LEXINGTON, Ky. – They call it “32 Shield,” and it provided a fierce protector of the postseason run currently enjoyed by the Doss High School boys basketball team.
The Dragons’ 3-2 zone adequately slowed Taylor County’s two high-caliber guards and the Dragons used a balanced offensive attack to post a 69-58 victory in Friday’s quarterfinals of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
Junior guard David Sloan, averaging 20.3 points per game, scored 14 to lead Taylor County. Senior guard Quentin Goodin, a Xavier University signee averaging 23.1 points per game, was held to 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
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Doss coach Tony Williams said he pinched the two wings of the 3-2 zone toward the paint to stop the penetration of Goodin and Sloan.
“We designed that just to be able to keep up with the likes of Quentin Goodin,” Williams said. “He’s such an incredible talent. He’s so strong. He’s so athletic. If I have to put five guys to stop one player … that just lets you know how much we respect him.”
Doss (29-5) – No. 14 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings – has plenty talent of its own and reached the state semifinals for the first time since 1985. The Dragons will face No. 13 South Laurel (29-6) at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Jaylon Hall led the Dragons with 15 points and added seven rebounds and five steals. Kel’Shawn Knight-Goff was a force in the paint with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. Kenyi Bryant added 13 points and four assists, and Laron Hargrove pitched in 12 points.
The Dragons shot 52.5 percent (21 of 40) and won the rebounding battle 34-27. Bryant provided a big lift after hitting just 1 of 7 shots and scoring seven points in Thursday’s 66-57 victory over Lawrence County.
“I had a bad game Wednesday, and my team had my back and gave me another life to show the state what I can do,” Bryant said. “I just had to bounce back and show the state who I am.”
The Dragons were sharp early, jumping to an 18-8 lead after one quarter and holding a 33-25 advantage at halftime.
The Cardinals hit just 9 of 23 shots in the first half, though coach Richard Gatewood downplayed the impact of Doss’ zone.
“I thought we took some bad shots in the first half,” Gatewood said. “The ball didn’t move. It stuck too much. When you take bad shots … that leads to transition buckets.”
The Cardinals pulled within two points twice in the second half, the latter coming on Ezra Oliver’s 3-pointer that made it 58-56 with 2:49 remaining.
Taylor County had three chances to tie or take the lead but committed two turnovers and got a missed jumper by Goodin.
“Those two possession killed us,” Gatewood said. “They didn’t cost us the game, but that’s definitely two big plays.”
Hargrove’s layup on an assist from Hall gave the Dragons a 60-56 edge with 1:02 left. Knight-Goff blocked Goodin’s shot on the Cardinals’ next possession, and Hall sank two free throws for a 62-56 lead with 42.6 seconds left.
The Dragons closed the game with an 11-2 offensive surge, but Hargrove said the “32 Shield” was the key.
“Coach just told us to stick together,” he said. “We all believed in what he said, and we all performed.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
TAYLOR COUNTY 8 17 20 13 – 58
DOSS 18 15 15 21 – 69
Taylor County (25-9) – Rafferty 7, Gaines 9, Goodin 12, Sloan 14, Oliver 12, Irvin 3, Miller 1.
Doss (29-5) – Hargrove 12, K. Knight-Goff 14, Franklin 5, Bryant 13, Hall 15, Maddox 2, Anderson 8.
3-point goals – Sloan, Oliver 3; Franklin, Bryant 2, Hall, Anderson 2.