‘Hopefully, we pack this place.’ Bryan Station, Douglass meet for holiday tourney title.
Bryan Station and Frederick Douglass decided to put an extra trophy on the line in their annual boys basketball rivalry this season.
The Herald-Leader preseason No. 10 Defenders (11-1) and No. 12 Broncos (9-2) will no doubt contend for 42nd District and 11th Region titles in two months as two of Central Kentucky’s best teams.
But at 7 p.m. Monday, they’ll face off in Lexington Catholic’s White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic finals after vanquishing a loaded field in one of the state’s premier December tournaments. The event included 11 teams ranked in the H-L coaches’ poll preseason top 25.
“It shows you how strong Lexington Basketball is,” Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon said after his team topped No. 15 Manual 62-50 in Sunday’s semifinals. “I think it’s great for the city. Hopefully, we pack this place.”
Last season, games between 42nd District rivals Bryan Station, Douglass, Henry Clay and Sayre routinely drew capacity crowds that had school officials turning late-comers away.
Douglass coach Murray Garvin cited those atmospheres as a big reason why he returned to coaching after a year off. He’s the fourth Douglass coach in four seasons. But each of those prior years included a 42nd District championship. Garvin is looking to keep the streak alive. It’s possible Bryan Station and Douglass could meet each other five times in that pursuit.
“This is just the first round of a heavyweight fight,” Garvin said after the Broncos ousted LaRue County 72-59 in Sunday’s late semifinal. “Whoever wins it is going to win a championship and that’s good, but I think Coach Ligon and myself, we’re after a regional championship and we want to be in there in Rupp Arena. So, we’ll go Round 1, tomorrow (Monday).”
The Defenders’ only loss came in Louisville Fairdale’s King of the Bluegrass tournament against Bryant, Arkansas, a top-10 team in that state. Five of their nine wins have been against H-L preseason top 25 teams.
“Man, we’re dogs. It’s been a fun journey,” said Bryan Station junior point guard Amari Owens, who averages 27 points per game and hit that number in the win over Manual. Owens believes his team can cap December with a victory. “We’ve been playing the best teams. We’ve worked hard. And we’re ready. … All we’ve got to do is play better and want it more.”
The Broncos’ only losses have come against the state’s two best teams, No. 1 Great Crossing and No. 2 St. Xavier. They’ve taken down No. 4 Male, No. 17 Cooper and No. 25 Ballard. The WGM tournament bracket could have put No. 7 Woodford County and No. 21 Calloway County in their path this week, but both were upset in the early stages.
“We’ve shown a lot of good flashes,” senior forward Logan Busson said. “Obviously, we have two losses to two of the best teams in the state, but we’ve shown flashes that we can play and beat those teams. We’ve just got to keep improving every single game.”
Four players scored in double figures for the Broncos against LaRue County on Sunday, led by Jaunte Jenkins’ 16 points. DeMarcus Surratt, who shrugged off an illness last week, leads the team with 16.3 points per game.
In the grand scheme of things, a holiday tournament title pales in significance to the goals ahead, but December tourneys always serve a purpose, Ligon said.
“We’re playing some of the best teams in the state. And, you know, when it gets to district, region, and Sweet 16, hopefully we’re going to be playing the same level of competition,” Ligon said. “It’s good to play these games, because we can play a lot of people and win by 30, but you don’t really, necessarily learn anything about yourself. These games make you learn about what your strengths and weaknesses are.”
Monday
White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic championship
At Lexington Catholic
7 p.m.: Bryan Station vs. Frederick Douglass
PPV streaming: Go.PrepSpin.com
