Returning to Rupp Arena, J’town basketball seeks first KHSAA Sweet 16 win in 17 years

It’s not often Jeffersontown can claim it’s a KHSAA Sweet 16 team.

The Chargers have made it to Rupp Arena four times in the last 20 years — two of those trips have come in the last two seasons — and haven't won a game in the tournament in 17 years.

Jeffersontown, led by coach Richard Duncan, wants to end that somber streak and has the chance to do so Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the first game of the UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16.

The Sixth Region champions for the second year in a row, J’town faces Eighth Region champion Woodford County. It’s a chance to make up for last year’s unceremonious first-round exit and continue an impressive midseason turnaround.

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Here are five things to know about the Jeffersontown Chargers basketball team:

Jeffersontown winless in Sweet 16 since 2006

The Chargers haven’t won a Sweet 16 game since 2006. Jeffersontown had a team it thought could end that streak last season but was knocked out in the first round by Lincoln County. Duncan hopes they’ve learned a lesson from that experience.

“The main thing we learned was to enjoy the experience,” Duncan said Monday. “We went down there last year and we were so locked-in and focused worrying about the game, I don’t think we got a chance to enjoy it. This is a moment that doesn’t come around every year, so you gotta really enjoy the moment and let the kids have fun in this environment."

But the history of J’town’s last state tournament win is a good one: it came in the state championship game when it beat Apollo 61-48 for the title, ending a 32-3 season.

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Western game was turning point of season

The Chargers were 6-7 when they took on Western on Jan. 17. A Sweet 16 berth was not top of mind.

But that 69-62 win was the turning point, Duncan has said all week. That was when his team bought into the defense-first style they’d have to play after last year’s team dominated with the 3-pointer — J’town made 194 a year ago versus 134 this season.

Since that win, Jeffersontown is allowing 58.9 points per game (down from 65.7 in the first 13 games) and has allowed a team to score more than 55 just once in the postseason.

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J'town gets it done 'collectively'

The Chargers aren’t flush with Division I talent.

Lukus McDaniels just a week ago was offered a scholarship from Marshall — for football. Duncan said some players are getting looks from college coaches, but this team has won a second straight Sixth Region championship without blue chip prospects.

“I don’t have the type of guy I can just ride, ‘OK, he’s gonna give us 20 points a night,’” Duncan said. “We’ve gotta do it collectively as a group.”

But the offensive formula, albeit more reliant on midrange jumpers and points in the paint, is similar to a year ago. The Chargers had four players in 2021-22 average at least 10 points, none more than 14. This club has six players averaging nine or more points, led by Camron McDaniels’ 12.1.

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Woodford County's Jasper Johnson is a threat

Duncan believes his team and its first opponent, Woodford County, are similar athletically. Both can get up and down the court and can be menaces on defense.

But the Yellow Jackets have the top sophomore in the state in Jasper Johnson. The gifted wing is averaging 20.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 25 games this season. He’s shooting at a 38.3% clip from 3 (67 of 175) and is surgical driving to the lane. The rest of the team complements him well, too, with size inside — John McCrear is a 6-foot-9 Murray State commit but has been coming off the bench since returning late in the season — and quick guards who cause havoc on defense and can get out in transition.

Duncan believes the Chargers have the size to match up well, although the advantage is not dramatic. J’town’s McDaniels brothers average 6-4, Genesis Nimely is 6-7 and Taylor Rhys is 6-3. Only guard Brandon Gatewood (5-11) is under 6 feet among the team's top six scorers. Those are comparable numbers to the Yellow Jackets’ top rotational pieces.

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Jeffersontown has a path to KHSAA Sweet 16 semifinal

Get past Woodford County, and Jeffersontown faces either Elizabethtown or McCracken County in Friday’s quarterfinals. Neither are top-10 teams in the state nor considered favorites to make a deep run.

“If you look at the second round, they got talent but they won’t light up the scoreboard,” Duncan said.

A low-scoring defensive game plays into the Chargers’ hands.

A path is available for J’town to make its first KHSAA semifinal since the 2006 championship run, where it will likely face Sweet 16 favorite Warren Central, led by Chappelle Whitney (16.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Kade Unseld (15.9, 7.5).

From there, Duncan believes Saturday’s final two games will be all about fight.

Follow assistant sports editor Jake Adams on Twitter @jakeadams520 or email him at jadams@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16 basketball: Jeffersontown Chargers face Woodford County