11th Region boys’ bracket draw sets up exciting prospects for Lexington teams
Pairings for the 11th Region boys’ basketball tournament set up tantalizing all-Lexington semifinals and finals if Frederick Douglass, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Henry Clay and Lexington Catholic are able to survive their first-round games on Tuesday.
But their opponents won’t be ready to concede anything, yet.
Douglass hosts Madison Southern, Dunbar hosts Frankfort, Franklin County hosts Henry Clay and Madison Central hosts Lexington Catholic in first-round games scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday after the tournament bracket was drawn Saturday morning at Model High School.
The tournament will move on to Eastern Kentucky’s McBrayer Arena for the semifinals and finals on Thursday and Saturday.
The Knights (20-2), who finished the regular season No. 1 in the Associated Press poll but fell to Dunbar in the 43rd District finals, face, perhaps, the toughest of the opponents outside Lexington. Going into the tournament, 44th District champ Madison Central (18-9) had the highest Dave Cantrall Rating outside LexCath, Dunbar and Douglass of the teams in the bracket. Lexington Catholic topped the Indians 80-65 on Allen Feldhaus Jr. Court on Feb. 15 in their only meeting.
The other first-round games involve opponents who haven’t faced each other, yet.
If the first round does play out in Lexington’s favor, Douglass will get a rematch with Dunbar, the only team to blemish the Broncos’ record this season. Douglass held a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead over the Bulldogs on Jan. 12 and lost by seven in a game that gave everyone a heads-up about how dangerous the eventual 43rd District champions could be.
Dunbar Coach Scott Chalk said he wouldn’t be taking any first-round opponent for granted, however, when asked before the draw.
“Our region is not like some other regions where the first two games they play are total blowouts,” Chalk said. “That doesn’t happen here. Every game will be tough.”
11th Region Boys’ Tournament
(First round hosted by district champions. Semifinals and finals at EKU’s McBrayer Arena)
Tuesday’s first round games
Madison Southern (11-11) at Frederick Douglass (17-1), 7 p.m.
Frankfort (16-7) at Paul Laurence Dunbar (12-5), 7 p.m.
Henry Clay (12-7) at Franklin County (14-9), 7 p.m.
Lexington Catholic (20-2) at Madison Central (18-9), 7 p.m.
Thursday’s semifinals
Madison Southern-Douglass winner vs. Frankfort-Dunbar winner, 5:30 p.m.
Henry Clay-Franklin County winner vs. Lexington Catholic-Madison Central winner, 8:15 p.m.
Saturday’s finals
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published March 20, 2021 at 5:36 PM.
