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KSR's UK Healthcare Boys' Sweet 16 Thursday Preview

Troy Howellby:Troy Howell•03/14/23
ksr-uk-healthcare-boys-sweet-16-thursday-preview
Photo by Les Nicholson | Kentucky Sports Radio

March Madness (the high school edition) has arrived in the Bluegrass State.

Beginning Wednesday morning, the 2023 UK Healthcare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 Tournament officially gets rolling at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. 16 of the state’s top teams survived the regular season and made it past their respective regional tournaments to assemble on this stage. Over the next several days, high school basketball fans from all over the Commonwealth will converge on Rupp Arena in hopes of their program being crowned the ultimate champion.

To prepare you for what’s to come throughout the rest of the week, KSR is previewing every team in the Sweet 16 and their first-round matchups. Up first will be Wednesday’s four games, which we previewed here. Those will be followed up by four more first-round games on Thursday, which we’ll preview below, before the quarterfinals start up on Friday.

Additionally, you can check out KSR’s post-regional tournament rankings here, which includes a Sweet 16 Power Rankings list for just the teams in the state tournament. If you prefer to listen to your preview, you can do so here through the Premier High School Sports Podcast. Now let’s dive into Thursday’s preview.

11:00 AM | No. 6 Male (25-10) vs. Breathitt County (18-9)

Matchup: Male started off losing four of their first five games and seven of their first 10 but are currently on a 14-game win streak. The Bulldogs took some time to get rolling partly because of multi-sport athletes who played on the state runner-up football team. They knocked off two high-quality opponents in the 7th Region tournament, besting Ballard 75-67 in the semifinals and outlasting Trinity 67-75 in 2OT with senior Jack Edelen (17.7 ppg) hitting the late go-ahead 3-pointer.

Despite losing freshman Jayden Johnson to Trinty and top 100 recruit Kaleb Glenn to prep school, the Bulldogs are back at Rupp Arena for the second straight year. Cole Edelen (15.8) is one of the top freshmen in the state while senior Demetris “Meechie” White (13.6) is another key player to watch. They will go into the matchup as heavy favorites, but don’t count out the Breathitt County Bobcats.

The 14th Region usually goes through Perry County Central and Hazard but the Bobcats had something to say about this year. Despite losing to both in the regular season, Breathitt County got hot at the right time and edged Hazard 53-51 in the region semifinals before knocking off Perry County Central 64-46 in the finals. High-flying sophomore Austin Sperry (18.0 ppg) leads the Bobcats in scoring and has Division I scholarship offers, while senior Christian Collins (14.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg) can go for a double-double at any time. Football coach Kyle Moore took over the team after B.B. King passed away during the season. King coached some excellent Knott County Central teams before joining Breathitt County prior to this season.

History: The Bulldogs have had some elite-level teams recently but surprisingly haven’t won the state championship since 1975. Male had a big halftime lead in the 2001 championship game before Lafayette stormed back. Breathitt County is in the state tournament for the first time since 1996. The Bobcats will need to likely pull off a couple of upsets in order to be the first 14th Region team to advance to the state semifinals since Hazard did so in 1986 — a brutal stretch of futility for that region.

Next up: The winner will play either Frederick Douglass or Martin County on Friday night at 6:30 PM.

Troy’s Pick: Male by 12

1:30 PM | No. 4 Lyon County (30-5) vs No. 22 Newport (28-6)

Matchup: Tiny Lyon County High School is making some big noise on the statewide level. Travis Perry (32.2 ppg), a top 100 recruit in the class of 2024 who has an offer from UK, is only 20 points shy of King Kelly Coleman’s career Kentucky high school scoring record. Lyon County, winners of 16 straight games, is not just a one-man team as fellow juniors Brady Shoulders (18.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg) and Jack Reddick (19.0) also average in double figures. Lyon County (83.9 ppg) leads the state in scoring and Perry shoots an impressive 88.1% from the charity stripe. Though the Lyons will be the favorites, this game could go down to the wire.

Newport has won 12 straight games to become champions of the always-tough 9th Region. Senior Marquez Miller (15.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is the leader while freshmen Taylen Kinney (14.0 ppg) and James Turner (8.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) already have Division I scholarship offers. Junior Jabari Covington (12.2 ppg) drilled the game-winner with 2.3 seconds left against Cooper in the 9th Region finals.

