This past Friday, Feb. 16, the Knights (7-16) fell to Jesuit (21-6) 54-41 in the FHSAA 6A District 9 Championship. The Knights fought hard, but their inability to finish around the rim kept them from the district title.

“We missed shots and Jesuit hit theirs,” Assistant Coach Donald Pippin said. “It really is that simple.”

The Knights dominated the boards in the first half on both ends, but were unable to convert it into points. The Knights had 24 offensive rebounds compared to the Tiger’s six. Against a solid three-point shooting team like the Tigers, the Knights couldn’t afford to give up the easy shots.

The Tiger’s hit five three-pointers while Tyrel Gray (’21) had the only three-pointer of the game for the Knights.

“It’s basketball and I didn’t put the ball in the bucket,” Cameron Lockridge (’19) said. “I didn’t make shots.”

The Knights played strong, man-to-man defense in the first half, holding the Tigers to only 24 points at the break. But it wasn’t enough to take the lead.

The third quarter was filled with in-and-out shots for the Knights as they shot only 30% for the night. And it didn’t help that John Garrett (’18), this season’s leading scorer for the Knights, was held to two points.

“John Garrett tried but they [the Tigers] basically decided they were going to stop him,” Pippin said. “And everybody else had to pick their game up.”

The Knights closed the game trailing 54-41, making this their third consecutive loss to Jesuit this season.

“We can beat them. We can beat them,” Lockridge said. “We can.”

Despite the loss, the Knights will face Booker (26-2) in the regional quarterfinal game on Thursday, Feb. 22 at Booker High School (3201 N. Orange Ave., 34234).