‘It’s about that time.’ Finally healthy Douglass survives Henry Clay in district thriller.

It’s been a trying season for Frederick Douglass boys basketball.

The Broncos have been plagued by illness and injury and an untimely suspension late in the season.

But even with that, Douglass and its opponents know the team on Winchester Road has the potential to defend its 42nd District and 11th Region titles.

“We started out the year a little shaky, but now that we’ve gotten here — it’s about that time,” Douglass junior guard Armelo Boone said.

Boone scored a team-high 17 points and slammed in a game-clinching dunk with 10 seconds left as the Broncos defeated host Henry Clay 54-49 before a capacity crowd in the 42nd District Tournament semifinals Wednesday night.

Boone got fouled on the play and made the free throw for a 54-46 lead. Henry Clay made a 3-pointer seconds later, but conceded the ensuing Douglass inbounds with five seconds left to end the game.

Douglass led by as many as 10 points early in the third quarter only to see Henry Clay tie it 36-36 seconds into the fourth when Kayson Brown capped a 12-5 Blue Devils’ run with a 3-pointer from the left wing.

Douglass answered with seven straight points that included five points from Boone.

But again, Henry Clay rallied to within 43-42 with 4:07 left in the game when Jackson Stephan nailed consecutive 3-pointers around a Douglass turnover.

“I knew it was gonna be a hard game. Daniel (Brown) is a great coach,” Douglass coach Stephon Harris said. “That team wasn’t going to lay down. I just kept emphasizing that we need to stay disciplined and continue to play.”

The win took big plays by a host of Broncos down the stretch. Boone, Dakari Talbert, DeMarcus Surratt and Aveion Chenault each made shots in the fourth quarter while Chenault, Boone and Surratt went 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

But perhaps the biggest play came from a defensive substitution with under a minute to go and the Broncos clinging to a 49-46 lead.

Senior guard Noah Jones, who has played sparingly as he’s dealt with a nagging foot injury that’s a holdover from his soccer season, got a steal with 32 seconds left to deny Henry Clay a potential tying possession. After a timeout, Chenault hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to 51-46 with 27 seconds left.

“That was huge. And as a coach, I’m trying to be professional and keep my composure, but I wanted to jump up and down and go give him a hug and kiss,” Harris said of Jones’ steal. “He broke his leg last year, broke the same foot this year and came back. He’s my best on-ball defender hands down, and it showed at the right time tonight.”

Chenault finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and had the outlet-pass assist on Boone’s dunk at the end. Jackson Stephan led Henry Clay (24-7) with 17 points while Brown and Hassan Bush added 10 apiece.

Douglass (19-12) will play Bryan Station (23-6) for the 42nd District Tournament championship at 8 p.m. Friday at Henry Clay. The Defenders swept Douglass in the regular season. The Broncos have won four consecutive district titles.

Douglass’s troubles this year included four missed games for Boone — two because of a scheduled wisdom tooth extraction and two due to the suspension he received as the result of a flagrant foul against Lexington Catholic on Feb. 14. Douglass lost three of the four.

Surratt missed seven games early because of an illness. Key starter Logan Busson missed five games to recover from a football injury. And Jones, the soccer standout, has played only six games all year.

“We really have not had our full team for the whole year, but now we do,” Boone said.

The Broncos heard critics who believed their many woes would result in a loss Wednesday.

“Everybody was doubting us,” Boone said.

Does he think folks still doubt them after Wednesday’s win?

“Yes sir.”

42nd District girls: Henry Clay cruises

Timarri Miller scored 18 points, Lydia Van Metre added 14, including four 3-pointers, and Ariyanna Sutton scored 11 points to go with a team-high four assists as Henry Clay ended Bryan Station’s season with a 59-33 rout in the 42nd District Tournament semis Wednesday.

“We just knew we had to come out here and win,” Miller said. “We was not going home today.”

Bryan Station split the regular season series with the Blue Devils but fell into a 20-4 hole after one quarter of play Wednesday on Henry Clay’s home court. The margin grew to as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter. Akiyah Wade and Kailyn Gentry led the Defenders with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Henry Clay (21-9) will face Frederick Douglass (20-10) for the 42nd District title at 6 p.m. Friday at Henry Clay. The Blue Devils upset the No. 13 Broncos 71-65 on Dec. 12 but lost 69-40 in the rematch on Jan. 5.

43rd District boys: Lexington Christian tops Dunbar

Saxton Howard scored 20 points while teammates Sam Spillman and Kenyatta Hardge chipped in 15 each as Lexington Christian topped Paul Laurence Dunbar 62-48 Wednesday in the 43rd District Tournament semifinals at LCA.

Spillman scored eight of his 15 points in a decisive 15-6 first quarter run that gave the Eagles (22-10) a cushion that would not get any closer than five points the rest of the way.

LCA had 15 assists on 25 made baskets with seven players notching at least one. Spillman, Hardge and Hagan Preston each had three assists.

Dunbar (14-17) was led by Mason VanDyke and Jaden Sweatt with 19 and 13 points, respectively.

43rd District girls: Tates Creek rallies late

After trailing at the end of each of the first three periods, Tates Creek (17-13) rallied to a 53-49 win over Lexington Catholic in Wednesday’s 43rd District semifinals at LCA.

Tates Creek outscored LexCath 25-18 in the final frame as Alexis Babbell, Isabelle Ellison and Kaleigh Potts all made 3-pointers down the stretch while Ashton Harris and Morbley made eight of 10 free throw attempts to help seal the win.

Morbley led Tates Creek with 16 points, half of those in the fourth quarter. Harris added 13 and Potts scored 12. The Knights (7-23) were led by Alivia Morris’s 25 points and 15 rebounds.

42nd District tournaments

At Henry Clay

FRIDAY’S FINALS

Girls: Frederick Douglass (20-10) vs. Henry Clay (21-9), 6 p.m.

Boys: Bryan Station (23-6) vs. Frederick Douglass (19-12), 8 p.m.

43rd District tournaments

At Lexington Christian

FRIDAY’S FINALS

Girls championship: Lafayette (18-12) vs. Tates Creek (17-13), 6 p.m.

Boys championship: Lexington Catholic (29-2) vs. Lexington Christian (22-10), 8 p.m.