Henry Clay knocks off another ranked rival in must-win game ahead of postseason
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bryan Station rallied; Henry Clay tied it late—Hemenway hit 3 FTs to force OT.
- Blue Devils win 70-67; Stephan leads with 22 points, eight rebounds.
- Win helps Henry Clay’s push for No. 3 seed; likely need Scott County win.
Up by as many as 12 in the first half and, later, by 10 midway through the third quarter, Henry Clay looked well on its way to upsetting another ranked 42nd District rival on Friday night.
But No. 15 Bryan Station battled back in Henry Clay’s gym with a 23-8 run and held a 54-49 lead with 1:16 to play after back-to-back layups by Taeshawn Adams.
Three weeks ago, an almost unimaginable foul on a half-court shot with a second left helped Henry Clay upset then-No. 8 Frederick Douglass, 65-63. Jackson Stephan made two of the three free throws awarded for the win that night.
Trailing 56-53 with 29 seconds left on Friday against Bryan Station, the Blue Devils struck back at the free throw line once more after Henry Clay’s full-court press delivered a Defenders’ turnover into the hands of Richard Goatley. Goatley drove toward the top of the key and fed Jack Hemenway on the left wing, who quickly launched a 3-pointer. The shot missed, but the referee’s whistle blew for a foul.
Hemenway sank all three free throws to tie the game at 56-56, and Bryan Station failed to score on its final possession.
“I’m so proud of him. He told me before that play happened ‘I’m going to hit this three,’” said Stephan, who admitted he wasn’t so sure his teammate would hit all the free throws. They both shoot about 68 percent from the line. “He hit all of them, though.”
From there, it was all Blue Devils in overtime as they pulled out a critical 70-67 victory to help keep their hopes alive for a top-three seed in the upcoming 42nd District Tournament.
Stephan, a senior Air Force commit, led Henry Clay with 22 points and eight rebounds to go with three assists. Bryan Station’s all-time points leader Amari Owens scored 32 to go with 16 points from Torrence Sanford and 12 by Adams.
“That’s a huge, huge win for us,” Stephan said. “And it’s good for our team to know we can beat them. And it’s a great experience for our young guys just to know that we’re never out of it.”
Henry Clay had lost four straight to Bryan Station, including last season’s 42nd District semifinals tilt. The Defenders had already locked up the No. 2 seed behind Frederick Douglass for this year’s district tourney, but Henry Clay needed Friday’s win and probably another against Scott County on Monday to secure the district’s No. 3 seed.
And, yes, that means Henry Clay would face Bryan Station again in the district semis.
“They’ve had our number for a while,” Henry Clay coach Daniel Brown said. “So, for us, it’s a mentality thing.”
Stephan scored nine of his team’s 15 first-quarter points, including a deep 3-pointer out of the gate and a dunk moments later after he stole the ball near midcourt.
“It helps when your star player kind of gets the ball rolling,” Brown said. “It kind of takes the pressure off for the other guys. … He knew he needed to step up.”
His teammates stepped it up late. Hemenway finished with 19 points. Goatley added 10 points to go with his game-high nine assists. Colton Helton scored a couple of second-half momentum threes for six points.
Scott County (12-10, 3-3) beat Henry Clay (14-11, 4-3) earlier this season, and a Cardinals win on Monday might be enough for them to edge out the Blue Devils for the third seed based on their RPI ranking even if they lose to Douglass on Tuesday.
The Blue Devils have had an uneven season to this point with their two impressive home wins over Douglass and Station offset by five December losses and a three-game losing streak in January. Stephan and Hemenway, a Berea transfer, are Henry Clay’s only seniors. So Brown has been dealing with a young team in search of consistency.
“It took us a while to identify roles and different things like that,” Brown said. “You know, everything happens for a reason. Maybe those tough losses early helped us get better and realize what we can do to help each other. … We feel like we can play with anybody on a given night.”
Dunbar breaks district losing streak
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s 62-57 home win over Tates Creek on Friday snapped a 16-game losing streak within the 43rd District as first-year coach Steve Quattrocchi looks to build the Bulldogs back into a contender.
Dominic Faulkner led Dunbar with 19 points. Will Berry and Nate Goodpaster added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Quattrocchi is Dunbar’s third coach in the five seasons since the retirement of 2016 state championship winning coach Scott Chalk. The Bulldogs (11-16, 1-6) have won back-to-back games and have eight more victories this season than last.
Key 42nd District games ahead
The following games will determine who gets the No. 3 seed in the upcoming 42nd District tournament behind Frederick Douglass and Bryan Station who have locked up their spots.
- Scott County at Henry Clay, 6:30 p.m. Monday.
- Scott County at Frederick Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
