Making just its third appearance ever in the Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament, Kentucky Country Day looked like experienced regulars Monday night.
The Bearcats jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back, beating DeSales 70-44 in a first-round match at Valley. KCD, the No. 13 seed, will play fourth-seeded Male Wednesday afternoon, also at Valley.
Colin Ferguson led the Bearcats (8-4) with 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting and grabbed nine boards. JR Mathis added 19.
After beating Butler in an LIT game in 2014, the Bearcats just missed getting an invite last year. That served as the driving force for James Booker’s squad.
“We really wanted to get back in and obviously top what we did in 2014,” the KCD coach said. “So, we were really motivated tonight, and the ball was falling early for us tonight.”
KCD shot 63 percent (17 of 27) in the first half. Meanwhile DeSales floundered, making just 3 of 14 shots during the same stretch. That “perfect storm” as DeSales coach Tom Crews called it, allowed the Bearcats to take leads of 12-2, 32-7 and 43-11 before intermission.
Despite holding a size advantage, DeSales, the No. 20 seed, could not even control the boards, as the Bearcats outrebounded the Colts 39-25. And after missing their first 11 three-point shots, DeSales – which shoots about half of its shots from beyond the arc – finished just 2 of 22 from the perimeter.
“We have to make three pointers to compete with anybody, and we didn’t make any” in the first half, Crews said.
DeShawn Bell made all six of his shots to lead the Colts (5-10), who are mired in a five-game losing streak, with 13 points. Jaxon Burgess, who averaged 18.8 points a game entering Monday, scored all 10 of his after halftime.
If the Bearcats are to forge new ground in the LIT, it will have to come against a Male team ranked No. 11 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings. For Ferguson, it’s a chance to go up against his friend, senior forward Alex Cook.
“We’re going to have to limit his touches,” said Ferguson, who averages 23.4 points a game. “And try not to let him go off like he’s capable.”
DESALES 7 6 18 13 – 44
KENTUCKY COUNTRY DAY 21 22 11 16 – 70
DeSales (5-10) – Kelly 7, Hartlage 2, Burgess 10, LaFever 2, Stone 2, Baum 2, Michaels 2, Bell 13, Seibert 4.
KCD (8-4) – S. Mathis 2, Collins 2, JR Mathis 19, Kraus 5, Carter 1, Ferguson 34, Bric 2, Roe 4, Widman 1.
3-point goals – Kelly, Burgess, Mathis 3, Kraus, Ferguson 2.
