Lexington district preview: State’s No. 1 teams begin hunt, city scoring record in play
Boys’ and girls’ basketball district tournaments kick off in the Lexington on Monday. Henry Clay hosts the 42nd District and Paul Laurence Dunbar hosts the 43rd District.
42ND DISTRICT BOYS’ TOURNAMENT BRACKET
42ND DISTRICT GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT BRACKET
43RD DISTRICT BOYS’ TOURNAMENT BRACKET
43RD DISTRICT GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT BRACKET
Scott County is the top seed in both 42nd District events. Both sets of Cardinals entered last week as the state’s top-ranked program in Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State. The girls got through their season with just one loss — to Lincoln County during their annual Toyota Classic round-robin showcase — while the boys lost to Westchester (Calif.) in the Beach Ball Classic finals and were unbeaten against Kentucky competition until dropping their regular-season finale at Paul Laurence Dunbar. Each will see either Frederick Douglass or Sayre, which will face off in both 4-5 games in the 42nd, scheduled for 6 p.m. (girls) and 8 p.m. (boys) on Monday.
Frederick Douglass’ girls feature Destyne Jackson, a Wright State commit who’s third in the state in scoring at 28 points per game. DaShawn Jackson, a sophomore, leads the boys with 15.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Sayre’s boys and girls both went winless in district play; they’re led by junior Will Hairston (16.7 points) and eighth-grader Kylee Dennis (12 points), respectively.
Henry Clay is the No. 2 seed and Bryan Station is the No. 3 seed in each respective 42nd District event. Henry Clay’s boys finished the regular season on a five-game win streak and at 25-5 overall; they’re ranked fifth statewide and have only lost to Scott County (twice) since the new year began. Marques Warrick, a junior who’s receiving Division I interest, averages 21.9 points to lead the Blue Devils but seniors Keaston Brown (12.4 points) and Harris Hawkins (13.8 points, 9.1 rebounds) must be guarded as well.
The Blue Devils’ girls were a bit uneven down the stretch — 3-3 in their final six games — but were perfect in district play aside from their two games against Scott County. West Virginia State signee Kiya Thompson (16.4 points) and freshman Amiyha Jenkins (15.7) pace them.
A trio of players score in double figures for Bryan Station’s boys — junior James Linday (13.7), sophomore Myles Morones (13.4) and senior Jalen Burbage (12.9). Senior Kelynn Clay (17.3 points) leads the female Defenders; freshman Tania Woodall (10.3 points) and sophomore Natoria Godoy (9.9) pack a scoring punch, too.
Lafayette (boys) and Paul Laurence Dunbar (girls) are the top seeds in the 43rd District.
The Generals went 6-2 in district play, besting Lexington Catholic (which also went 6-2) for the top spot because it handed the Knights both of their district losses. Ray Surratt, a junior big man, leads Lafayette with 17.1 points on 61-percent shooting and 8.4 rebounds per game. Evan Dreux (10.2 points), Caleb True (8.8) and Javen Hardin (8.6) bring a lot of balance to the table for the Generals.
Dunbar’s girls went 7-1 in district play, falling at Lafayette on Jan. 3, the start of a four-game losing streak. The Bulldogs won their next seven games — including a win over Lafayette in the return game — and won 10 of their last 12 overall. Sophomore Elise Ellison-Coons (17.9 points, 10.3 rebounds) is the present and future of the Bulldogs; senior Cheyenne Fullwood (9 points per game) was a big factor in Dunbar’s district title run last year.
Lexington Catholic and Lexington Christian’s boys will square off in the 2-3 matchup. Catholic defeated LCA — the two-time defending champion — in both their meetings this season by a score of 54-49, the first go-around in overtime. Sophomore Ben Johnson leads Catholic at 18.3 points per game while senior Brice Scott also scores in double figures (10.0) and leads the Knights with 6.9 rebounds per game.
Mr. Basketball finalist and co-11th Region Player of the Year Kyle Rode — a Liberty University signee — averages 23.3 points on 51.2-percent shooting and 9.5 rebounds for LCA. He’s Lexington’s second all-time leading boys’ scorer with 2,454 points; he needs 42 points to break Taveion Hollingsworth’s record.
Lafayette and Lexington Catholic will meet in the girls’ 2-3 game. Lafayette, led by Lindi DeBilzan (19 points, shooting 40-percent from the three-point line), won its last three regular-season games following a three-game slide. Senior Jay Ballard (12.3 points) and freshman Chloe Treece (11.2) lead the Knights.
Tates Creek’s boys in January ended a 37-game losing streak against 43rd District foes when they defeated Paul Laurence Dunbar; it was their only district win, so they’ll be the No. 5 seed to Dunbar’s fourth seed in the tournament. Amari Taylor (13.2 points) leads the Commodores while Jared Gadd (13.1) is Dunbar’s go-to guy.
Senior Grace Combs (13.1 points) leads fifth-seeded LCA, which will vie for its first district win when it takes on fourth-seeded Tates Creek in the girls’ 43rd District. Caty Armishaw, a freshman, leads the Commodores with 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds.
