No. 1 vs. No. 2 and their big-time scorers square off Saturday in a made-for-TV event
Come Saturday at 2 p.m., undefeated No. 1 Lexington Catholic will host undefeated No. 2 North Laurel in one of the most anticipated regular season high school basketball games in years, maybe decades.
“If this was a non-COVID time, I would have tried to move this game to Memorial Coliseum. I think we could have sold 5,000 tickets,” Lexington Catholic Coach Brandon Salsman said.
While tickets will be restricted to player families, the game will get the marquee attention it deserves, airing live on CW Lexington’s television channel as well as streaming free on PrepSpin.com and its YouTube channel.
North Laurel (19-0) features super sophomore Reed Sheppard, a 6-foot-2 guard and the state’s leading scorer at 32.7 points per game. His play has already begun drawing comparisons to his father, University of Kentucky great Jeff Sheppard, as well as some of the most high-profile recruits the state has ever seen.
Lexington Catholic (18-0) has Ben Johnson, a 6-3 senior who averages 26.4 points per game and is among the favorites to earn Mr. Basketball honors before he moves on to Bellarmine University.
“It’s awesome, man. I’m looking forward to it — the No. 1 and 2 team in the state,” said Johnson, who could make a huge impression on Mr. Basketball voters Saturday with a great showing against Sheppard and the Jaguars. “This is a battle for who’s going to be a favorite going into the state tournament. I’m a little sad we won’t have many fans because this one would have sold out, but I’m really excited for it.”
Historic matchup
Former Herald-Leader high school sports writer Mike Fields and WKYT sports director Brian Milam struggled to remember a game this big, this late in the regular season.
“I can’t think of a regular season, non-tournament game, this late in the year with so much attention,” Milam said. “You’ve got two undefeated teams, a Mr. Basketball finalist, Ben Johnson, Reed Sheppard and the hype surrounding him, and it’s No. 1 vs. No. 2.”
The closest thing could perhaps be the “king of the mountains” contest between John Pelphrey’s No. 7 Paintsville and Richie Farmer’s No. 3 Clay County in 1987, Milam said. Those two players would go on to become Kentucky “Unforgettables.” Paintsville got the win that day, but Clay County went on to defend its state title.
“Rex Chapman and Apollo faced Sean Sutton and Henry Clay back in 1986 and they played before 11,000 fans in Memorial,” Fields said, noting that Apollo and Henry Clay weren’t the two top-ranked teams at the time.
The excitement over that game between the No. 4 Blue Devils and No. 6 Eagles had a lot to do with it being the first time Kentucky fans in Lexington got to see the high school player being called “King Rex.” Chapman had already committed to play for the Cats. He delivered that day with a shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Style and substance
Sheppard, amazingly, has been drawing comparisons to that kind of hype, and he still has two more high school seasons ahead of him.
“Reed’s having a spectacular year and getting a ton of attention,” North Laurel Coach Nate Valentine said, noting that Sheppard has handled the hoopla well and his family keeps him grounded. “He’s worked his tail off.”
Johnson recently became Lexington Catholic’s all-time leading scorer and is among the top 10 scorers in Lexington high school basketball history.
“They all look for him, but they all know they can score when he gets them the ball,” Salsman said of how his team looks to Johnson in big games. “We certainly wouldn’t be here without him. I’m certainly glad he’s on my team, I wouldn’t trade him for LeBron, right now.”
But Lexington Catholic and North Laurel aren’t ranked 1 and 2 based on two players alone. LexCath junior Jack Gohman, also the school’s starting quarterback, averages 12.4 points per game and the Knights have size with 6-11 sophomore Reece Potter, 6-8 sophomore John McCrear and 6-4 sophomore Hudson Sparks.
North Laurel has four players averaging double-figures scoring — meaning teams can’t simply focus on shutting down Sheppard. Ryan Davidson, a 6-4 guard and also just a sophomore, averages 21.7 points per game with junior Clay Sizemore netting 13.2 points per game and sophomore Brody Brock scoring 12.6 on average. The Jaguars are a young team with only one senior, meaning North Laurel could be a state power for a while.
“They both have outstanding players. … guys who can handle it, shoot it, pass it, dribble it, get to their spots, hit tough shots,” said Madison Central assistant coach Jared Pyatt, who led the Indians in place of injured coach Allen Feldhaus against North Laurel last month. Madison Central also faced Lexington Catholic earlier in the season. “I think they’re very comparable, probably the most comparable teams in the state.”
Streaming milestone
PrepSpin.com has been the streaming site for Lexington Catholic home games for a number of years. Owner William Warfield will be busy this weekend streaming the boys’ and girls’ All “A” Classic semifinals and finals in addition to a four-game set at Lexington Catholic on Friday and Saturday. Ahead of Saturday’s big game, North Laurel will take on Ashland Blazer and Lexington Catholic will face district rival Paul Laurence Dunbar on Friday night. Each of those games will also be streamed. Then on Saturday, it’s the Jaguars-Knights main event followed by Dunbar-Ashland.
“This game is a monster of a matchup and perhaps the biggest (regular season) game in the state in years,” Warfield said. “The fact that both these teams are undefeated makes it more special.”
Jeff Anderson, WKYT’s vice president and general manager, also compared Lexington Catholic-North Laurel to the 1986 showdown between Henry Clay and Apollo, a game that was aired live on WKYT.
With COVID-19 restricting spectators, Saturday marks a perfect launch for CW Lexington’s “Game of the Week” that is expected become a regular fixture of the basketball season in conjunction with PrepSpin.com.
“We are very fortunate to have the top two teams playing and representing different parts of our state and our viewing area,” Anderson said. “We are fortunate that during a time that limited capacity still exists, we can bring live high school sports into homes across Kentucky.”
Saturday
No. 2 North Laurel at No. 1 Lexington Catholic
When: 2 p.m.
TV: CWKYT
Livestream: PrepSpin.com
Records: North Laurel 19-0, Lexington Catholic 18-0
