LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — St. Xavier High School appeared in danger of a second consecutive first round defeat in the Boys Sweet 16 in Lexington on Wednesday.
The third-ranked Tigers trailed second-ranked Covington Catholic, 28-17, early in the second quarter. But pressure defense, hot outside shooting and acrobatic dunks turned the tables in a hurry as St. X got the lead by halftime and rolled to a 75-61 victory over Colonels.
The Tigers scored 13-straight points to take the lead for good in the latter stages of the second quarter. Senior Bryce Johnson came off the bench and hit all four of his attempts from deep, including three in the second quarter as X went up 41-35 at the break.
They extended that lead to 15 in the third quarter, including back-to-back threes from Josh Lindsay. The talented sophomore made 5-6 shots from deep for the game and added a pair of emphatic dunks in a 21-point effort.
CovCath got within six early in the fourth quarter but no closer. They were led by Braeden Myrick with 19 points and finish the season under former Bellarmine standout Jake Thelen at 31-3.
The Tigers had five in double figures led by Lindsay. Chief Cameron had 14 points and six assists. Connor Klein had 12, as did Bryce Johnson. Jordan Jackson scored 10, including four rim-rattling dunks.
St. Xavier's leading scorer on the season, steady senior Jeremiah Jackson scored just two points on 1-3 shooting, but had seven assists.
Jackson said last year's first round exit to Jeffersontown was disappointing, but the team is not dwelling on that.
"Our best is yet to come and we're always looking in front of us," Jackson said. "We're not looking back. I definitely told some of the guys at halftime that we've been in this situation before. We've been up nine, 12, however many points it was. Don't let up. Keep playing, keep coming, play hard, and we'll do it."
The Tigers shot 62.5% for the game. They are now 27-7 and move into an 11 a.m. Friday quarterfinal against North Laurel, a winner over Warren Central.
Other area teams include Taylor County, the 5th Region winners playing Grayson County at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The 6th Region champions from Butler meet Hazard at 11 a.m. Thursday. 8th Region winner North Oldham plays Lyon County at 6 p.m. Thursday.
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