St. X nabs 26th District crown with OT win over Male - Tigers' McKim nets 34 points in win

William Olsen may not have had a SportsCenter moment, but that’s OK with him.

The senior’s 3-pointer with less than 29 seconds left in overtime lifted host St. Xavier to a 75-72 victory over Male to win the 26^th District championship. It also allowed the Tigers (21-9) to earn some revenge over the Bulldogs (25-5), who won the regular-season matchup 65-62 on Feb. 5 thanks to Alex Cook’s miracle halfcourt heave. That shot made ESPN and went viral.

In the moments after the game, Olsen found himself mobbed by schoolmates who rushed the court to high five, backslap or embrace him. While both teams still advance to next week’s Seventh Regional tournament, the Tigers’ victory gives them a first-round home game.

GALLERY: St. Xavier tops Male in 26th District title game

Considering the depth of the region’s field, it stands to be a key advantage. Olsen said his team wanted that more than anything because of the atmosphere at the Wills Sports Activities Center. Before he could complete his statement, his fellow students finished his words for him with a deafening roar.

Olsen’s shot provided a thrilling climax to a game featuring 14 lead changes, all but two of which came after the start of the fourth period. In the final minute of the extra session, there were three of them.

“Best high school game I’ve ever been a part of,” St. X coach Kevin Klein said.

Connor McKim’s 15-footer with 59 seconds remaining put the Tigers up 71-69, but Cook responded with a 24-foot 3-pointer 10 seconds later to reclaim the lead for the Bulldogs, the No. 12 team in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings.

The Tigers went down the court and McKim, who finished with 34 points, missed a jumper. But Pierce Kiesler grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to McKim at the top of the key. As a defender jumped out to confront the Seventh Region Player of the Year, McKim dished it to an open Olsen on the right wing for his fifth assist.

“I knew I had to hit it,” said the 6-foot-3 swingman, who finished with 13 points. “I got my legs into it, and it went down.”

McKim would make one of two free throws with 9 seconds left, and St. X stole the ball before Male could get off a shot at the end.

St. X did not take its first lead until late in the second quarter when Olsen’s layup made it 25-23 as the Bulldogs went scoreless over the final 4:07 of the half. The Tigers led 30-23 at halftime and grew the lead to 39-29 midway through the third quarter.

That’s when Male’s pressure defense started to kick in, helping the Bulldogs climb all the way back. They led 63-57 with 2:29 left in regulation before the Tigers scored seven straight points to reclaim the lead. Cook, a finalist for Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball who finished with 26 points and nine rebounds, forced overtime by making 1 of 2 free throws with 1:02 left in the fourth.

Male now must start its regional run on the road, quite likely in a similar environment as St. X, first-year coach Willie Feldhaus said. But his team, led by eight seniors, is resilient enough for the challenge, he said.

“This is going to hurt for a day or two, but that’s alright,” he said. “It should, but we’ll bounce back.”