St. Xavier Shoots Lights Out, Stuns No. 1 Covington Catholic in Kentucky Sweet 16 Showdown

Behind blistering 3-point shooting and a future-focused mindset, St. X turns a de facto title game into a statement win—while Covington Catholic’s dominant season ends in heartbreak at Rupp Arena.

St. Xavier's Joshua Lindsay (5) dunks the ball during first half action as the St. Xavier Tigers battle the Ballard Bruins in the KHSAA 7th Region boys basketball final at Valley High School on March 9, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first matchup in the Kentucky Boys Basketball Sweet 16 tournament featured the event’s two best squads, relegating the remaining contests to the status of anticlimactic.

A Title Game in Disguise

Covington Catholic, the No. 1-ranked team in the regular season, faced St. Xavier, which concluded the regular season ranked No. 6.

The matchup was basically the title game.

Tigers Catch Fire From Deep

St. X prevailed 75-61. CovCath fell behind in the second frame and tried to stay afloat from that point on. The Colonels couldn’t keep pace with the otherworldly scoring of St. X. The Tigers shot 62.5 percent overall, and nearly 67 percent from 3-point range. St. X’s Josh Lindsay and Bryce Johnson were 5-6 and 4-4 from 3-point land, respectively. And though it wasn’t the dunkfest like the regular-season contest against Male, Lindsay added two dunks to his numbers.

St. X was down early, but the Tigers play for the future; what’s in front of them. It’s their mantra. It seems to work.

“Always in the future,” said St. X coach Kevin Klein in the postgame presser. “You know, we have a big motto that we go by, ‘Our best is always in the future.’ You miss a shot, go make the next shot.”

It now appears to be smooth sailing for St. X after winning the “championship” game against the Colonels…Of course, No. 2 North Oldham will have something to say about that if they meet George Rogers Clark (No. 5 in the regular season) in the quarterfinals. North Oldham and St. X split games this year.

CovCath’s Dream Season Ends Abruptly

And for CovCath, well, words couldn’t convey the depth of the emotional upheaval. Their standout senior point guard, Athens McGillis, struggled to express his thoughts and feelings, but attempted to remain positive.

“I think we kind of got lackadaisical. I mean, especially me. I don't know. I didn't really play good. I don't really have much to say…it's definitely tough, but you know, I think it's a good season when you end it on Rupp, but, uh…”

It was all good for the Colonels during the postseason — defeating opponents by a margin of 40 points — until they met 62.5 and 66.7 percent.

“I’m really proud of our team. I'm proud of our players. They fought all year,” said Covington Catholic coach Jake Thelen. “I’m proud of how our guys battled. I thought it was a successful season.”

A Sweet 16 berth and 31-3 record? Most definitely, coach.

And perhaps the future was Wednesday for St. X.