No. 1 LexCath vs. No. 2 Bryan Station in 11th finals

It will be No. 1 Lexington Catholic (29-3) taking on No. 2 Bryan Station (30-2) in the 11th Region finals on Tuesday night at EKU’s McBrayer Arena. LexCath beat defending state champ and No. 4 Scott County 80-54 in Sunday’s semifinals. Bryan Station slipped by No. 6 Paul Dunbar 67-60 in the other semifinal.

BRYAN STATION BEATS DUNBAR

• This was the Defenders’ 13th win in a row over Dunbar over the last 5 seasons. Shelvin Mack’s 21 points and 10 rebounds led the winners, who improved to 30-2. (Mack is shown at right being defended by Dunbar’s Marquis Clay in photo by David Stephenson.) Bryan Station’s Dacoby Burnett had 17 points and Terrell Combs added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Nick Hudson had 13 points — all in the second half — for Dunbar. The Bulldogs’ had four other players in double figures — Marquis Clay, De’Andre Webb and Dion Johnson had 11 points apiece, and Tyler Rogers had 10.
• Bryan Station is in control, with a 58-50 lead and less than 90 seconds to go. Shelvin Mack has 20 points.
• Shelvin Mack’s put-back has put Bryan Station up 42-41, and that’s the score going into the last quarter. Mack has 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
• Dunbar has answered with a 5-0 run to go ahead 41-40 with 1:25 left in the third quarter. Bryan Station Coach Champ Ligon has called timeout. Nick Hudson’s drive and dish has given Dunbar a couple layups in the Bulldogs’ last two possessions.
• Midway through the third quarter Bryan Station has scored 6 points in a row to take a 40-35 lead on Dunbar. Shelvin Mack and Dacoby Burnett have 12 points each to pace the Defenders.
• Halftime: Bryan Station leads 30-28. After a red-hot start, the Defenders cooled off considerably and Dunbar is right on their heels. Shelvin Mack has 9 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds for Bryan Station. Dacoby Burnett has 8 points, and Terrell Combs has 4 points and 6 rebounds. Dunbar is led by Marquis Clay’s 9 points and De’Andre Webb’s 8. The Bulldogs are in it despite shooting 39% to Bryan Station’s 47%.
• Bryan Station hit its first 6 shots and jumped ahead 15-6, but Dunbar has battled back and trails by only 17-16 after the first quarter. Marquis Clay hit a couple three-pointers to rally Dunbar. Six players have already scored for Bryan Station.

LEXCATH’S LATE RUN FINISHES SCOTT COUNTY

• LexCath was nursing a 54-50 lead with seven minutes left when Scott County Coach Billy Hicks was hit with a technical foul. He called it a “phantom technical.” Whatever, it changed the game completely. LexCath hit the two”T” free throws, and a three-pointer after that, sparking a 23-2 run that buried the Cardinals. It was sweet revenge for LexCath, which lost to Scott County by 26 in last year’s semis. Jordan Smart led the Knights with 20 points. Taylor Stewart had 16. Nathan Novosel and Taylor Botkin had 12 apiece. LexCath hit 26 of 38 free throws.
• Scott County was led by Richie Phares’ 18 points and Ge-lawn Guyn’s 14. The Cards made 27 turnovers.
• Scott County has come alive and made this a ball game. The Cardinals went on a 14-1 run to trim LexCath’s 19-point lead to 25-19 with 4 minutes left in the first half.
• LexCath raced to a 24-5 lead and is on top 24-9 after the first quarter. Scott County has missed 10 of 12 shots and has 8 turnovers. LexCath has turned those turnovers into 15 points.
• Lexington Cath, looking juiced up to make amends for its 74-48 loss to Scott County in last year’s region semifinals, has jumped ahead of the Cardinals 15-0 less than 4 minutes into the game.

*****

The girls have finished their semifinals, with Lexington Catholic (29-4) and Henry Clay (16-13) advancing to Monday’s title game. No. 2 LexCath beat Madison Central 62-50, and unranked Henry Clay upset No. 1 Paul Dunbar 53-42.

Henry Clay’s defense limited Dunbar to 29% shooting and the Lady Blue Devils were in control from the second quarter on. Gwen Rucker led the winners with 13 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Demetria Nichols and Raven Price each had 11 points for Henry Clay, which made 22 of 32 free throws. Dunbar was led by Ebony Rowe’s 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Bulldogs finished the season with a 30-3 record. (Henry Clay’s Raven Price and Dunbar’s Megan LaRue battle for a loose ball in photo above by David Stephenson.)

Natalie Novosel’s 19 points and 8 rebounds led the winners. Shaneque McGhee added 16 points and 6 rebounds for the Lady Knights. Jenna Cornelison and Iesha Farris combined for 31 points for Madison Central.