Kentucky Sweet 16: Wednesday Evening Standouts

The Kentucky Sweet 16 got underway on Wednesday and in this article we'll spotlight the standouts from Wednesday evening's contests.    The best player on both ends of the court this evening, Logsdon had a couple of blocked shots in the paint and his ball pressure forced a couple of turnovers. On the offensive end of the court, Logsdon had a couple of assists by using his gravity to attract the defense before finding an open shooter. With the positional size to shoot over smaller defenders, Logsdon had a pair of 3-pointers with defenders right in his face. Grayson County is tough to beat because of their shooting ability and ball movement and if Logsdon gets open shots it is usually a long night for the opposing defense.     Flipping the game with his own personal 8-0 run in the third quarter to turn a one point deficit into a seven point lead for Grayson County, Gaither knocked down his two 3-pointers of the game during that run. Scoring three times off steals, Gaither was opportunistic in jumping passing lanes and going for steals. Impressive performance by one of the more under the radar transfers this year in Kentucky.     Armstrong had a nice game doing the things that help role players flip the outcome of games. Armstrong took a charge, made the extra pass and hit shots off the catch vs the Taylor County zone. Armstrong actually ended up leading Grayson County in scoring on Wednesday and most importantly took smart shots.     In his last organized basketball game, the future Louisville football linemen played an excellent game for a Taylor County team who surprised some people to make it to Rupp this year. Close is a dominant force on the interior, commanding the middle of Taylor County's 2-3 zone defense and being a load to stop in the paint offensively. Able to score as a roll man in the pick and roll as well as seal his defender to score with his back to the basket, Grayson County didn't have anybody the size of Close to slow him down when he caught the ball underneath the rim. Close's biggest play of the game came when he secured an offensive rebound and kicked it out to a shooter for a crucial second half 3-pointer when the game was slipping away from Taylor County. With a talented 2028 class set to return, don't be surprised if Taylor County is back to this stage the next few years.     A player who I had never heard of prior to Wednesday night, Domidion played with a ton of confidence on the ball and his natural confidence and feel for the game was apparent within the first few minutes of the game. Dicing up the Great Crossing defense, Domidion was throwing some sweet dimes through traffic and getting his teammates open looks early and often. Domidion actually opened the game with a bucket off a sweet behind the back move and had a scoop layup curling around a pick and roll. A player due for a major stock rise in the next 2028 rankings update.     It feels strange to call the defending state champions a Cinderella story but that's kind of what Great Crossing feels like after they shocked the greater Lexington area by winning a stacked 11th region. Orem is the rare sophomore leading his team at the state tournament as his production has been incredible this season. Confident to fire away from 3-point range, that perimeter shooting development is crucial for Orem down the road. Scoring on offensive rebounds, the easiest way for bigs to score at the high school level is for them to do it themselves off the offensive glass and Orem is one of the best in the state at getting those extra possessions under the basket. Impressive run for Great Crossing as their team has played true team basketball in March. Fun to see Great Crossing continue to dance!

The Kentucky Sweet 16 got underway on Wednesday and in this article we'll spotlight the standouts from Wednesday evening's contests.