Mr. Basketball contender among top talents in Lexington this week for holiday tournament

One of the state’s top basketball players, KyKy Tandy, who’s already gone viral with a dunk over a 7-foot-2 opponent this season, headlines this week’s Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.

But he’s not alone.

While Tandy, a Xavier commit averaging 27.4 points per game, leads Herald-Leader preseason No. 6 University Heights (9-2) against Frederick Douglass (3-5) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the tournament also features No. 7 Clark County (8-2) and Jordan Graham, who’s among three Cardinals averaging double-figure scoring. Clark County tips off against Newport (9-1) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Host Lexington Catholic was a preseason No. 24 team, but has gotten off to a rough 3-8 start. The Knights will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak behind the efforts of sophomore Ben Johnson, averaging 15.1 points per game. Catholic takes on Bellevue (3-6) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

No. 16 Cooper (9-1) has TJ Deere and Blaine Walters, both averaging just over 13 points per game. Cooper plays Bardstown at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Franklin County (6-5) will be looking to steady an uneven season thus far behind leading scorer Kyle Stivers and his 19.1 points per game. Three other Flyers average double-digit points. Franklin County takes on Hancock County (3-7) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

All first-round action gets underway Thursday with games being held simultaneously in each of Lexington Catholic’s gyms. The 16-team tournament concludes with a 6 p.m. Sunday championship game in its Bueter Gym. There will also be a consolation bracket for losers of Thursday’s first round. The full bracket is available at LexingtonCatholic.com.

Traditional Bank Holiday Classic

What: Boys’ basketball holiday tournament featuring some of the state’s top players and teams

When: Thursday-Sunday

Where: Lexington Catholic High School.