After two early exits, Louisville juggernaut looks dominant in Sweet Sixteen opener
Trinity was not about to take another one-and-done visit to the boys’ state basketball tournament.
The Shamrocks defeated Johnson Central, 70-28, to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round of the 102nd Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen. They awaited the winner between Ashland Blazer and Owensboro, who played in Wednesday’s final first-round game.
BOX SCORE: Trinity 70, Johnson Central 28
Trinity’s last two Sweet Sixteen trips were short-lived: It fell to Newport Central Catholic in the first round of the 2016 tournament and in the first round last year against Scott County, which hit a decisive three-pointer in the game’s final seconds.
Trinity went on a 22-0 run after Johnson Central briefly took a 3-2 lead in the opening quarter. The Shamrocks (27-8) connected on their first eight shots and led 24-7 after one.
They cooled down from the field — Trinity missed six straight shots after its hot start — and Johnson Central went on an 11-0 run to pull within 24-14 early in the second quarter. Trinity recovered to lead by double digits, 35-19, at the break.
“I was really happy with the way that we started the game. I thought we came out with great focus, toughness,” said Trinity Coach Mike Szabo “Obviously that’s the way you want to start a game. ... Johnson Central battled right back and, frankly, I thought they outplayed us in the second quarter, and that’s a credit to them.”
Trinity re-awoke in the third: it started 8-0 in the penultimate period and won the quarter, 23-6, to put a running clock into effect.
“We’ve just gotta try to play focused and tough for extended periods of time,” Szabo said.
Jamil Hardaway scored 18 points to lead Trinity. He was perfect from the field — 8-for-8 — and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line along with five rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
Louisville signee David Johnson, a Mr. Basketball finalist, had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes. He dunked once in each half, including a one-handed windmill slam in the midst of the Shamrocks’ third-quarter barrage.
“He’s just steady, he’s just solid,” Szabo said. “It’s pretty much every game. He’s consistent. He’s a guy that’s gonna fill up the stat sheet. Our guys just can feed off his ability, his confidence, his presence. He affects the game in so many ways, a lot of them even go unnoticed.”
It was Johnson’s third time on the Rupp Arena floor, a place he’ll probably get to play a couple of times as a Cardinal in the coming years. He was asked about replicating his third-quarter jam against UK someday.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it,” Johnson said with a laugh.
Cory VanHoose scored 14 points to lead the Golden Eagles. The sophomore passed 1,000 points for his career in the loss.
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 3:16 PM.
