‘I knew it was going in.’ Last-second steal and layup clinches trip to region semis.
In a riveting back-and-forth game that it looked like Tates Creek might give away, junior forward Josh DuToit took it back.
Madison Central inbounded the ball in its own end with 7.7 seconds left, but DuToit deflected the pass and the loose ball fell into the arms of teammate Amari Taylor near midcourt.
Taylor rushed up the floor and fed the ball back to DuToit, who was clear ahead of the defense. DuToit jumped high enough to dunk it, but instead coolly dropped the ball into the net just before the clock ran out, giving the visiting Commodores a 57-55 victory in the 11th Region quarterfinals.
“I was just trying not to walk,” DuToit said of the hectic moment. “I was trying to get those two points, and when I got the pass, I knew it was going in.”
Tates Creek looked to be in control of the game, going up by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter. But, nursing the lead, the Commodores’ offense slowed and Madison Central began getting steals and easy baskets to get back into it.
“We weren’t trying to milk it. We were telling the guys to turn and face (the basket), but it was so loud. That environment was a regional environment,” Tates Creek Coach Jarrod Gay said of the atmosphere in Madison Central’s gym. “We had guys not facing up and it kind of backfired on us a little bit.”
In the span of just more than two minutes, Madison Central’s Kole Brown capped an 11-2 run with a layup to give the Indians the lead 53-52 with 2:02 left. Momentum had swung to the hosts.
An exchange of points left it tied at 55 when Madison Central Coach Allen Feldhaus called a timeout with possession of the ball and 7.7 seconds left. But Tates Creek’s Gay got to strategize, too.
“I told them to switch everything, all screens, all dribble handoffs — switch everything. And you guys got to guard up. There better be 10 hands going for the ball and they all better be Tates Creek hands,” Gay said.
Facing a Madison Central team that managed a 44th District title despite a 14-17 record coming in, Tates Creek also had to deal with the Indians’ raucous crowd. But DuToit’s steal and basket stunned the home fans and had Tates Creek’s faithful exultant.
“It was pretty amazing,” said DuToit, who finished with 11 points. “The atmosphere is just crazy compared to a regular-season game. I’ve just never experienced anything like it before.”
Taylor, a senior who led all scorers with 28 points, has been with Creek since eighth grade and was a key contributor beginning with his freshman year. But, back then, the Commodores were a far cry from a regional contender with a dismal record of 4-26.
“I’ve been here five years and this is my first time ever even getting to regions, so I’m happy with my group of guys because today we came out and played with energy and a sense of urgency and we never gave up,” Taylor said.
Next up, Tates Creek (17-13) faces Scott County in the 11th Region semifinals Thursday at Eastern Kentucky’s McBrayer Arena.
“Going into preseason, pretty much everybody doubted us,” Taylor said. “Nobody thought we would make it this far. I’m having fun with this group of guys and it just means the world to us, right now.”
Scott County advances
Terrin Hamilton led five Cardinals in double figures with 22 points and visiting Scott County knocked off 41st District champ Frankfort 71-58 in its 11th Region quarterfinal.
The Cardinals jumped on the All “A” Classic runners-up from the outset, leading 16-8 at the end of the first period and keeping the Panthers at a distance throughout.
Mikaleb Coffey added 14 points for Scott County and Elias Richardson, Aaron Leake and Chase Grigsby each scored 11. Jackson Twombly led Frankfort with 27 points.
Douglass romps
Frederick Douglass, perhaps the hottest team in the state, wasted little time putting Berea out of the postseason, taking an astounding 52-11 lead at halftime and finishing out a running-clock 73-32 win.
DaShawn Jackson scored 18 points and Khamri McMullen added 14 as the Broncos got to give some rest to their starters ahead of their semifinals showdown with Lexington Catholic on Thursday. Jayden Smith led the Pirates with 16 points.
Lexington Catholic cruises
Ben Johnson scored 24 and Luke Wedding added 16 points for Lexington Catholic as the Knights overwhelmed visiting Franklin County in the first half on the way to a 77-49 victory.
LexCath led 20-8 after one period with a barrage of three-pointers from Wedding (three) and Johnson (one). Johnson added a dunk as the Knights showed why they’re ranked No. 4 in the latest Cantrall Ratings.
Johnson tacked on a couple more three-pointers and a dunk in the second period as LexCath pulled away to a 50-19 lead at halftime.
Zac Cox led Franklin County with 17 points.
11th Region Tournament
At EKU’s McBrayer Arena
Thursday’s semifinals
6:30 p.m.: Lexington Catholic (30-2) vs. Frederick Douglass (21-11)
8 p.m.: Scott County (17-16) vs. Tates Creek (17-13)
Saturday
5 p.m.: Championship game
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 11:41 PM.
