‘Getting the hang of it.’ Douglass finds chemistry ahead of pivotal rematch with rival.
A season after its first 11th Region championship and a historic run to the Boys Sweet 16 semifinals, Frederick Douglass has dealt with a few setbacks.
But with a 71-44 win over 42nd District rival Henry Clay on Tuesday, the Broncos could be getting themselves right for another run to the postseason.
“This is probably the closest we’ve been to being a full team since the first of the season,” Douglass coach Stephon Harris said after Tuesday’s win.
Four different players scored in double figures against the Blue Devils, led by junior guard Aveion Chenault’s 16 points, which included four 3-pointers.
“I feel like we’re finally getting the hang of it. The chemistry is getting a lot better,” Chenault said. “And everybody’s finding their role in the team. We’re just becoming a great team for the district (schedule).”
Douglass has a history of slow starts because many of its players, including starters Chenault and senior forward Logan Busson, also play for its successful football team. That means they miss more than a month of basketball practices.
Busson also missed a few early games as he recovered from a football injury. Lafayette transfer DeMarcus Surratt missed seven games with a prolonged illness that he’s still working back into shape from, Harris said. Last week against Madison Central, leading scorer Armelo Boone turned his ankle and missed a few practices to rest.
“This is my 25th year coaching. I’ve seen it all and I know it’s a marathon and not a race,” said Harris, who stepped into the head coaching role in November after Douglass unexpectedly announced last season’s 11th Region coach of the year Wes Scarberry was taking an indefinite leave of absence. “I’ve just got to articulate that in a way that they don’t get down and feed into the social media and all the outside noise. The district games are the only games that really count, right now.”
Against Henry Clay, Busson scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Surratt chipped in 13 points, including a pair of rousing dunks. Boone came off the bench to score 11.
Douglass took control from the outset, leading 21-12 after one quarter and 36-22 at halftime. Henry Clay (16-2) got 15 points from Jackson Stephan and 10 each from Isaiah Stephan and Hassan Bush, but it could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.
The Broncos (13-5, 3-1 in district) have faced a difficult schedule. All of their losses have come to ranked teams — No. 1 Great Crossing, No. 2 Lyon County, No. 13 Bryan Station, No. 15 Woodford County and a DeSales team rated No. 17 by Dave Cantrall.
Next comes a pivotal rematch Friday with Bryan Station (16-1, 3-0), a game that could decide the 42nd District Tournament’s top seed. The Defenders broke a five-game series losing streak to Douglass with a 73-60 win at The Farm on Jan. 9. That victory combined with a 77-51 rout of previously unbeaten Henry Clay three nights later propelled the Northsiders into the statewide media rankings.
Led by standout sophomore Amari Owens, Bryan Station has won 11 straight, including a narrow 64-62 decision at Sayre on Tuesday in which Owens scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
In the Jan. 9 loss, Douglass shot an abysmal 35.5% from the field and an even worse 15.8% (3 of 19) from 3-point range.
“We learned if we don’t come out hard and play the way that we’re supposed to play then it can get ugly,” Chenault said. “Every team is going to come out and play their hardest against us.”
Friday
7:30 p.m.: Frederick Douglass at Bryan Station
