‘Chalk doesn’t matter’: No. 1 Great Crossing, No. 2 LexCath learn 11th Region bracket fate
No. 1 Great Crossing and No. 2 Lexington Catholic drew opposite sides of the boys 11th Region Tournament bracket on Saturday morning at Lafayette High School, but that doesn’t mean their paths to next week’s finals will be easy.
“I don’t think you can take enough Pepcid this time of year,” Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salmsan joked about his team’s draw, which begins with a home game against 41st District runner-up Western Hills on Tuesday. “You’ve just got to go in there one game at a time and do the best you can. After 20 years of doing this, I’ve learned nothing’s set in stone. Chalk doesn’t matter. You’re going to have to play games and you’re going to have to play well.”
Great Crossing, the 41st District champs, drew 42nd District runner-up Bryan Station, which features dynamic sophomore point guard Amari Owens.
Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon, recently named the 11th Region’s coach of the year by his peers, continued to fret over his district finals loss to Frederick Douglass on Friday night, and woke up to find a bigger problem ahead: The No. 1 Warhawks with junior big man Malachi Moreno.
“There’s nothing like starting off with the No. 1 team in the state with a 7-foot-1 future DI player along with a couple of their other guys,” Ligon told Glicod.com’s Murray Garvin during the streamer’s draw show. “It’s going to be a challenge, but you know what? If you take care of that one, things open up a little bit.”
The 11th Region boys basketball tournament pairings include four schools from Lexington and four more out-of-Fayette County rivals. All boys first-round games will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the home of each district champion from the 41st, 42nd, 43rd and 44th districts. Saturday’s semifinals and March 12’s finals will be played at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
Defending 11th Region champion Frederick Douglass will host Madison Central in its first-round game and is on the same side of the bracket as Lexington Catholic. No. 20 Douglass is the only other ranked team in the bracket, according to the final Dave Cantrall Ratings, which were released before district play.
The winner of Great Crossing-Bryan Station game will face the winner of a game between 44th District champion Madison Southern and Lexington Christian.
11th Region boys tournament
(First-round games listed in bracket order. Semifinals and finals at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School)
TUESDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
Madison Central (10-22) at Frederick Douglass (20-12), 7 p.m.
Western Hills (8-24) at Lexington Catholic (30-2), 7 p.m.
Bryan Station (23-7) at Great Crossing (31-1), 7 p.m.
Lexington Christian (15-15) at Madison Southern (22-9), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Madison Central-Douglass winner vs. Western Hills-Lexington Catholic winner, Noon.
Bryan Station-Great Crossing winner vs. Lexington Christian-Madison Southern winner, 4 p.m.
MARCH 12 FINALS
Championship game, 7 p.m.
2024 Kentucky boys high school basketball scores and brackets from every region
2024 Kentucky girls high school basketball scores and brackets from every region
Boys district finals: Douglass clamps down for 5th straight title; LexCath gets bench boost
Girls district finals: Douglass earns back-to-back titles; Tates Creek edges Lafayette
‘Anybody can be beat’: Douglass, Franklin Co. draw opposite lanes of girls 11th Region bracket
