No. 9 Frederick Douglass (21-6) held a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, attempting to grind out a victory to complete an in-season trifecta over district rival No. 22 Bryan Station (22-8). In what was a low-scoring game up until that point, the Broncos erupted on an 18-0 run to clinch the 42nd District championship, 66-36.
A slew of dunks, three-pointers, and transition points got the Bronco crowd rocking and throwing Ls down to Bryan Station and “The Jungle”.
Dakari Talbert, who fought injury for most of the game, led the game with 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
“I just wanted to do anything I needed to do to help my team win. Pray to God, ask him to strengthen me, and that’s what he did,” said Talbert.
The Defenders played a high-pressure, high-risk style of defense, as they double-teamed on every possession and aggressively reached for steals. That style produced more risk than reward, as they picked up 17 fouls to three steals.
“We are skilled enough that if you try trap us, we’re going to shoot layups,” said Frederick Douglass coach Murray Garvin.
The Broncos ironically did what the Defenders couldn’t, holding Bryan Station to 36 points on 14-51 shooting and 2-13 from three. Their defense added nine steals.
“It’s called Bronco tenacity,” said Garvin on his team’s defense. “Our guys right now are locked in defensively, and tonight was a great example of it.”
Bryan Station’s Amari Owens, Lexington’s all-time leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 4-19 shooting. He got into foul trouble early, picking up his fourth in the third quarter.
Ethan Owens led the Defenders with 12 points coming off the bench, while Taeshawn Adams added 10. Outside of those three, Bryan Station only scored four more points.
For Frederick Douglass, Thurman Wade and DeMarcus Surratt helped with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Surratt put in a solid effort on defense, tallying three steals and two blocks.
The Broncos shot 16-23, a hair under 70%, in the second half, and dominated on the glass. They won the rebound battle 37-23, and grabbed almost as many offensive rebounds (11) as Bryan Station did defensive rebounds (12).
11th Region Tournament
The 11th Region is one of the most competitive regional tournaments in the Bluegrass, calling home to four top 25 teams, including the Broncos and Defenders, along with No. 1 Madison Central and No. 23 Lexington Catholic. Although it seems like it’s the Indians’ to lose, Lex Cath upset them earlier in the month, proving that the 11th Region is up for grabs.