Male High falls in final minutes of KHSAA Sweet 16 quarterfinal against Frederick Douglass

LEXINGTON, Ky. — From the COVID-19 cancellation of 2020 to a heartbreaking overtime loss to Warren Central last season, the Male High School boys basketball team has experienced its fair share of Sweet 16 bitterness.

It got worse Friday night.

Leading 54-41 with 4:23 remaining, the Bulldogs went scoreless the rest of the way and dropped a 58-54 decision to Frederick Douglass in a quarterfinal of the UK Healthcare Boys Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.

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The Broncos scored the final 17 points. Male went 0 for 6 from the field with four turnovers down the stretch.

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Season over.

“It sucks that you make those turnovers at the end that cost you, but there were other little things throughout the game,” senior guard Jack Edelen said. “You could have done this, could have done that. Congrats to them. They’re a very good team.”

In the Sweet 16 for the first time, No. 8-ranked Frederick Douglass (33-2) ran its winning streak to 30 and will face the George Rogers Clark-Lyon County winner in Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. semifinal.

© Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal Male's Cole Edelen reacts as time begins to wind down in their game against Frederick Douglass on Friday, March 17, 2023, at Rupp Arena.

Armelo Boone led the Broncos with 19 points and Tylon Webb pitched in 16 points and five rebounds.

Freshman Cole Edelen had 17 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulldogs (26-11), who were trying to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 2002. Senior Meechie White added 11 points.

Male led the state in 3-pointers made this season but hit just 4 of 15 tries Friday night. Still, the Bulldogs were stout defensively and seemingly in control as White’s basket with 4:23 left gave them a 54-41 lead.

Boone’s 3-pointer with 4:16 left sparked the game-closing run. Broncos coach Wes Scarberry also went to a full-court press.

“We haven’t done that much all year, and I think it kind of threw them off guard,” Scarberry said. “It wasn’t necessarily the press itself, but it was more our kids’ attitude and willingness to refuse to lose. … Our guys did some big things there at the end and overcame a lot.”

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Logan Busson’s basket gave the Broncos the lead, 55-54, with 47 seconds left. Aveion Chenault and Boone hit free throws in the final 22 seconds to put it away.

Frederick Douglass finished 24 of 29 from the free-throw line; Male was 4 of 8.

Haworth said he wanted his team to be aggressive and not play “stall ball” down the stretch.

“We’re waiting for them to come trap, and then we go,” Haworth said. “We had three plays there at the rim I thought we got fouled and they didn’t call it. If you get six points out of that, that lead stays.”

© Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal Male's Cole Edelen tries to score in the paint in the second half against Frederick Douglass' Aveion Chenault at Rupp Arena on Friday, March 17, 2023

It was a bitter end for a Male team that started 3-7 and then got hot, winning 15 in a row before Friday’s finale.

“It’s one of my all-time favorite teams, just how we stuck together,” Haworth said. “There was zero drama with this team. They came to work every day in practice. Super proud of them.”

The Bulldogs will lose four players to graduation — starters Jack Edelen and White and reserves Xavier Frazier and Ethan Richards.

White credited the coaching staff and the senior leaders for keeping the team together after a rough December.

“Starting off 3-7, even me, I wanted to fold,” he said. “But they didn’t let us fold.”

KHSAA Boys Sweet 16: Woodford County, No. 1 Warren Central advance to semifinals

MALE                               14        12        20        8 - 54

FREDERICK DOUGLASS   11        14        12        21 - 58

Male (26-11) – Jayson Gasaway 6, Cole Edelen 17, Meechie White 11, Jack Edelen 7, Max Gainey 9, Antonio Harris 2, Shammai Gates 2.

Frederick Douglass (33-2) – Aveion Chenault 13, Logan Busson 4, Armelo Boone 19, Kai Simpson 4, Tylon Webb 16, Terry Cayson 2.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Male High falls in final minutes of KHSAA Sweet 16 quarterfinal against Frederick Douglass