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Home teams prevail in high-profile ranked matchups, Sweet 16 bracket draw revealed

by: Sterling Hohman02/05/26

On Tuesday, the KHSAA drew for the Sweet 16 first-round matchups, a sign that the regular season is winding to an end. Teams are rescheduling games from a lingering snowstorm, causing plenty of back-to-backs, but that isn’t stopping ranked, competitive matchups from happening across the state.

No. 25 Lexington Catholic (14-5) stunned No. 5 George Rogers Clark (16-4) 70-64 on Tuesday in Lexington. A day later on Wednesday, No. 4 Madison Central (22-2) overwhelmed No. 20 Bell County (16-4) 71-57.

No. 5 GRC vs. No. 25 Lexington Catholic

Following the 3rd quarter, GRC led 53-50 after Cardinal guard Malachi Ashford sank a putback buzzer-beater, his second of the game. But it was the losing team, Lex Cath, who was more upbeat going into the final period, rather than their dejected opponents.

The Knights, who seem to be finally finding their groove entering this matchup with a season-high four-game win streak, flustered the top-5 Cards all night with their defense. They forced 14 turnovers, picked up 10 steals, half of which from guard Jacob Holland, and earned 28 points off those turnovers over the course of the game.

Their energy was apparent, as Lex Cath forged a 9-0 run midway through the fourth to take a valuable 59-54 lead and later held on for good, winning 70-64 in a battle that featured 17 lead changes and 10 ties.

Max Meagher, Lex Cath’s forward, slammed down a dunk during the run, hyping up a loud student section that made up for a barren crowd.

“In a big-time game like that, you need as much energy as you can get, and if you throw down a dunk like that, it gets the crowd into it. I think that’s huge,” said Meagher.

He also knocked in four FTs down the stretch to extend the Knights’ lead, putting the Cardinals out for good.

“I shoot free throws every day in practice…It was just routine, you know, take a deep breath and follow through.”

Meagher finished with 13 points (3-4 FG; 7-8 FT).

The Knights ran a 3-2 zone defense for most of the game, a strategic decision that paid off.

“Malachi Ashford is a great guard, and we knew we had to shut down his driving lanes,” said Lex Cath coach Brandon Salsman. “So we as a staff decided it was in our best interest to step up and do some things.”

Even with his lanes shut down, Ashford was the primary offensive threat for the Cardinals, scoring a game-high 22 points on four three-pointers, three of which came in the first quarter. He got some help from Montez Gay, who added 14 points on three triples.

Outside of that, no one on GRC finished in double figures.

“I think we had a season high in tips today and were able to knock some things free that got us some transition looks that we’re able to turn into points,” added Salsman.

Hank Woodall scored the bulk of those transition points, leading the Knights with 18 points (9-11 FG). Everett Stuart tallied 13 points on a trio of three-pointers.

No. 20 Bell County vs. No. 4 Madison Central

On Wednesday, Madison Central welcomed Bell County, using a strong 3rd quarter to propel them to a 71-57 win. This was the second game in as many days for the Indians, as they survived new-look Montgomery County 74-69 the day before.

“That’s probably one of the most physical teams that we’ve played the entire year,” said Madison Central coach Allen Feldhaus on Bell County. “But I think our physicality tends to take its toll on other teams in the second half, we tend to wear them down.”

With the Indians down one going into the second half, they backed up their coach’s word, pouring 24 points on the Bobcats in the third quarter, including 16 in the first 3:46. Bell County struggled to keep up with the scoring onslaught, as Madison Central continued to pull away until the final horn.

“We’ve got some guys that can shoot the three…but we don’t want to get three happy, because we’re pretty physical when we get the ball inside.”

The Indians had four players with a three-pointer each in that opening second-half spark, but their efficiency inside (9-15 2FG; 9-11 FT in the second half) widened their lead for good.

Jake Feldhaus (Belmont commit) led all scorers and rebounders with 24 and 13, respectively, while adding three blocks and a steal. He was a physical presence down low, scoring in the post and through contact, a contrast from Madison Central’s upset loss against Woodford County just a few days before.

“They kind of punched us in the mouth, and we never got back up,” said Feldhaus. “It was a great learning point for us to take it the next day, learn from the film, and make it a better practice.”

Only three players scored for the Bobcats all game, with a near even split: Ethan Buell (21 points), Braxton Ferguson (19), and Blake Burnett (17).

Madison Central flexed its own big three, though. In addition to Feldhaus, Luke Asher added 17 points, and Grayson Burton added 15.

KHSAA Sweet 16 Draw

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the KHSAA randomly drew the matchups for the first round of the 2026 Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena, including each of the 16 regional champions. Here is the first-round schedule:

March 18

  • 7th Region vs. 9th Region
  • 4th Region vs. 13th Region
  • 3rd Region vs. 5th Region
  • 11th Region vs. 12th Region

March 19

  • 6th Region vs. 14 Region
  • 2nd Region vs. 8th Region
  • 10th Region vs. 15th Region
  • 1st Region vs. 16th Region

The most anticipated Sweet 16 matchup here is Region 7 vs. Region 9, pinning a potential first-round battle between No. 3 St. Xavier (7th Region) and No. 2 Covington Catholic (9th Region).

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2026-05-20