? Headlines ?

? ? | Tigers (back) to the top. St. Xavier reclaimed the top rankings in both the region and state by completing the first ever three-peat of LIT championships. They did it the hard way, running the gauntlet of Ballard, Male, and Jeffersontown in the final three rounds to hoist the trophy. 

X finished off the Bruins in the quarterfinals with a late 10-0 run to overcome a poor shooting night. Splits were 35/24/57, well below their season averages in all categories. Ballard had outplayed the Tigers prior to the final flurry.

The battle for #1 came in the semis, as the Tigers engaged Male in a barnburner. The game was back and forth before X put the fire out with a 9-0 run to close the show. Jeremiah Jackson shined with a game high 26 points, but Josh Lindsay has a way of leaving the longest lasting impressions.

 

The championship game was somewhat anticlimactic. After the tension of the previous two rounds, X grabbed an early lead and kept J-Town at arms length for much of the final. Jackson scored a game high 20 and took home MVP honors for the second straight year. He averaged 19 & 7 for the tournament.

Jackson vs. Male Highlights: 

 

 

? ♈ | One of the tournament's signature moments belonged to Ballard, who bounced Manual in the first round with a Baron Clay corner three and subsequent steal by Cole Edelen in the final seconds to seal the win.     

 

? | Eastern’s stock is up following a semifinal appearance in the LIT. The Eagles emerged victorious from a nip and tuck second half with Seneca in Round 1. It was a get-back game for Eastern, who lost to the Redhawks in early December. Damian Jung was a force with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

 

The Eagles pulled a mild upset of Butler in the quarterfinals with a total team effort that included four players in double figures and ten total in the scoring column.

It was a week of affirmation for the Eagles, who have the tools to pose problems for the region's upper tier when the post-season arrives. They're still not whole, with the eligibility of seven-footer Noah Bol still up in the air.

?? | In events peripheral to the LIT, CAL made a run to the 2A state tournament final before falling short against Boyd County. Jayden Washington averaged 20 ppg for the tournament and continues to be the catalyst for the Centurions’ offense while Boogie Cook gets re-acclimated. The highly touted Cook was limited to 6 ppg for the tournament.

? | In noteworthy scoring news, Jordan Mitchell's streak of 20 point games ended against St. X. He was limited to 17 by the Tigers, ending his run at 15 straight games. The sophomore entered Male's 1,000 point club in a first round LIT encounter with PRP. He's well on his way to being an all-time great scorer/player for the Dawgs.

 

Rankings and Weekly Results

1. Saint Xavier ? (14-4) 
• Ballard W 62-60
• Male W 68-59
• Jeffersontown W 72-56

2. Male ? (13-4)
• PRP W 78-55
• South Oldham W 70-48
• St. Xavier L 59-68

3. Ballard ? (10-5)
• Manual W 64-63
• St. Xavier L 60-62

4. Manual ♈ (9-5)
• Ballard L 63-64

5. Eastern ? (15-4)
• Seneca W 55-53
• Butler W 79-75
• Jeffersontown L 38-57

6. Christian Academy of Louisville ?? (11-5)
• LKY (Home School) W 94-49
• Murray W 56-26
• Glasgow W 78-49
• Boyd County L 57-66

7. Seneca ?? (9-5)
• Eastern L 53-55

8. Trinity ☘️ (5-7)
• Jeffersontown L 49-59

9. Atherton 〰️ (10-4)
• Inactive 

10. Waggener ?? (6-10)
• Collins L 64-65
• KCD W 86-61

11. Kentucky Country Day ?? (5-10)
• Whitefield Academy W 60-58
• Waggener L 61-86
• Francis Parker W 67-48

12. Central ? (4-10)
• Oldham County L 72-82
• Doss W 61-50

13. Shawnee ? (2-8)
• Inactive 

14. Brown ? (6-10)
• Valley L 40-75
• Newcomer Academy W 78-44

15. Highlands Latin ??????? (8-5)
• Bourbon County L 66-95
• Covington Latin W 89-12

16. Louisville Collegiate ⚔️ (5-7)
• Mercer County L 49-54
• Thomas Nelson W 62-50

17. Francis Parker ?? (6-7)
• Iroquois W 47-46
• KCD L 48-67

18. Portland Christian ? (6-9)
• Cornerstone Christian W 38-36
• Dayton L 57-63
• Immaculate Conception Academy (OH) W 63-46

Games Of Note (1/19-1/25)
Trinity vs. Seneca (1/20)
Male vs. Butler (1/20)
St. Xavier vs. Male III (1/23)
Trinity vs. Covington Catholic (1/23)
Ballard vs. Eastern (1/23)
Seneca vs. Atherton (1/23)

 

Tough news for Male. Hope he has full and speedy recovery.

46 minutes ago, Tigerpride94 said:

Tough news for Male. Hope he has full and speedy recovery.

I hate this news so much. Seeing kids get hurt is never fun. Hope he recovers and comes back stronger.