Reed Sheppard, Travis Perry headline 2022 White, Greer, & Maggard Holiday Classic

Lexington Catholic will be the host site of a must-watch high school basketball tournament this week.

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 27, and continuing through Friday, Dec. 30 is the 2022 edition of the annual White, Greer, Maggard Holiday Classic. This year’s tournament features a 16-team field (eight of them among KSR’s top 25 rankings) with some of the most talented squads and individual players in the entire Bluegrass State. Headlining the event are the usual suspects, led by Kentucky Wildcats commit Reed Sheppard and his North Laurel Jaguars along with Kentucky target Travis Perry and the Lyon County Lyons.

First things first, let’s check out Tuesday’s first-round schedule before diving into a game-by-game preview. As a side note: Matt Jones and the KSR crew will host the radio show LIVE on Tuesday morning at Lexington Catholic from 10-noon. We hope to see you all there!

KSR tomorrow will be LIVE from Lexington Catholic for the big High School Tournament there that features some of the best teams and players in the state

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) December 26, 2022

First-round: Tuesday, Dec. 27 (Bueter Gym)

9:30 AM | West Jessamine vs. No. 10 North Oldham
11:00 AM | Woodford County vs. T-No. 5 Ballard
12:30 PM | No. 12 Bowling Green vs. Fern Creek
2:00 PM | No. 1 Warren Central vs. Madison Central
4:00 PM | No. 8 Lexington Catholic vs. Christian Academy-Louisville
5:30 PM | No. 18 Lyon County vs. Holy Cross (Covington)
7:00 PM | T-No. 5 North Laurel vs. Campbell County
8:30 PM | RV Bracken County vs. T-No. 5 Mason County

Quarterfinals: Wednesday, Dec. 28 (Bueter Gym)

Game 13: 3:30 PM
Game 14: 5:00 PM
Game 15: 6:30 PM
Game 16: 8:00 PM

Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 29 (Bueter Gym)

Game 23: 6:30 PM
Game 24: 8:00 PM

Championships: Friday, Dec. 30 (Bueter Gym)

Loser Game 27: 5:30 PM
Final Game 28: 7:00 PM

Tickets to the event are available at the door of Lexington Catholic High School for $10. All games will be streamed live on PrepSpin.

White, Greer, & Maggard Holiday Classic preview

Reed Sheppard and No. 5 North Laurel are off to an 8-4 start to the season following a tough out-of-state schedule to begin the year. The Jaguars started the year 5-0 before running into Bowling Green and then a nationally ranked Imhotep Charter (PA) group that included Sheppard’s future UK teammate, Justin Edwards, up in Louisville. Soon after, North Laurel went down to Florida for the City of Palms Classic, which saw the Jags post a 2-2 record against more high-profile out-of-state teams.

Through 10 games this season, Sheppard is averaging 23.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 41.0 percent from beyond the arc. Fellow Jaguars Ryan Davidson (18.5 PPG) and Brody Brock (12.4 PPG) complement their star teammate while the impending return of big man Gavin Chadwell (15.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG) will put North Laurel in terrific shape moving forward.

North Laurel takes on unranked Campbell County (6-3) in the seventh game of Tuesday’s first-round action, which is set to begin at 7:00 PM.

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5:30 PM | No. 18 Lyon County vs. Holy Cross (Covington)

Meanwhile, Travis Perry ranks 5th in the state in scoring for No. 18 Lyon County at 30.2 points per game while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. The class of 2024 four-star recruit has already picked up an offer from the Wildcats and is also hearing from the likes of Ole Miss, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Purdue, and several others. Perry’s is aided by 19.7 PPG from Jack Reddick and another 18.4 from Brady Shoulders.

Lyon County will take the hardwood against unranked Holy Cross [Covington] (6-2) right before Sheppard and North Laurel. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

Sheppard and Perry certainly aren’t the only attractions in this star-studded event, though.

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9:30 AM | West Jessamine vs. No. 10 North Oldham

Tuesday’s action begins with No. 10 North Oldham (8-4) taking on unranked West Jessamine (4-6) bright and early at 9:30 AM. North Oldham is led by head coach and former Louisville Cardinal David Levitch, who has his most talented and veteran group yet. The Mustangs are powered by Kentucky Mr. Basktball candidate Dallas Roberts, who averages 17.7 points per game. Roberts receives plenty of help from the likes of Ian Higdon (13.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG), Jack Scales (13.6 PPG, 43.5 3PT%), and Luke Anderson (11.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG). North Oldham is a sleeper pick to return to Rupp Arena this spring.

