Jeffersontown basketball falls short in KHSAA Sweet 16 overtime loss to Woodford County

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Overtime losses to end a season can be heartbreaking, but the Jeffersontown High School boys basketball team chose to find the positives Wednesday.

After all, the Chargers started this season with a 2-5 record and were 12-12 entering the postseason before hitting their stride and winning a second straight Sixth Region championship.

J’town understands what it’s achieved the past two seasons and where it stands among the state’s top teams.

“We’re going to be back,” sophomore Camron McDaniels said. “Trust me.”

Boys Sweet 16: Lyon County's Travis Perry set to become KHSAA's all-time leading scorer on state's biggest stage

The Chargers put up their standard fight but fell short in a 60-57 overtime loss to Woodford County in the first round of the UK Healthcare Boys Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.

J’town lost to Lincoln County 45-41 in the first round of last year’s Sweet 16 and just missed making the quarterfinals again Wednesday. Head coach Richard Duncan maintained his positive outlook.

“Nobody expected them to be here, but they willed their way here,” Duncan said. “They fought and gave me everything they had. We just came up short tonight.”

Santonio Waide tallied 15 points to lead a balanced scoring attack for Woodford County (21-12), which was playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1986. Jasper Johnson (13 points, seven rebounds), Aden Nelson (11 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Makhi Smith (10 points, four assists) also had big games.

The Yellow Jackets will face Elizabethtown in Friday’s 11 a.m. quarterfinal.

Woodford County’s roster includes 10 sophomores among its 13 players, and the youth showed Wednesday as J’town jumped to a 22-14 lead early in the second quarter. Buoyed by its large and loud crowd, the Yellow Jackets rallied for a 31-30 halftime lead.

“Probably every kid’s dream to play here in Rupp Arena, and they were a little nervous,” Woodford County coach Jaron Brown said. “After that first quarter was over, I felt like were our normal team.”

KHSAA Boys Sweet 16: How Male — led by Jack and Cole Edelen — returned to tournament behind 3-point prowess

McDaniels’ 3-pointer tied the score at 52 with 21 seconds left in regulation. After a series of turnovers, Woodford County’s Layton Starks went to the line with 5.9 seconds left but missed two free throws. J’town got a final shot for the win, but Jaydon Marks-Hackley’s hurried 3-point try at the buzzer missed.

Nelson, a West Virginia football signee, hit 1 of 2 free throws to give Woodford County a 60-57 lead with 5 seconds left in overtime. After a timeout, J’town’s Brandon Gatewood got a good look at a 3-pointer to tie but was short.

“It set up pretty good for me,” Gatewood said. “I felt I needed to get a bucket for my team, and it felt good coming off the hands. It just didn’t go in.”

McDaniels led the Chargers with 13 points, and Rhys Taylor pitched in 11 points.

Duncan said Woodford County’s physical defense bothered his team at times. The Chargers finished with 14 turnovers, a few of them leading to easy baskets for the Yellow Jackets.

“We wanted to limit their transition buckets, and I think it came to bite us in the end,” Duncan said.

After the loss, Duncan already was looking forward to next season. Three of the Chargers’ top six scorers will return in juniors Lukus McDaniels and Brenton Moore and sophomore Camron McDaniels.

KHSAA Boys Sweet 16: Take a look at the field — ranked from No. 16 to No. 1

No team has won three straight Sixth Region titles since Pleasure Ridge Park from 2004-06, but Duncan expects his team will have a chance.

“I’ve got some young guys, and they’re going to come back,” Duncan said. “We’re planning to come back next year.”

WOODFORD COUNTY   14        17        13        8          8 - 60

JEFFERSONTOWN          18        12        15        7          5 - 57

Woodford County (21-12) – Makhi Smith 10, Aden Nelson 11, Layton Starks 6, Santonio Waide 15, Jasper Johnson 13, Jaunte Jenkins 1, John McCrear 4.

Jeffersontown (17-13) – Lukus McDaniels 7, Brandon Gatewood 10, Jaydon Marks-Hackley 7, Rhys Taylor 11, Camron McDaniels 13, Brenton Moore 1, Genesis Nimely 8.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16 basketball scores: J'town falls to Woodford County in OT