV at Go.PrepSpin.com
Schedule
Tuesday’s games
North Oldham vs. West Jessamine, 9:30 a.m.
Woodford County vs. Ballard, 11 a.m.
No. 5 Bowling Green vs. Fern Creek, 12:30 p.m.
No. 1 Warren Central vs. Madison Central, 2 p.m.
Christian Academy-Louisville vs. Lexington Catholic, 4 p.m.
No. 6 North Laurel vs.Campbell County, 5:30 p.m.
Covington Holy Cross vs. No. 10 Lyon County, 7 p.m.
Bracken County vs. Mason County, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s games
Warren Central-Madison Central winner vs. Mason County-Bracken County winner, 3:30 p.m.
Bowling Green-Fern Creek winner vs. Christian Academy-Louisville-Lexington Catholic winner, 5 p.m.
North Oldham-West Jessamine winner vs. North Laurel-Campbell County winner, 6:30 p.m.
Woodford County-Ballard winner vs. Covington Holy Cross-Lyon County winner, 8 p.m.
Thursday’s games
Semifinal 1, 5:30 p.m.
Semifinal 2, 8 p.m.
Friday’s games
Consolation game, 5:30 p.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 6:45 AM.
