St. Xavier is the team to beat as they bid for a second straight boys LIT title

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- St. Xavier is coming off what coach Kevin Klein called the experience of a lifetime, going 2-2 in games over the holiday in San Diego against some of the top high school teams in the country.

"Playing a team from Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Washington D.C., every team had a 7-footer but one, nationally-ranked teams and high level division one talent," said Klein. "You can't replicate that every game throughout your schedule."

"I think that overall experience of just going up against all those great teams is definitely going to help us down the road when we want to get to where we want to get to in the postseason," said senior guard Noa'Sosa Friedman.

The top-ranked Tigers have yet to lose against Kentucky competition, including winning the King of the Bluegrass Championship at Fairdale before Christmas. This week they are bidding for a second straight Louisville Invitational Title.

"We know we have a big target on our back," said senior forward Will Hanke. "You can't win a state championship right now, but just kind of see how we fare right now and what we need to work on, so it will be good to see."

St. X returned nearly all of its production and added one of the state's top freshman in Josh Lindsay to a team that won 30 games a year ago. But that team was upset in the region semifinals by Seneca. And while that's not the main motivation this year, it is a motivation.

"If we ever get too high on ourselves," said Hanke, thinking back to that painful loss, "we always know that if you get too high on yourself, that's what can happen."

"Our success in December and even last season will not guarantee anything the rest of this month or all the way throughout the end of this season," added Klein.

The Tigers open LIT play Tuesday at home against CAL, in their first game of the new year.

"Like coach said, we're going to let the dogs out in the LIT," said Friedman. We've been waiting so long to play a game."

It's a 5:30 p.m. start at St. Xavier, the first of two games there. It will be followed by Fairdale and Moore at 7:30 p.m. Male, Manual, and Butler are also hosting first round doubleheaders on Tuesday.

The quarterfinals move to Valley High School Thursday and Friday. The semifinals are Saturday and the final is Sunday, also at Valley.