'The biggest rivalry in Central Kentucky': No. 8 Frederick Douglass cools off No. 22 Bryan Station in 63-60 OT win

“DeMarcus Surratt should be a Mr. Basketball candidate,” said Frederick Douglass (9-4) coach Murray Garvin. “Tonight he demonstrated it on one of the biggest stages in high school basketball.”

Surratt, the Bellarmine commit, erupted for 31 points in the 63-60 win over Bryan Station (11-5) on Tuesday night, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, including the buzzer-beating three which sent the game to overtime.

“I just love my guys,” said Surratt. “I think our bond really brought us through that one.”

Demarcus Surratt erupts for 31 in the OT win over Bryan Station!

No. 8 Frederick Douglass 63, No. 22 Bryan Station 60 pic.twitter.com/rRkFfLz6k3

— SterlingVision (@sterlingvis1) January 14, 2026

Even though Surratt led all scorers with 31, his teammates delivered invaluable contributions, including three blocks and steals each from Nate Coen and a 6-0 Tate Robinson run at the end of the first half to give the Broncos the lead.

After starting sixth in KSR’s high school basketball rankings, Bryan Station fell completely out of the top 25 with a 3-4 stretch after week one. However, they climbed back into the rankings this week at 22, thanks to a six-game win streak that they brought into a battle against Fayette County’s toughest foe: No. 8 Frederick Douglass.

Bryan Station came out of the gates hot in front of a sold-out crowd, as they built out a 17-13 lead after the first quarter off the back of EKU-commit Amari Owens and his crafty scoring. Owens finished the game with 21 points, with 12 coming in the first half.

After the Defenders successfully diced up the Broncos’ zone defense, they adjusted extremely well in the second quarter by switching to man-to-man, limiting Bryan Station to only six points. The offense took advantage by taking a four-point lead into halftime, 27-23.

The second half is when the game turned into a game of runs, par for the course for a rivalry classic like this one. Bryan Station went on a 5-0 run to retake the lead early in the third quarter, but Frederick Douglass responded with their own 9-0 run to close out the quarter with a 36-34 advantage.

The fourth-quarter was also a back-and-forth affair until the Broncos pulled ahead 46-40 with four minutes to go. However, the Defenders erased that deficit with an 8-0 run to take a 48-46 lead with just under a minute left.

After a foul-ridden stretch of basketball, Frederick Douglass had the chance to tie with seven seconds to go. Surratt brought the ball up the court and nailed a three at the top of the key to send this one to overtime.

“Big time players make big time shots in big time situations, and that’s what he was able to do tonight,” said Garvin.

Midway through the OT period, Surratt drew a shooting foul on Owens, which is his fifth, fouling him out of the game. Surratt knocked down both free throws, giving Frederick Douglass the lead. They were able to inch up to a four-point lead with 40 seconds to go, and held off the Defenders for good with a 63-60 overtime win.

“Anytime we play Bryan Station, it’s going to be a game like this because there’s so much at stake,” Douglass head coach Murray Garvin said. “Not only is this a district game, but I would go out to say this is the biggest rivalry in central Kentucky.”

This is the third matchup in a row between these two that ended in a one-possession game, and they will play again at Bryan Station on Jan. 30.

Furthermore, Bellarmine and EKU are ASUN foes, so we can expect to see some Demarcus Surratt-Amari Owens classics in the next level as well.