La Familia's Kerem Kanter (35) shoots as Herd That's JaCorey Williams defends during the TBT region final at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
La Familia's Kerem Kanter (35) shoots as Herd That's JaCorey Williams defends during the TBT region final at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kerem Kanter backed Xavier Munford down the lane with his rear end the way a man might try to push a stuck car out of mud.
The 6-foot-9 La Familia forward out of Xavier University scored on the play as part of the second-seeded team of mostly former University of Kentucky players' 95-66 victory over top-seeded Herd That on Tuesday night in The Basketball Tournament region championship game at Rupp Arena.
Led by Kanter and 7-foot former UK star Willie Cauley-Stein, La Familia used physical play and inside presence on both ends of the court to take control in front of a partisan home crowd. The rugged play in the paint opened shots outside and the home team knocked down plenty, especially Eric Bledsoe, who scored 17 points. Kanter chipped in 16. Andrew Harrison scored 15, 14 in the second half. La Familia made 11 shots from 3-point range.
Herd That's game plan was to shoot over the La Familia defense, and it was forced to do so, as it produced little in the paint. Those long-distance shots, though, didn't fall enough for the squad of mostly former Marshall University players to overcome a 38-30 halftime deficit.
"Any time you come into Kentucky and play Kentucky, you don't necessarily get the benefit of the whistle," Herd That coach Gay Elmore said when asked about the physical play. "Take a look at the free throws between the teams."
LaFamilia made 25 of 28 foul shots. Herd That sank 6 of 8.
"They have talent," Elmore said. "There's no denying that. They got rolling, and it's one of those things."
Herd That led 3-0 after Munford's 3-pointer started the scoring. James Young's 3-point basket with 5:33 left in the first quarter gave La Familia a 10-7 lead it never relinquished.
The Kentucky alumni team built the lead to eight, only to see Herd That rally within 28-25 on a scoop by Munford, who blew by Kanter and let the former Musketeer know it afterward. La Familia, though, responded with a 7-0 run for a 35-25 advantage and settled for a 38-30 halftime lead.
Herd That needed a strong third quarter and appeared for a while as if it might get it. Munford's falling-down 3-pointer pulled his team within 42-37 with 6:38 left in the period. La Familia, though, followed with a 17-2 run to lead 59-39 and put the contest away.
J.P Tokoto, who played at the University of North Carolina, said he was impressed by La Familia, but less so with the three officials.
"They're a bunch of professionals," Tokoto said of La Familia. "They've played together. They were on their home court and had the crowd behind them. They had a good game. I'll give them that. We have a tough group of guys. We just didn't have shots falling. They got a lot of calls and hit a lot of shots."
Herd That's Jon Elmore said he plans to be back in TBT next season and wasn't discouraged by Tuesday's result.
"Give credit to them," Elmore said. "They were the better team tonight. If we played again, I'd bet on our team. We fell short. They were playing at home and got rolling. I can't take anything away from them."
Munford, who played at Rhode Island and professionally in Israel, paced Herd That with 25 points. Williams scored 14.
The loudest ovation of the day was for University of Kentucky new men's basketball coach Mark Pope, who walked across the court to the La Familia bench five minutes before tipoff.Â
Tim Stephens is a sports writer with The Herald-Dispatch.
