Sayre boys surge into 11th Region All ‘A’ Classic finals; LCA girls off to record start
Not much went right for Sayre through more than two and a half quarters in its 11th Region All “A” Classic semifinals game Thursday against Lexington Christian.
Then almost everything did.
After trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half, the Spartans rallied for a 60-55 win over LCA at Frankfort High School’s F.D. Wilkinson Gymnasium to advance to Saturday’s region finals where they will face Berea for a spot in the statewide All “A” Classic for the state’s smallest schools later this month.
“We had a crazy stat — I think we were 6-for-30 from the field in the first half,” said junior guard Brock Coffman, who led Sayre with 17 points and 15 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. “So, we came out with a game plan to get a whole bunch of stops. Coach put us in a press, and we got a bunch of turnovers and executed.”
Early in the second half, it looked like LCA would run away with it as a 29-22 halftime lead stretched to 34-22 when the Eagles opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Simon King and tacked on a Hagan Preston bucket soon after. Saxton Howard and Andersen Green also notched 3-pointers over the next few minutes to help the Eagles hold a 43-33 with 4:10 left in the third.
“We knew that shots would start falling. … We didn’t really change much,” Sayre coach Rob Goodman said. “We stuck to our game plan and kept grinding, and, you know, we’ve got some guys who will absolutely ‘D’ you up.”
Over the next six minutes, Sayre went on a 20-4 run fueled by offensive rebounds, LCA turnovers and the hot hands of Noah Gallagher and Ian Reesor.
Gallagher knocked down all four of his 3-pointers in the second half, including a second-chance bucket off Reesor’s offensive rebound seconds into the fourth quarter that gave Sayre a 48-47 lead. Gallagher finished with 12 points, while Reesor scored 10 of his 13 points after halftime.
Chase Parker’s driving layup and subsequent foul shot for a 53-47 lead with 5:32 left completed the Sayre rally that LCA couldn’t answer. Parker finished with 12 points.
Sayre dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 25 offensive rebounds which led to 22 second-chance points.
“I knew we were going to fight back because I knew we always have that grit,” Coffman said. “All of us wanted it. I’m just proud of our team.”
Saxton Howard and Hagan Preston led LCA (7-7) with 23 and 16 points, respectively.
Sayre (11-4) will play Berea at 4 p.m. Saturday in Frankfort as the second game of a girls-boys 11th Region All “A” Classic finals doubleheader. Berea (12-4) defeated Model 41-39 on Finley Blevins’ driving layup with 1.5 second left in Thursday’s second semifinals matchup.
LCA girls off to record start
Lexington Christian’s girls team is off to its best start in program history at 13-2.
And that’s something for a team that once had a run of remarkable success more than a decade ago, including the 2007 Girls Sweet 16 and All “A” Classic state championships. LCA won three consecutive All “A” Classic small-school state championships from 2007 to 2009.
Though hard times have hit since, third-year coach Tim Bradshaw has the Eagles on course for their first winning season since 2011 despite not having a single senior on the roster.
The Eagles’ 64-42 win over Sayre on Wednesday was their ninth straight and placed them in Saturday’s 11th Region All “A” Classic finals where they will face five-time defending champion Berea at 2 p.m.
A pair of juniors lead LCA in scoring. Chapel Brown had 21 points against Sayre and averages 14.3 points per game, just ahead of Claire Roberts’ 14.1. Roberts chipped in 14 points and four assists against the Spartans.
Berea’s nine All “A” Classic region titles is second only to LCA’s 15. The Eagles also hold the longest All “A” title streak in the 11th with 12 straight from 2001 to 2012. They last won it in 2018.
Berea (10-5) is led by seniors Abigail Beard (15.5 ppg) and Sophie Brewer (12.5 ppg).
Saturday
All “A” Classic 11th Region finals
At Frankfort High School’s F.D. Wilkinson Gymnasium
Girls championship
2 p.m: Lexington Christian (13-2) vs. Berea (10-5).
Boys championship
4 p.m.: Sayre (11-4) vs. Berea (12-4)
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 8:29 AM.
