Tates Creek boys and girls headed to district finals after thrilling semifinal wins
In the midst of a magical season, the Tates Creek girls’ basketball team crossed another threshold Tuesday night.
Behind a first-half three-point barrage and late-game heroics from a pair of sophomores, the Commodores knocked off Lafayette 78-67 in the 43rd District Tournament semifinals at Tates Creek High School.
With the win, Tates Creek (18-11) locked up a spot in Friday’s district finals and next week’s 11th Region Tournament. It’s been a long time coming for the Commodores, who suffered through nine straight losing seasons heading into this year’s campaign. Fourth-year head coach Matt Yates said it’s been a gratifying ride so far.
“The winning part, they haven’t felt that in a couple of years. I think this winning is motivational for them,” Yates said. “It feels amazing because the girls made their minds up that they want to do something big.”
After Lafayette clawed back from a 16-point deficit to pull within two in the fourth quarter, sophomore guard Maddie Kauffman nailed a huge three-pointer for Tates Creek. Moments later, sophomore forward Caty Armishaw pulled down a rebound and fired a long pass to Kauffman, who finished off the fast break to stretch the advantage to 66-59 with just over two minutes to go. Tates Creek went on to seal it from the foul line.
“Caty is the best outlet passer in high school basketball,” said Yates of Armishaw’s pass to Kauffman. “She ought to probably be playing quarterback for somebody. We encourage her to throw that. And Caty likes the moments when we ask her to carry us. She stepped up and did that tonight so I’m really proud of her.”
Armishaw scored eight of her 16 points during a stretch between the second and third quarters when Lafayette (19-12) was constantly threatening to tie or take the lead. She also had seven rebounds and three blocks.
“I remember when this team would go something like 3-and-20,” Armishaw said. “Now we have a winning record and we’re winning tournament games, it feels great.”
The Commodores came out on fire from the perimeter. Tates Creek hit five three-pointers, including two from Kauffman, in the first quarter to build a 19-12 lead.
Kauffman scored a team-high 18 points for Tates Creek. Alisce Lyvers added 15 points and nine assists.
Commodores’ forward Elyse Baker owned the second quarter, scoring seven of her nine points in the period. She pulled down a rebound and muscled in the put-back while getting fouled, then knocked down the free throw to stretch Tates Creek’s lead to 31-20.
Amanda Kanatzar hit back-to-back three pointers late in the second, sending the Commodores to the locker room with a 37-21 advantage. Tates Creek hit eight of 13 three-point shots in the first half and went 10-of-20 from the perimeter for the game.
Lafayette came roaring back in the third quarter. Lauren Walton’s three-pointer from the wing drew the Generals within 41-33 and prompted a Tates Creek timeout. A three-pointer and layup from Kiley Nobel cut the deficit to 48-45 heading into the fourth quarter. Lafayette outscored Tates Creek 24-11 in the third.
Sophomore forward Anaya Brown had 24 points and 14 rebounds for Lafayette. Kiley Nobel added 16 points in the loss.
Tates Creek will face the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between Lexington Catholic and Paul Dunbar in Friday’s championship game at 6 p.m. Armishaw said the fact that the finals will be played on the Commodores’ home court gives them extra motivation to claim a district title.
“It would mean everything to us to win that,” she said. “It would feel great to cut down our own nets.”
Creek boys advance
For the first time in nine years, the Tates Creek boys’ basketball team is headed to the 11th Region Tournament.
The Commodores got their biggest win in nearly a decade on Tuesday night, edging Lexington Christian 55-54 to advance to the 43rd District finals. Cion Townsend, who is also a football standout for the Commodores, scored 12 points and hit a pair of free throws that sealed the win.
“This means a lot. From where we started to when I first took over the program to where we are now, it’s amazing,” said Tates Creek Coach Jarrod Gay, who in 2017 inherited a team coming off a 4-26 season. “We’re in a position where things are on the rise. It was nine years ago that Tates Creek last won a game in the district, and we won one today ... These kids have been making history all year.”
With the game tied 53-53 and less than 10 seconds to play, Townsend attacked the basket and drew a foul. He hit both free throws to put the Commodores up 55-53.
Lexington Christian ( 18-12) had a shot to send it to overtime when Tanner Walton caught a long outlet pass and drove to the basket, drawing a foul with 0.2 seconds on the clock. The sophomore guard hit the first free throw, but missed the second. It was a tough ending to an outstanding night from Walton, who scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting.
Amari Taylor led the Commodores with 16 points, four assists and three steals. Tates Creek (16-12) will face the winner of Wednesday’s Paul Dunbar-Lexington Catholic game in Friday’s finals.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 8:39 PM.