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11:00 AM | Woodford County vs. T-No. 5 Ballard

Next up in the day is a potential thriller between No. 5 Ballard (7-1) and a youthful Woodford County (4-5) squad.

The Ballard Bruins feature four double-digit scorers, including three-star senior prospect Gabe Sisk, who is up to 17.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game (although only five of Ballard’s eight games have available stats). Sisk had initially transferred to a California prep school during the offseason after being named All-State as a junior, but he ultimately returned to Ballard prior to the beginning of the season. He’ll be joined in the scoring column by the likes of Miles Franklin (16.2 PPG), Sam Frazier (11.8 PPG), and Tim Fuller (11.0 PPG).

On the other end, Woodford County trots out one of the most exciting young players in the entire state: four-star sophomore Jasper Johnson. The lanky 6-foot-5 point guard is already hearing from plenty of Power 5 schools, including UK. He’s averaging 20.8 points per game for Woodford County while shooting 53.4 percent overall from the field. Johnson is becoming must-watch basketball for fans of Kentucky high school hoops.

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12:30 PM | No. 12 Bowling Green vs. Fern Creek

The No. 12 Bowling Green Purples (9-1) kickoff the afternoon slate against unranked Fern Creek (4-4). Bowling Green is led by four main scorers: Noah Glover (12.6 PPG), Jaden Johnson (11.9 PPG), Jamal Chambers (10.2), and Trice Camren (10.5 PPG). The Purples have done a terrific job of replacing last year’s Kentucky Mr. Basketball in Turner Buttry, who is now a freshman at Eastern Kentucky. Bowling Green picked up an early-season win over Sheppard and North Laurel, and will look for its second statement victory throughout this tournament.

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2:00 PM | No. 1 Warren Central vs. Madison Central

The undisputed top team in the Commonwealth, the Warren Central Dragons (9-0), will take on unranked Madison Central (4-4) in the mid-afternoon matchup.

Warren Central has looked absolutely dominant this season and has spent the entire year either tied for the state’s top ranking or in control by itself. The Dragons have beaten multiple ranked opponents thus far, including back-to-back double-digit wins over No. 10 North Oldham (71-57) and No. 3 Great Crossing (89-56). With George Rogers Clark hitting a wall the last couple of weeks, Warren Central has run away with the title as the current favorite to cut down the nets in Rupp Arena this spring. After falling in the title game last season to GRC, the Dragons are on a mission. Five different players average double-digit scoring so far.

Madison Central might not come into this tournament as one of the favored teams to make a run, but head coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. still boasts a couple of high-level scorers. A pair of seniors, Hagan Harrison and Jaylen Davis, pour in 21.8 and 21.6 points per contest, respectively, as it’s not been an easy start to the schedule for Madison Central. The Indians sit on a 4-4 record but have lost to only ranked teams: George Rogers Clark, Ballard, Collins, and Pulaski County. This could be a sneaky good matchup.

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4:00 PM | No. 8 Lexington Catholic vs. Christian Academy-Louisville

The hosting Lexington Catholic Knights (9-1) will take the floor in front of home fans in the late afternoon slot, facing Christian Academy-Louisville (5-5) in the fifth game on Tuesday. No. 8 Lexington Catholic is headlined by seven-foot Miami (OH) commit Reece Potter, who is averaging 22.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing.

The Knights are currently on a nine-game winning streak after dropping its season-opener to North Laurel at home, 77-65. The schedule has been light since that loss, but this week will give Lexington Catholic a perfect opportunity to build its resume. Potter is complemented by 12.4 points per game from Hudson Sparks and 10.7 PPG from John Reinhart.

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8:30 PM | RV Bracken County vs. T-No. 5 Mason County

In the Tuesday nightcap, No. 5 Mason County (8-0) will look to continue its somewhat unexpected hot start to the season. The Royals have yet to drop a game this year, winning by an average of 23.3 points per contest. Mason County head coach Brian Kirk rolls out four double-digit scorers: Riley Mastin (17.2 PPG), Terrell Henry (16.4 PPG), Braylon Hamilton (11.9 PPG), and Philip Bierley (10.2 PPG).

Keep in mind that Mason County has just one win so far this season over a ranked opponent — a 75-72 win over Lyon County. This tournament will be a litmus test for the Royals to see just how worthy they are of that No. 5 ranking. Going up against Bracken County (9-2), which is receiving votes in KSR’s rankings, in a Region 10 showdown will be a great way to back up their hot start. Bracken County features the state’s leading scorer in junior guard Blake Reed, who is averaging 32.5 points per game for the Polar Bears on 55.6 percent overall shooting.