‘A tough out.’ Lexington Catholic boys lock down Lexington Christian to win district title.
As Lexington Catholic was announced the winner of the 2023 boys’ 43rd District basketball tournament following a 61-39 victory over rival Lexington Christian on Friday night, the LexCath student section — known as “The Dungeon” — repeatedly chanted, “Brandon Salsman!”
Salsman, the proud coach of the back-to-back district champion Knights, witnessed his team defeat LCA for the third time this season. And much has changed since their first meeting on Jan. 3, when LexCath pulled off a comeback win after the Eagles’ red-hot start.
On Friday night, Lexington Catholic opened the game on a 10-0 run.
“We knew who we had to come out to play,” Lexington Catholic senior center Reece Potter said. “The (Jan. 3) game, they started out 18-0, and we just had to repay the favor. We had to start out strong because we knew they were gonna come out with a lot of energy. They’re a great team coached by great coaches, and we knew we had to start off strong and get the night started.”
Salsman believes the Knights’ 67-66 victory earlier this season was a turning point for his team’s season.
“We owe them a debt of gratitude,” Salsman said. “They kind of woke us up there in that game and we kind of figured out what we were. And what that is, is a great defensive team. I mean, we’re really doing a great job of understanding scouting reports and locking people down. This is the best defensive team I’ve ever had. I mean, in my 30 years of being involved here at Lexington Catholic. They enjoy playing defense, they like it. They do a great job. So if they can continue that mold, we’re going to be a tough out.”
The fourth-ranked Knights (30-2) forced 11 turnovers while conceding only four on Friday night. Lexington Catholic also recorded six steals and grabbed 13 defensive rebounds.
Offensively, the Knights were unstoppable. In the first half, the district champs shot 75 percent from the field. Overall, they landed 58.1 percent of their shots.
John Reinhart led the way with 23 points, followed by Potter with 13 and Tyler Doyle 11. Potter was named tournament MVP. All three made the all-tournament team.
Saxton Howard topped the Eagles (23-9) with 10 points.
Reinhart, a sharp-shooting junior, received his own chant — “Johnny Buckets!” — from the student section. His 23 points came on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers.
Reinhart’s strategy for the night?
“Come in here and have fun,” he said. “Beat their butts. We don’t like them, so it was fun to beat them.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 9:06 AM.