What’s the St. Xavier-Trinity rivalry without a little controversy?
In the latest basketball battle between the Catholic school powerhouses, Chief Cameron’s tip-in at the buzzer — or, after the buzzer — was the difference as St. X beat Trinity, 59-58, in overtime Friday in the semifinals of the Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament.
A packed house at Valley saw Josiah Lawson’s free throw give Trinity a 58-57 lead with 5.4 seconds left in overtime. After two timeouts, St. X’s Jeremiah Jackson drove the court and tossed up an off-balance shot that missed.
Trinity’s Drae Vasser (2) is shocked after St. Xavier’s Chief Cameron hit the game-winning shot in overtime Friday night at Valley.
Cameron was there for the rebound and put it in for the St. X victory. Replays and photos appeared to show the ball in Cameron’s hands as the clock hit 0:00.
“Right place, right time,” said Cameron, who led the Tigers with 14 points. “We ran the wrong play, but winning is all that matters.”
Ranked No. 9 in the state, St. X improved to 14-2 and advanced to the LIT final for the first time since 1967. The Tigers lost that final to Male, 59-53, and haven’t captured an LIT crown since 1965.
St. X will face Butler at 5 p.m. Saturday in the final at Valley.
“We haven’t won it in a long time,” Tigers coach Kevin Klein said. “These kids have a lot of drive and motivation. They’re really hungry and have a big chip on their shoulder.”
Connor Klein hit four 3-pointers for St. X.
Julius Edmonds scored 17 points to lead No. 4 Trinity (15-4). Assistant coach Bret Saxton downplayed the controversy surrounding Cameron’s game-winner.
“It shouldn’t have come down to that,” Saxton said. “Seventeen turnovers was the biggest issue. I was proud of the way we competed on the glass … but we weren’t able to limit their 3s, especially in the second half.”
Edmonds scored three straight baskets to give Trinity a 40-33 lead midway through the third quarter, but St. X responded with an 18-5 surge. Brandon Dayes’ 3-pointer capped it and gave the Tigers a 51-45 lead with 4:20 left in regulation.
Jayden Johnson sank two free throws to give Trinity a 53-51 lead with 1:23 left, but Cameron’s basket with 39 seconds remaining tied it at 53, leading to overtime.
Trinity took two-point leads twice in the overtime before St. X answered. Lawson was fouled on a drive with 5.4 seconds left and hit 1 of 2 free throws.
Klein disagreed with the foul call on Lawson.
“Fortunately, at the end of the game, the whistle went our way,” Klein said.
The coach said he was pleased for Cameron, a sophomore guard who entered the game averaging 8.7 points per contest.
“That’s just who he is,” Klein said. “His motor never stops. He has an incredible knack for the ball. He just goes and goes and goes. … He deserves for that to go his way tonight.”
ST. XAVIER 15 13 16 9 6 – 59
TRINITY 18 12 11 12 5 – 58
St. Xavier (14-2) – Connor Klein 12, Chief Cameron 14, Chance Dillingham 8, Brandon Dayes 7, Graham Krezmien 5, Noa’Sosa Friedman 2, Jeremiah Jackson 5, Will Hanke 6.
Trinity (15-4) – Julius Edmonds 17, Lance Chandler 3, Drae Vasser 11, Avery Frasher 3, Josiah Lawson 10, Jayden Johnson 11, Alex Johnson 3.
More LIT coverage: Butler basketball rallies late against top-seeded Manual, reaches LIT championship game
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; [email protected]; follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LIT 2024: St. Xavier tops Trinity in OT, reaches championship game
