Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass routs set up epic 42nd District title rematch
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- Defenders’ smothering defense forced turnovers to make it 32-13 at half.
- Taeshawn Adams had 23 points, 14 boards; Bryan Station won rebounding 35-14.
- Win sets 42nd District final vs. Frederick Douglass; both advance to 11th Region.
The Bryan Station boys basketball team nobody but their fans want to see showed up Wednesday night on the Northside for its 42nd District Tournament semifinals matchup against Henry Clay.
The Blue Devils upset the No. 16 Defenders 70-67 less than two weeks ago in their home half of the regular season series in a game that went back and forth till the end.
On Bryan Station’s court for districts, however, the aptly named “Defenders” smothered Henry Clay from the opening tip, forcing turnovers and missed shots over the first two quarters that resulted in a 32-13 halftime lead. Bryan Station went on to win 62-48. Henry Clay never got closer than 10 points in the second half.
“Well, we felt like the first two games, we really hadn’t put the ‘Bryan Station’ pressure on them. And tonight we were just going to go down doing Bryan station basketball,” Defenders coach Champ Ligon said. “The main thing was coming out and just laying it all on the line. Let’s see if they can handle us trapping all over the place.”
Henry Clay could not, committing six turnovers in the first quarter and three in the second while shooting 25 percent from the field.
“We played how Bryan Station is supposed to play, man,” said senior point guard Amari Owens, who scored 21 points and along the way topped 500 rebounds for his career during the game. “We’ve been like this for years. But it was another level. I ain’t going to lie.”
Fellow senior Taeshawn Adams led Bryan Station (22-7) with 23 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds, the same number of boards as Henry Clay’s entire team. Station won the rebounding battle 35-14. Senior Jackson Stephan was the lone Blue Devils player in double figures with 24 points for Henry Clay (17-12).
The victory sets up Round 3 of Bryan Station’s rivalry against Frederick Douglass this season, this time for the 42nd District Tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It will be the third district finals in a row between the two. Bryan Station stopped the Broncos streak of five straight district titles last year.
As district finalists, both teams advance to next week’s 11th Region Tournament at Eastern Kentucky University’s Baptist Health Arena.
The No. 7 Broncos won the first game of their regular season set, 63-60, at home after DeMarcus Surratt tied it up with a 3-pointer at the horn to force overtime. Douglass won the second game at Bryan Station, 51-40, on a night Ligon admitted his team did not play well.
Last season, Douglass beat Bryan Station in Lexington Catholic’s holiday tournament finals and both regular season matchups only to lose to the Defenders in the district championship game after leading by as many as 14 points in the second half.
Douglass demolished Sayre 65-36 in the district’s other semifinals game on Tuesday night.
“I’ve got to give Coach Garvin a lot of credit. I feel like playing the best in the region,” Ligon said. “They’re hitting on all cylinders. It was a clinic the other night against Sayre. It’s going to be an uphill battle, but it’s who’s the best on Friday night.
What happens the rest of the postseason if Bryan Station can continue playing defense like it did against Henry Clay on Wednesday?
“It’s going to be scary,” Owens said.
But Owens knows his team can’t take anything for granted.
“We’ve just got to put this game under our belt and keep working,” he said. “Go harder in practice and get those results.”
Douglass takes care of Sayre
In Tuesday’s semifinals matchup, top-seeded Douglass took no chances against a Sayre team that had forced it to overtime two weeks ago.
The Broncos took a 2-0 lead on a Surratt dunk six seconds into the game led by as many as 30 points in the in the third quarter on the way to a 65-36 rout
Surratt finished with 17 points. Tate Robinson and Nate Coen added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Spartans exacted revenge in first round
Though a disappointing 12-20 season ended for Sayre on Tuesday, the Spartans got a measure of satisfaction a day earlier in its 58-48 win over Scott County, which both eliminated the Cardinals and avenged two regular season losses that included a 70-39 blowout at home on Jan. 20.
Led by Caden Jones’ 17 points, the Spartans outrebounded Scott County 39-31 and held the Cards to 28.8 percent from the field.
“Any win in this district is a phenomenal win,” Sayre coach Rob Goodman said. “We matured a lot over the year and have come together lately. We played some good basketball at the end of the year.”
Who’s made the 11th Region Tournament?
The following teams from the 41st, 42nd, 43rd and 44th Districts have secured their spots in next week’s 11th Region Tournament: Franklin County, Great Crossing, Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Tates Creek Lexington Catholic, Madison Central, Model.
The draw for the tournament will be Saturday morning
Boys 42nd District Tournament
At Bryan Station High School.
Monday’s first round: Sayre 58, Scott County 48.
Tuesday’s semifinals: Frederick Douglass 65, Sayre 36.
Wednesday’s semifinals: Bryan Station 62, Henry Clay 489.
Friday’s finals: Frederick Douglass (20-6) vs. Bryan Station (22-7) 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 11:48 PM.