History: The Lyons ended a 71-year state tournament drought last season and will be returning to Rupp Arena for the second consecutive year. Newport’s last region championship came in 2010. They were state runner-ups in 1935 and 1954.

Next up: The winner will play either George Rogers Clark or North Laurel on Friday night at 8:30 PM.

Troy’s Pick: Lyon County by 3.

6:00 PM | No. 2 Frederick Douglass (31-2) vs Martin County (24-10)

Matchup: Despite being ranked fifth in the Cats’ Pause Preseason 11th Region Coaches Poll and having no players in their preseason top 10, the Frederick Douglass Broncos are bringing a 28-game winning streak into Rupp Arena. The perimeter-oriented Broncos are led by the trio of senior point guard Kai Simpson (16.7 ppg), sophomore Armelo Boone (16.0), and sophomore Aveion Chenault (13.2). Boone had a highlight dunk and game-winning 3-pointer against then No. 2 Lexington Catholic in the finals of the challenging 11th Region tournament. Chenault uses incredible quickness and athleticism to get to the hoop and Simpson provides steady senior leadership. If the Broncos play up to their potential they will be expected to advance by double-digits, but Martin County is riding a winning streak of its own.

The Cardinals have won five straight after a baffling eight-game losing streak that started in late January. After knocking off Harlan in the first round of the All-A State Tournament to improve to 19-2, Martin County was routed by Evangel Christian and started to tailspin from there. They regrouped just in time to win the district tournament before surviving a last-second three-point attempt from Pikeville in the 15th Region final to win 55-53. Junior Luke Hale (20.7 ppg) has been a scoring machine throughout his career at Martin County and fellow junior Brayden McKenzie (15.3) is also having a fine season.

History: The Broncos are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in the school’s young history. They are trying to become the first school to win football and basketball championships in the same school year since Covington Catholic in 2017-2018. Louisville Trinity accomplished the feat in 2011-2012. Senior starter Ty Webb was a standout on the Bronco football team. The Cardinals’ only region title came in 2020, but the state tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. Sheldon Clark High School, which was located in Martin County, made the state tournament in 1983.

Next up: The winner will play either Male or Breathitt County on Friday night at 6:30 PM.

Troy’s Pick: Frederick Douglass by 22

8:30 PM | No. 5 George Rogers Clark vs No. 7 North Laurel

Matchup: George Rogers Clark returns three starters from last year’s state championship team that went undefeated against Kentucky competition. The Cardinals have dropped off just a bit from last year’s nationally-ranked squad, but are still contenders for the title. Senior Jerone Morton (20.0 ppg) is the leader and one of the top players in the state. Senior Trent Edwards (16.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is a force inside and a rim protector. Senior Sam Parrish (14.8) is the other returning starter while junior sharpshooter Reshaun Hampson (11.8 ppg, 42% 3PT) is playing a more prominent role after coming off the bench last year. Expect this to be the game of the first round and possibly the game of the tournament with North Laurel also coming in as a legitimate championship contender.

The Jaguars are led by four-star recruit and UK commit Reed Sheppard. A walking triple-double, Sheppard (22.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 88.6% FT) is certainly worth the price of admission, despite all the Ticketmaster fees. Ryan Davidson, who is Sheppard’s cousin, averages 17.8 points and 5.8 rebounds. The Jaguars struggled early in the year but started to round into form once Knox Central transfer Gavin Chadwell (11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 75.6% FT) got healthy. Chadwell, a junior, is also a very good football player. Junior Brody Brock (9.9 ppg, 43.4% 3PT) is a dangerous threat from downtown.

History: The Cardinals, which has won four straight 10th Region crowns, are trying to become the first school to win back-to-back state titles since Fairdale did so in 1990 and 1991. Clark County high school won the state title in 1951. The Jaguars are in the state tournament for the second consecutive year. Laurel County won the state tournament in 1982 on Paul Andrews’ famous half-court heave. Rival South Laurel won the state title in 2005.

Next up: The winner will play either Lyon County or Newport on Friday night at 8:30 PM.

Troy’s Pick: GRC by 1

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2025-02-11