Top 5 showdown: Newcomer’s big shot helps Douglass snatch comeback win over Bryan Station
Tate Robinson didn’t know much about Kentucky high school basketball when he transferred to Frederick Douglass from his school in Utah after his father, Nick, became part of new University of Kentucky coach Mark Pope’s staff.
Certainly nothing could have prepared him for standing on the court in front of the third consecutive capacity crowd on hand for Lexington’s hottest rivalry as No. 3 Douglass traveled to the Northside to face No. 5 Bryan Station.
Douglass had already beaten Bryan Station for a holiday tournament trophy at Lexington Catholic on Dec. 30 and in the first regular season matchup between the two 42nd District foes at home two weeks ago. Those wins only seemed to fuel the intensity of this feud.
“That was something different. With the band and the crowd noise, you can’t hear anything,” Robinson said. “It was awesome.”
When Robinson’s number was called in the final minute of a game Douglass had trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, he was ready.
The 6-foot-2 junior nailed a 3-pointer from just right of the key with 30.3 seconds left in the game. It gave the Broncos their first lead of the second half. Their defense made it stand for a 49-48 win that snapped Bryan Station’s 18-game home win streak and polished Douglass’ résumé as one of the state’s elite teams.
“Tate Robinson. Talk about him. From Utah coming in, we were like ‘What is he?’” said teammate DeMarcus Surratt. “He is the best shooter in Kentucky. … He didn’t get many shots, but he got a big one when it mattered.”
Surratt, a 6-4 junior, threw down a dunk in the game’s opening moments and helped guide Douglass’ comeback down the stretch by scoring nine of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.
“Before the season even starts, we’re thinking, ‘Man, that game at Station is going to be wild,’” Surratt said. “It’s always a packed house, standing-room only. It’s amazing to come out on top.”
Douglass nearly fumbled away its chance to tie or take the lead moments earlier, when a blocked shot by the Defenders turned into a loose-ball scrum that sent the ball streaking out of bounds off a Bryan Station player with 46.8 seconds to go.
To that point, Robinson had scored only three points, making one of his three long-range attempts late in the third quarter. But as Surratt said, Robinson is one of the best 3-point shooters in the state, making them at a rate of 52.2 percent. He was due to make the next.
Jaunte “JJ” Jenkins brought the ball up court, rubbed past a screen up top set by teammate Logan Busson and veered into the lane where it looked like he was going to get another screen from Robinson for a drive to the basket. But Robinson flashed to the 3-point line instead as his defender got caught in the traffic. Jenkins turned and passed the ball back to Robinson without hesitation.
“It felt routine. I mean, I’ve shot that shot hundreds of times,” Robinson said. “I’m just glad that my teammates are able to trust me to hit those shots in those moments.”
Bryan Station looked determined to exact revenge on the Broncos and square their regular season series to help determine the top seed in the 42nd District Tournament later this month. Their holiday tournament game doesn’t directly affect the district standings.
The Defenders led 20-19 at halftime and went on an 11-0 run to start the third quarter that included a pair of 3-pointers by Rashaad Faulkner. Amari Owens capped the rally with a second-chance bucket to give Bryan Station its largest lead 31-19 with 4:21 to play in the period.
Owens led the Defenders with 14 points, 11 off his average. Taeshawn Adams added 10 points. Faulkner finished with nine.
“It’s a heavyweight fight when we play Bryan Station,” Douglass coach Murray Garvin said. “And it’s going to go 32 minutes.”
Nearly every Douglass player figured in their comeback as the Broncos got buckets from James Clare, Aveion Chenault and Dakari Talbert in addition to Surratt, Jenkins and Robinson down the stretch.
Douglass forced six Bryan Station turnovers in the fourth quarter. Chenault blocked Bryan Station’s attempted game-winner with three seconds left.
“We have dogs, and we trust each other,” Surratt said. “We have guys that are together and we’re a family. All that came together and we got the win.”
