‘It was insane.’ How LCA reclaimed the 11th Region All ‘A’ crown at the buzzer
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lexington Christian edged Sayre 55-53 on Dawson Farmer’s layup at the buzzer.
- Farmer scored 19 points; Caleb Marshall added 18 with five 3-pointers to propel LCA.
- LCA advances to the statewide All “A” Classic tourney for Kentucky’s smallest schools.
Lexington Christian’s boys basketball team called its version of football’s flea-flicker for its final play of the All “A” Classic 11th Region championship on its home court Saturday afternoon.
But sophomore guard Dawson Farmer instantly knew the “flick” out to teammate Caleb Marshall for a jump shot wasn’t open after he crossed his defender over on the way to the basket.
Lexington Christian and two-time defending region All “A” champion Sayre were tied at 53-53 thanks to a clutch 3-pointer by the Spartans’ Kenji Berger with 6.1 seconds left.
After an LCA timeout, Farmer raced the ball upcourt and let go of a running, one-handed shot off the glass as he floated across the left block. It banked softly into the net as the horn sounded for the 55-53 win. LCA’s players and student section swarmed him
“I was just trying to get a bucket,” Farmer said. “I was making my read. If (Marshall’s) dude helped off, I was hitting him. He’s a knock down shooter. He’s going to hit it. … But if his dude didn’t help, I knew I was going to make a layup.”
Marshall’s defender face-guarded him on the left sideline instead of collapsing to cut off Farmer’s drive.
“If they didn’t help off me, I was going to say ‘Keep it, keep it, keep it!” Marshall said. “Dawson kept it. And he hit the biggest layup of the game as the buzzer expired. It was insane.”
LCA’s football team won last fall’s Class 2A state championship. So, of course, the Eagles have a flea-flicker in their bag of game-winning scenarios.
“It was good that he had enough time to just catch it on the run and go with it,” LCA coach Ted Hall said. “(Farmer) did the rest. I would love to take some credit. … He’s a gamer. He puts in a lot of time, and it’s so good to see it pay off.”
Marshall scored 18 points for LCA, including five 3-pointers to Farmer’s three. William Coffman added nine points.
LCA’s 18 trips to the statewide All “A” Classic mid-season tournament for Kentucky’s smallest schools ranks as the most among the 11th Region’s eligible teams. But Sayre (6-11) has gotten the better of the Eagles in the All ‘A’ regionals each of the last two years and three of the last four.
“Coach Hall said ‘This is our tournament.’ And we ain’t been winning,” said Farmer, who finished with a game-high 19 points including a 3-pointer that gave LCA a 50-48 lead with 38.3 seconds left. “We had to come win it for him.”
The game featured six ties and six lead changes. LCA led 18-14 after the first quarter, but trailed 30-28 at half after Sayre senior Caden Jones beat the horn with a determined drive to the bucket. Jones led Sayre with 17 points.
LCA closed the third quarter with a 42-40 lead, but trailed again moments later as Sayvion Staley converted a four-point play after getting fouled on a made 3-pointer. Sayre led 46-45 with 5:30 to play. Staley finished with 11 points. Berger added nine.
“We’re not going to hang our heads,” Sayre coach Rob Goodman said. “It was a fun game. I think we show that we’re competing with some good teams. LCA is a very good team, and I’m proud of the effort.”
LCA (11-8) has won five of its last seven games after suffering a five-game losing streak in the wake of freshman standout Chase Bentley’s injury. Bentley averaged 16.2 points in five games before fracturing a bone in his right foot. The Eagles hope to have Bentley back before the end of the season.
“It really hurts not having him out there, but we know he’ll be back,” Marshall said. “We’ve just been saying, ‘Yeah, it sucks, but we’ve got to find a way to win games when he’s not with us.”
After a 43rd District game at home against Lafayette on Tuesday, LCA heads to Owensboro Sportscenter for the statewide All “A” Classic where they will face 9th Region champion Newport at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Eagles won the event in 2018 and were runner-up in 2019.
LCA’s girls team also defeated Sayre in their finals matchup earlier Saturday and will be making the trip for the third straight year.
“It’s always been a big deal to us,” Hall said. “We’ve had a couple tough losses (in the regional) the last couple of years. I’m really happy for these guys that they get to go experience that.”
Tuesday’s game
Lafayette (7-8, 2-2) at Lexington Christian (11-8, 1-1), 7:30 p.m.
Boys All “A” Classic
What: Small-school state tournament
When: Thursday through Sunday.
Where: Owensboro Sportscenter, Owensboro.
Pay-per view stream: Go.PrepSpin.com.
Thursday’s first round
- Evangel Christian vs. Clinton County, 8:30 a.m.
- Owensboro Catholic vs. Caverna, 10 a.m.
- Walton-Verona vs. Somerset, 11:30 a.m.
- Breathitt County vs. Martin County, 1 p.m.
- Newport vs. Lexington Christian, 5 p.m.
- Harlan vs. Nicholas County, 6:30 p.m.
- Raceland vs. Kentucky Country Day, 8 p.m.
- Lyon County vs. Mayfield, 9:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 18, 2026 at 8:32 AM.
