No. 1 Lexington Catholic boys’ basketball latest team shut down by COVID-19
Lexington Catholic, the No. 1 boys’ basketball team in the state who has a favorite to earn Mr. Basketball honors this season, has canceled a number of upcoming games as it observes a COVID-19 quarantine over the next week.
LexCath Coach Brandon Salsman confirmed the team would remain out of action until its scheduled Feb. 6 game against Franklin County, but he said he could provide no other details about the isolation period citing privacy rules. They were scheduled to play Trinity in Louisville on Friday.
The Knights last played Monday at Christian Academy-Louisville where senior Ben Johnson scored 51 points in their 89-78 win over the Centurions, keeping LexCath undefeated at 9-0 and likely to retain their No. 1 ranking in both the Associated Press poll and Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State.
The Knights were one of the last remaining teams in Fayette County who had yet to be severely impacted by a COVID-19 issue. Of the public and private boys’ basketball teams in Lexington, now only Lafayette, Lexington Christian and Tates Creek have avoided a quarantine period for their varsity teams, with Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay, Lexington Catholic, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Sayre all having confirmed shutdowns. LCA has had individual players and coaches sit out, but has not shut down its boys’ varsity team in its entirety, Athletics Director Terry Johnson said.
On the girls’ side, the toll has been similar with only Lexington Catholic, Lexington Christian and Paul Laurence Dunbar avoiding isolation periods. The Henry Clay girls’ team has been shut down twice this season.
The problem in Lexington coincides with COVID-19 issues across the state as boys’ and girls’ teams get hit with COVID-19 cases and contacts.
As of Friday morning, 120 boys’ games and 121 girls’ games have been canceled this week according to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s COVID-19 cancellation chart. That’s roughly a third of all games scheduled. Last week, more than 35 percent of the KHSAA’s scheduled basketball games were canceled citing COVID concerns.
Still, basketball continues throughout the state and several Lexington teams have been able to observe their isolation periods since the season started on Jan. 4 and have resumed play.
The KHSAA and state government and health officials have offered health data and recommendations about whether play should continue, but have left decisions about whether to play to the local school districts. Nearly all districts have kept their teams playing up until an actual case or contact occurs on a team. Jefferson County Public Schools were among the teams holding back, but their teams will begin play next week.
Quarantines and isolation periods typically last 10 days for players and staff who have come in contact with the virus but have not contracted it, according to KHSAA guidelines. Sports participants who contract COVID-19 are held out at least 21 days under the KHSAA’s return-to-play policies.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 1:07 PM.
