11th Region has some of state’s best teams; district tourneys set to prove who’s for real
The 11th Region has some of the most talked about teams in the state as district tournament play begins Monday, tipping off two weeks of postseason competition to see who will get to Rupp Arena for the Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16 state championships.
On the boys side, Great Crossing, Frederick Douglass and Bryan Station rank Nos. 2, 3 and 5 in the latest statewide media poll. The defending region champion Warhawks, featuring 6-foot-10 Kentucky signee Malachi Moreno, were the overwhelming Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 as chosen by the state’s coaches, but a December loss to now-No. 1 St. Xavier set them back.
For the girls, the 11th has No. 4 Franklin County, No. 11 Madison Central and No. 12 Frederick Douglass. The Flyers have won four of the last five region titles, interrupted by Douglass in 2023 with a team that included a few of the standouts on its current roster. Sadly, Kate Baker, one of the Broncos’ senior leaders and top scorers suffered a season-ending knee injury on Tuesday.
But the ranked teams are by no means a lock to survive the upcoming district and region tournaments. History has shown that.
Plenty of dangerous teams
Lexington Catholic knocked off boys No. 9 Danville Christian on Tuesday. Last week Henry Clay toppled No. 3 Douglass in an overtime thriller. Then Sayre, this year’s boys All “A” Classic region champion stunned Henry Clay at home Monday with a last-second 3-pointer by John Palumbo to win another overtime classic, 57-54.
Sayre (16-11) has been within a possession of beating No. 5 Bryan Station (22-6) twice this year but must get by Scott County in Monday’s first round to set up a semifinals matchup with No. 3 Douglass (22-3) the next day. Sayre coach Robbie Goodman is hoping some of the hard luck the Spartans have had in arguably the state’s toughest district turns around.
“We’ve played six top-10 teams and, I think 12 top-25 teams altogether,” Goodman said. “I’d say this is one of the best teams, certainly one of the most athletic teams, coming from Sayre. … That’s why we scheduled so hard to try to challenge them and try to get ready. Hopefully, it prepares us for the tournament.”
While a 4 seed getting past its play-in game and then knocking off a top seed ranked No. 3 in the state might seem far-fetched, the 42nd District has seen it done. Frederick Douglass pulled off the unlikely run in 2020 by knocking off then-No. 3 Henry Clay in an overtime semifinal. Goodman knows his team must beat Scott County (6-20) to have a chance to match history.
“If we show up to play, we know we have a chance to compete with the best and have a chance to win against them,” Goodman said. “Scott County is well coached, and they’re still Scott County. It’ll be a war to get past Monday.”
In the 43rd District, Lexington Catholic 20-9) went unbeaten in district play and will be the favorite to repeat.
Lafayette (12-16), while under .500, quietly put together a 5-3 district mark and secured the district’s second seed. Unfortunately, coach Vince Sanford was down with the flu when the Generals clinched that berth with a 59-57 win at Tates Creek on Monday.
“I was asleep for two days,” said Sanford, who was gratified nonetheless for the best district mark of his three-year tenure. “We’ve been able to do some things we haven’t done at Lafayette for the last few years. Hopefully, we continue to work hard and understand what’s at stake.”
Franklin County taking nothing for granted
Franklin County (23-5) has the pedigree as winners of 11 straight 41st District girls titles and eight region titles in the last 11 seasons.
But coach Joey Thacker voiced concern about the lack of games and practices he’s had with his team due to a harsher-than-normal winter.
“I think we’ve only played six games since Jan. 31 and I worry about that because the more we play, the better we play,” Thacker said. “It’s as good a field as I think we’ve had in the region in some time. … I think the teams are better and I think the players are better. ”
The Flyers beat No. 10 Douglass 51-49 way back on Dec. 14 and have more wins against ranked opponents than their region rivals. Douglass grabbed a 64-58 road win at Madison Central on Feb. 7.
Though the Flyers haven’t played No. 11 Madison Central (24-2), they’ve drawn similar results against common opponents — routing Ryle, Scott County and Lexington Catholic and losing to No. 6 North Laurel.
The 43rd District’s Lafayette (23-4) and Lexington Christian (24-6) round out the girls contenders, although Tates Creek (14-13) blew out LCA three weeks ago and has a history handing out postseason upsets. The Commodores knocked off top-seeded Lafayette in last season’s district finals and ousted top-seeded Paul Laurence Dunbar in the 2021 semifinals.
The path forward
All district semifinals winners advance to their subsequent 11th Region tournaments, which begin the following week. District champions will host their first-round region tournament games with the semifinals and finals all played at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
No. 2 Great Crossing (26-4) looms as the defending boys region champ and another one of the best teams in the state all year. The Warhawks seem a lock for their fourth straight 41st District title.
The 44th has the distinction of being the only district left that holds a blind draw for seeding as its first option, so for the third time in 18 years, the 44th’s two largest schools, Madison Central and Madison Southern, will face each other in the boys and girls semifinals, which are elimination games. Madison Central’s girls are the only ranked team in the 44th.
Below are the region’s four district tournament schedules for boys and girls, beginning with the 42nd and 43rd, which include Lexington’s teams. Each team’s record is through Friday.
Streaming: The entire boys and girls 42nd District tournaments and the championship games of the 43rd District tournament will be streamed live by Glicod.com.
42nd District tournaments
At Scott County
MONDAY
Girls: Bryan Station (6-19) vs. Sayre (17-9), 6 p.m.
Boys: Sayre (16-11) vs. Scott County (6-20), 7:45 p.m.
TUESDAY
Girls: Bryan Station-Sayre winner vs. Frederick Douglass (20-7), 6 p.m.
Boys: Sayre-Scott County winner vs. Frederick Douglass (22-3), 7:45 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls: Henry Clay (9-17) vs. Scott County (10-13), 6 p.m.
Boys: Henry Clay (20-7) vs. Bryan Station (22-6), 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls championship, 6 p.m.
Boys championship, 7:45 p.m.
43rd District tournaments
At Paul Laurence Dunbar
MONDAY
Girls: Paul Laurence Dunbar (13-16) vs. Lexington Catholic (7-20), 6 p.m.
Boys: Tates Creek (12-15) vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar (3-26), 7:45 p.m.
TUESDAY
Girls: Dunbar-Lexington Catholic winner vs. Lafayette (23-4), 6 p.m.
Boys: Tates Creek-Dunbar winner vs. Lexington Catholic (20-9), 7:45 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls: Lexington Christian (24-6) vs. Tates Creek (14-13), 7:45 p.m.
Boys: Lafayette (12-16) vs. Lexington Christian (14-16), 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls championship, 6 p.m.
Boys championship, 8 p.m.
41st District tournaments
At Franklin County
TUESDAY
Girls: Frankfort (3-22) vs. Franklin County (23-5), 6:30 p.m.
Boys: Western Hills (9-19) vs. Great Crossing (26-4), 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls: Western Hills (17-13) vs. Great Crossing (16-12), 6:30 p.m.
Boys: Frankfort (22-7) vs. Franklin County (11-13), 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls championship, 6:30 p.m.
Boys championship, 8 p.m.
44th District tournaments
At EKU’s Baptist Health Arena
MONDAY
Girls: Madison Central (24-2) vs. Madison Southern (11-14), 6 p.m.
Boys: Madison Central (18-11) vs. Madison Southern (15-15), 7:45 p.m.
TUESDAY
Girls: Berea (13-15) vs. Model (13-7), 6 p.m.
Boys: Berea (13-15) vs. Model (15-13), 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls’ championship, 6:45 p.m.
Boys’ championship, 8:45 p.m.
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 10:42 AM.
