Douglass thumping of LexCath adds another layer to tough 11th Region picture

Which of Nate Coen’s dunks Saturday night was most impressive in Frederick Douglass’ 73-43 win at Lexington Catholic:

• The post-tipoff lob from teammate DeMarcus Surratt less than 10 seconds into the game?
• When he seemingly teleported into the middle of the lane just in time to catch a putback slam off a missed layup before halftime?
• A standing hop from right under the basket off an outlet pass for his easiest shot of the night?
• The second lob from Surratt, this time from the baseline, on the Broncos’ very next trip down the floor?

Coen named the fifth and final one — he sailed into the paint to slam back a teammate’s missed transition 3-pointer over a LexCath defender — as his favorite. It represented points No. 11 and 12 in a 14-2 run that turned a competitive game into a laugher down the stretch.

“I’m glad we came out here and did what we were supposed to,” Coen said.

Coen also recorded four blocks; his third initiated the play that led to his last dunk. His fourth soon thereafter led to the only blemish on an otherwise stellar night for the 6-foot-8 senior. An official assessed him a technical foul for, as Broncos head coach Murray Garvin riffed, “talking about how pretty the block was,” and he checked out of the game, by that point comfortably in Douglass’ control, after just 22 minutes of action.

He finished with 12 points, one of four Broncos in double-figure scoring. Surratt, a Bellarmine commit, paced them with 20 on 9-for-11 shooting, while Thurman Wade followed closely with 17. Tate Robinson had 11 points and a game-high five assists.

“I was really impressed with our enthusiasm, our togetherness, our ball movement tonight,” Garvin said. “Our guys are capable of games like that but just like any high school team, sometimes it differs. It’s a great win. I don’t know the last team that beat Catholic at home like that, but I know we can’t celebrate it long.”

Douglass hosts Scott County on Tuesday in its final 42nd District game before hosting Tates Creek on Thursday. The Broncos will play Woodford County, an 8th Region contender, at Kentucky State University on Saturday before postseason play tips off.

The loss was the largest at home by Lexington Catholic — which until Saturday hadn’t lost in the Knight’s Den since its holiday tournament in December — since an 82-45 defeat at the hands of Madison Central on Feb. 6, 2018.

“I gotta take a lot of the blame, cause the schedule was just brutal,” LexCath head coach Brandon Salsman said. “Four games this week and ending with (Douglass) was not a recipe for us that’s really good. Hats off to them, they played much better than we did.”

Postseason outlooks

Saturday’s outcome is just the latest wrinkle in an 11th Region “big picture” that’s difficult to piece together. In the previous 12 days, LexCath — which came into the week unranked in the statewide media’s Elite 16 poll — had beaten 10th Region favorite George Rogers Clark (ranked No. 5) and Madison Central (No. 3), which had been previously unbeaten against the 11th Region.

The Knights overall were 6-1 in the past two weeks, picking up four 43rd District victories and falling at parochial rival Trinity in Louisville. They’re positioned to sweep their district for the fifth straight season with a game at Paul Laurence Dunbar left to play Wednesday; the Knights enter that one with a 47-game win streak against fellow 43rd District teams.

Douglass, ranked ninth entering the week, has qualified for the 11th Region tournament every year since 2020 and advanced to at least the region semifinals in each of those appearances. The Broncos have played in four championship games during that stretch and earned their only Sweet 16 berth in 2023, eventually falling to GRC in the state semifinals. They’re 2-0 this season against Bryan Station, a fellow contender not just for the region but the 42nd District crown, but 0-2 against Madison Central, which will likely have little trouble getting out of the 44th District.

The Defenders were the last 11th Region team in the latest poll, coming in at 15th; LexCath was No. 19 if counting “others receiving votes.”

The Broncos also split their games against Henry Clay, which also split with Bryan Station. The Blue Devils coming into the year weren’t perceived as the potential threat they’ve become to the presumed favorites in the 42nd District.

Saturday’s game was Douglass’ fourth in the week as well, and it came immediately on the heels of a closer-than-comfortable 69-61 overtime win against Sayre, a distant challenger in the 42nd District.

“I thought the Sayre game was what a lot of us circle as a “trap” game,” Garvin said. “You’re so focused on who you have the next day and I believe we fell into that a little bit. And it kind of showed today too: we were really prepared to play Lexington Catholic. The guys were excited for it.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2026 at 7:00 AM.