Friday the Knights season came to a sudden but exciting end.  St. Xavier of Cincinnati came into the Cintas Center ranked number 4 in the state, ready to make another state tournament run, and only the most ardent Knight fans were expecting anything but an early blowout.   Which made the early minutes of this game some of the most enthralling of a Knights season that was action packed from beginning to end. 

After St. X opened with a bucket, Derrick Harris came back with a deep three, and the game was on.  The Bombers built a couple of 4 point leads in the first quarter, but each time the Knights fought back, till a 3 by Matt Stevens with one minute left in the quarter brought the Knights within one at 15-14, which held up till the end of the period.  As the Knights came to the bench, Knights Nation shook the Cintas Center as the Bomber faithful sat stunned.

Then Stevens opened the second quarter with another 3, putting the Knights up 17 to 15.  The Bombers came back and took the lead, but the Knights answered, and when a Derrick Harris 2 with a minute left held up as the Knights went to the locker room, the Knights found themselves down by two points at half time, 29 to 27, to the no. 4 team in the state.

Putting this into perspective:  Kings is of course a public school, which means that its 473 male students must live within the district.   St. Xavier, as a private institution having no limitations with respect to student residence, recruits from all over the city.  And their male enrollment of 1,173 is second largest in the state.   

This is why the OHSAA is planning to provide the “super schools” with their own division… and it’s why, as the two teams prepared for the 3rd quarter, there was a significant buzz in the Cintas Center.  

In the second half the Bombers scrapped their man-to-man defense in favor of a 2-3 zone.  This might have worked in the Knights’ favor if they could shoot in the second half as well as they did in the first.  And it looked as though they might, after Matt Stevens hit another 3 pointer early in the quarter to bring the Knights within one at 31-30. 

But then the Knights went stone cold, hitting only 2 of their next 10 shots.  Combined with an 11 to 4 disadvantage on the boards in the period, this all but eliminated the Knights’ hopes of an upset.  The Bombers went on a 17 to 2 run, and the 3rd quarter ended with St. X firmly in control at 48 to 32.

In the fourth quarter the Knights’ shooting woes continued.  They were unable to close the gap, and the game ended 64-40.

 It was a disappointing end to an exciting game.  The Knights were led by Derrick Harris’ 11 points - all coming in the first half.  Aaron Gayhart had 10 points, Matt Stevens 9, Mark Byrd and Tyler Smyth 3, and Danny Hagee and Calvin Scruby 2 each.  Harris also led the Knights in rebounding with 7 boards, and Stevens contributed 4 assists.

GAME STATS | SLIDE SHOW (Courtesy of Jenny Haralamous)

 The Knights finish the year at 14-8, 8-2 in the FAVC Cardinal.  Check back soon for a wrap-up of the Knights’ exciting 2007-8 season!

GO KNIGHTS!!