BOYS’ HS BBALL: Lexington goes for No. 1 seed vs. South Side

Coming into the season, the Lexington boys’ basketball team was favored along with Fayette-Ware to be on top of District 14-AA.

The Tigers have a chance to claim the regular season district title on Friday at South Side at 7:30 p.m. But the Hawks, who are one game out of first place, will try to win the title for themselves.

“One of the goals that we set out at the beginning of the season was to put ourselves in a situation to win the regular season district title and go into the tournament as the No. 1 seed,” Lexington coach Andrew Hicks said. “Obviously this is going to be a pro-South Side crowd, and this will be a good test for our guys both mentally and physically.”

South Side is the defending Class AA state champion, but the Hawks were not highly favored after losing four of five starters.

“Coming off of last year, a lot of people didn’t think that we could make a run in the district or in the state,” South Side coach DaMonn Fuller said. “We used that as motivation to prove them wrong.”

Lexington won the first meeting at home 71-66, leading the entire time, but playing at South Side will be tougher.

“We have to play four quarters the way that we know how to play,” Fuller said. “We have to do the things that we do to be successful.”

South Side’s lone returner is senior Chris McNeal, a Western Kentucky signee. McNeal has a high-level scoring ability, but he also has the ability to spread the ball around and make his teammates better.

“Chris is going to have to do what is expected of him,” Fuller said. “And that is just doing what he has done all season for us.”

Lexington brought a balanced attack in the first meeting with four players in double figures. The Tigers bring a tough post duo in Nick Marshall and Tariqious Tisdale to go along with a strong guard play of David Fraser, Jordan Branch and Dillon Smith.

“Anytime we can be balanced in scoring, we are dangerous with our inside and outside game,” Hicks said. “I know that DaMonn [Fuller] will have a great game plan to try and take things away from us.”

Fuller’s key to the game has to do with the flow.

“We have to control the tempo of the game,” Fuller said. “If we can control the tempo, we can do the various things that we like to do throughout the game.”

Hicks is looking more at the toughness of his team.

“Tomorrow will come down to toughness,” Hicks said. “We have to do what we are supposed to do because I think these teams are equally talented.”

Michael Odom, 425-9754