Final: Holmes 57, Lexington Catholic 50
Posted by Mike Fields on March 22, 2008
Hear Holmes Coach David Henley’s postgame news conference, with comments from Holmes players.
Hear Lexington Catholic Coach Brandon Salsman’s postgame news conference, with comments from players.
- Holmes has knocked off No. 1 LexCath, rallying from a 17-point deficit in the first half. Elijah Pittman’s 15 points led the Bulldogs. Arrez Henderson had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Holmes is in the finals for the first time since it lost to Fairdale in the 1990 title game. LexCath was led by Taylor Stewart’s 16 points and 11 rebounds.
- Holmes is sitting pretty. Arrez Henderson has added a free throw to the Bulldogs lead, which is 57-50 with just 13 seconds left. Holmes will be shooting 2 free throws when play resumes after a timeout.
- Braeon Avery stripped the ball from Taylor Stewart, was fouled and hit 2 free throws to give Holmes a 56-50 lead with 31 seconds left.
- Elijah Pittman’s layup gives Holmes a 54-50 lead with 42 seconds left.
- Taylor Botkin’s 2 free throws pull LexCath within 52-50 with 48 seconds left. Holmes calls timeout when it can’t get the ball in bounds.
- Holmes’ Elijah Pittman’s left-handed tip-in puts the Bulldogs up 52-48 with a minute left. LexCath has called timeout.
- LexCath had 2 shots to take the lead but missed both. Holmes answered with Elijah Pittman hitting 1 of 2 free throws to take a 49-48 lead. After another miss by LexCath, Ricardo Johnson hit 1 of 2 foul shots to make it 50-48 with 1:42 left.
- Jordan Smart’s steal and pass to Taylor Stewart for a layup ties it for LexCath at 48-48 with 2:17 left.
- Terrence Clark’s layup off a feed from Braeon Avery puts Holmes ahead 48-46. LexCath’s Jordan Smart misses a three. Holmes rebounds and has the ball with 2:25 left and a timeout.
- It’s tied 46-46 with 4:26 left. LexCath has the ball. Taylor Stewart and Nathan Novosel just checked back in after sitting out with 4 fouls apiece.
- Tyler Corvin hit a 10-footer, and Vee Sanford’s steal and feed to Jordan Smart for a buzzer-beating layup gave LexCath a 44-41 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Knights have a problem, though. Leading scorer Taylor Stewart has 4 fouls. Ricardo Johnson leads Holmes with 9 points.
- Holmes has taken the lead, wiping out a 17-point deficit to go ahead 39-38 with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Ricardo Johnson, Braeon Avery and Arrez Henderson have 7 points apiece for the Bulldogs. LexCath’s Taylor Stewart (shown at right going over Ricardo Johnson in photo by Mark Cornelison) has 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 fouls.
- Halftime: LexCath 31, Holmes 25. With UK Coach Billy Gillispie and Richie Farmer sitting together and watching from the end zone press row, LexCath has watched a 17-point lead shrink to 6. Taylor Stewart has 11 points and 7 rebounds for the Knights. Jordan Smart and Vee Sanford have 6 points each. Braeon Avery’s 7 points pace Holmes. Arrez Henderson has 6 points and 5 rebounds. Holmes has 12 turnovers, but only 2 in the second quarter.
- Holmes has come alive. The Bulldogs have rallied from 17 points down to within 29-22 with 2:12 left in the half. Braeon Avery has 7 points for Holmes. Arrez Henderson has 4 points. Taylor Stewart leads LexCath with 11 points and 7 boards.
- With 4 minutes left in the first half, LexCath leads 23-11 Taylor Stewart has 7 points and 7 rebounds for the Knights. Holmes has 12 turnovers and is 4-for-10 shooting.
- LexCath is on top 19-4 after the first quarter. The Knights’ defense has forced 10 turnovers. Jordan Smart, who hasn’t had his three-point eye in the first two rounds, has hit a pair of long-range shots to lead LexCath with 6 points.
- Lexington Catholic is off to a quick start. It leads 14-2 with 2:43 left in the first quarter. Holmes already has 7 turnovers against the Knights’ pressure. Taylor Stewart has 5 points to lead LexCath.
March 22, 2008 at 11:16 am
WE THE BEST
March 22, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Easy to be “The Best” when you have 8 vs. 5 on the court. Nobody wants Catholic in the Championship game, because then maybe Darius Miller wouldn’t get his scholarship to UK. Sad that the ref’s had to take over the game like that.
Enjoy your tainted success. We’ll be back next year.
TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES.
March 22, 2008 at 3:30 pm
wow - is someone a sore loser? Both teams were class acts, but I guess the same can’t be said for the fans.
March 22, 2008 at 5:24 pm
“M”,
LexCath played a good tournament but comments such as yours only tarnish the accomplishments that the team has accrued through the season. I have been working the Sweet 16 as a photographer and some of the antics some schools’ fans have been atrocious, and that does not include the Knights, however you should remember ~ sour grapes makes for a bad “whine”!
March 22, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Sticks and stones…but if you were at that game, you would know I was right.
Holmes was shooting bonus free throws in the third quarter, yet only had three fouls called against them at the same point in the second half. Ask the other two teams that Holmes beat this week if Holmes played them “soft”.
Like I said…8 vs. 5. Nice to know Tim Donaghy still has work though.
March 22, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Why is it that Lex Catholic (supposedly a Christian school) has such non-christian (or hypocritical, your choice) fans like what was posted above? I think it’s sad when you cut on these high school kids, or blame everything on the refs, except when you win of course. You never say “we got a lucky break on that call”, it’s always “they cheated us” or “they were for the other side”. Get real, and get Jesus, before you destroy yourself in your own hatred.
March 22, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Go Bulldogs, LexCath great season, much respect
March 22, 2008 at 7:48 pm
“M”,
I WAS at the game, as I stated I have been covering the tournament as a photographer. LexCath has no complaints. If the calls were obviously unwarranted I may agree with you but there was no grumbling of bad calls at all where I was seated, and that was directly in front of the Catholic end.
I will give their fans this though, they responded to their defeat with more class than three other schools who bowed out over the weekend and shall remain nameless. If you were at Rupp for all the games you’ll have a good idea who I am referring to.
Looking for a Mason County victory tonight.