District pairings are set as 11th Region’s best aim for boys and girls state tournaments
The 11th Region features Kentucky boys high school basketball’s No. 1 Great Crossing and No. 2 Lexington Catholic and two of the top girls teams in the state in No. 7 Franklin County and defending region champion No. 12 Frederick Douglass.
Who will advance to their respective state Sweet 16s?
That begins getting sorted out Monday as the win-or-go home district tournaments begin.
Lexington’s nine schools compete in the 42nd and 43rd districts. The boys 42nd has been wildly unpredictable all season and figures to remain so this week.
Bryan Station (24-6) has breakout sophomore Amari Owens (22.1 points) and looked to be the class of the 42nd after sweeping defending champion Frederick Douglass (18-12) in January. But the Defenders have lost four of their last seven and got beat by bottom-seeded Scott County 79-78 on Jan. 24.
Bryan Station will face the winner of Monday’s game between Scott County (8-21) and Sayre. The Spartans (20-9) played the Defenders close in their first meeting and were 11th Region All “A” Classic champs.
The No. 16 Broncos’ hopes of returning to Rupp Arena for the Boys’ Sweet 16 face a stern test in the 42nd District semis as they face Henry Clay (24-6), a team that went unbeaten over its first 16 games and will be looking to avenge their two regular-season losses to Douglass.
Douglass’ chances will be buoyed by the return of leading scorer Armelo Boone (21.4 points) from the two-game suspension that followed his flagrant foul against Lexington Catholic two weeks ago. The addition last week of North Hardin to Douglass’ schedule allowed Boone to serve out his suspension in the regular season.
On the girls’ side in the 42nd, defending champion Douglass (19-10) has Central Michigan signee Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, a double-double machine. The Broncos split their regular-season games with Henry Clay (20-9) but routed everyone else. The Blue Devils will have to get past Bryan Station (15-12) in the district semis for a rematch. The Defenders also split with the Blue Devils in the regular season.
Lexington Catholic (28-2), featuring Bellarmine signee Tyler Doyle and 3-point marksman John Reinhart, has dominated the boys 43rd this season. Lexington Christian (14-14) gave the Knights a close game on Jan. 2 and swept its district semifinals opponent, Paul Laurence Dunbar (11-19) in the regular season.
The girls 43rd District is led by Lafayette (17-12), but the Generals suffered losses to both Tates Creek (16-13) and Lexington Catholic (7-22) this year. One of those teams will reach the 43rd finals while Lafayette deals with the winner of Monday’s game between Lexington Christian (21-9) and Paul Laurence Dunbar (13-15). LCA is having its most successful season in more than a decade and won the 11th Region All “A” Classic this year.
All district semifinals winners advance to their subsequent 11th Region tournaments, which begin the following week. District champions will host their first-round region tournament games with the semifinals and finals all played at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
No. 1 Great Crossing (29-1) has cruised through its boys 41st District competition and figures to survive its district playoff and be a huge factor at the region tournament. The same goes for No. 7 Franklin County (24-6) in the girls 41st.
Below are the region’s four district tournament schedules for boys and girls, beginning with the 42nd and 43rd, which include Lexington’s teams. Each team’s record is through Friday.
42nd District tournaments
At Henry Clay
MONDAY
Girls: Scott County (10-14) vs. Sayre (7-23), 6 p.m.
Boys: Sayre (20-9) vs. Scott County (8-21), 8 p.m.
TUESDAY
Girls: Scott County-Sayre winner vs. Frederick Douglass (19-10), 6 p.m.
Boys: Sayre-Scott County winner vs. Bryan Station (22-6), 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls: Henry Clay (20-9) vs. Bryan Station (15-12), 6 p.m.
Boys: Henry Clay (24-6) vs. Frederick Douglass (18-12), 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls championship, 6 p.m.
Boys championship, 8 p.m.
43rd District tournaments
At Lexington Christian
MONDAY
Girls: Lexington Christian (21-9) vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar (13-15), 6 p.m.
Boys: Tates Creek (4-24) vs. Lafayette (8-21), 8 p.m.
TUESDAY
Girls: Dunbar-LCA winner vs. Lafayette (17-12), 6 p.m.
Boys: Tates Creek-Lafayette winner vs. Lexington Catholic (28-2), 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls: Lexington Catholic (7-22) vs. Tates Creek (16-13), 6 p.m.
Boys: Lexington Christian (14-14) vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar (11-19), 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls championship, 6 p.m.
Boys championship, 8 p.m.
41st District Tournaments
At Great Crossing
TUESDAY
Girls: Western Hills (10-19) vs. Franklin County (24-6), 6:30 p.m.
Boys: Frankfort (6-20) vs. Great Crossing (29-1), 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls: Frankfort (10-19) vs. Great Crossing (11-17), 6:30 p.m.
Boys: Western Hills (7-23) vs. Franklin County (18-10), 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls championship, 6:30 p.m.
Boys championship, 8 p.m.
44th District tournaments
At EKU’s Baptist Health Arena
MONDAY
Girls: Model (14-8) vs. Madison Central (16-10), 6 p.m.
Boys: Model (10-20) vs. Madison Central (9-21), 8 p.m.
TUESDAY
Girls: Madison Southern (19-9) vs. Berea (16-14), 6 p.m.
Boys: Madison Southern (20-9) vs. Berea (21-8), 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls’ championship, 6 p.m.
Boys’ championship, 8:30 p.m.
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Kentucky girls high school basketball scores, brackets for every 2024 district tournament
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