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Evangel Christian basketball rides quick start to win, earns first Sweet 16 appearance

Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal
·4 min read

Evangel Christian — the Taylorsville Road school with an enrollment of 37 in grades 9-12 — is headed to the Boys Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

Led by the stellar senior backcourt of Christian Doerr and Kyran Tilley, the Eagles knocked off Fairdale, 64-54, in Tuesday’s final of the Sixth Region Tournament at Valley.

“I’m a happy old man tonight,” 68-year-old Evangel coach Larry Miller said.

Evangel played its first varsity season in 1976-77 and never had reached a regional final before Tuesday. It will be the smallest school in next week’s UK Healthcare/KHSAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena. The Eagles will face the Third Region champion — Butler County — at 1:30 p.m. March 21.

Evangel athletics director Joe Washington, center, celebrates with the team after the Eagles defeated Fairdale, 64-54, during the Sixth Region championship at Valley High School.
Evangel athletics director Joe Washington, center, celebrates with the team after the Eagles defeated Fairdale, 64-54, during the Sixth Region championship at Valley High School.

“We have the best team over here, and I’m just so happy,” Doerr said. “We envisioned this, and we knew it was going to happen. It’s surreal, but we have to win four more. That’s when I’ll really be happy.”

Doerr scored 22 points and Tilley added 16 to lead No. 9-ranked Evangel (29-6), which jumped to a 17-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Fairdale (28-7), seeking its first regional title since 2007, pulled within 21-19 late in the second quarter. But Evangel used a 16-3 run spanning halftime to regain control. Davier White’s 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 37-22 lead at the 4:41 mark of the third quarter.

“They came out and hit us in the mouth first, and we were kind of passive and not as fluid as we have been,” Fairdale coach John Hunt said. “I told the guys before the game that in golf tournaments they say you can’t win it on the first day, but you can lose it. We just got in a hole and had to battle and battle.”

Evangel's Christian Doerr drives against Fairdale's Dalton Hicks during the Sixth Region championship Tuesday at Valley High School.
Evangel's Christian Doerr drives against Fairdale's Dalton Hicks during the Sixth Region championship Tuesday at Valley High School.

Joe Hurt scored 14 points to lead Fairdale.

Hunt said Evangel’s length was a big factor.

“They’re strong and extend and hound the ball,” he said. “We haven’t seen pressure like that in a while, and it took us a little bit to adjust to it. By the time we did, it was a little bit too late.”

It was a breakthrough moment for Evangel and Miller, who took the job in 2021. He led Cincinnati’s Woodward High School to the Ohio Division I state title in 1988 and also coached at Moore, Male and Hopkinsville before returning to Louisville.

Next week he’ll coach in the Sweet 16 for the first time.

“It means a lot if we go there and do something,” Miller said. “You have to try and go up there and win some games.”

Miller’s first season at Evangel ended with a 56-55 loss to Doss in the Sixth Region semifinals after the Eagles blew a 19-point lead. Last year, Evangel fell to DeSales in the regional semifinals, 52-48.

Miller made two big adjustments in the offseason, adding former head coaches Richard Gatewood (Moore, Taylor County) and Shedrick Jones Jr. (Southern) to his staff. He also beefed up the schedule, playing Danville Christian, Pikeville, Newport and Bowling Green, among others.

Evangel's Kyran Tilley shoots as Fairdale's Jacob Tucker defends during the Sixth Region championship at Valley High School.
Evangel's Kyran Tilley shoots as Fairdale's Jacob Tucker defends during the Sixth Region championship at Valley High School.

“I have really good players, so if you have really good players you should win,” Miller said. “We should have won last year, but we didn’t play to our ability against DeSales. … Sometimes you have to knock on that door several times and finally the door will open for you.”

Now the path leads to Rupp Arena.

“I think we’re going to be ready for it,” Tilley said. “I think we can compete. We just have to do our thing and play hard.”

EVANGEL       17       7       25      15 – 64

FAIRDALE       4       15      16      19 – 54

Evangel Christian (29-6) – Johnny Djema 7, Christian Doerr 22, Brayden Trice 3, Kyran Tilley 16, Isaiah Chitapa 10, Davier White 6.

Fairdale (28-7) – Cam Croney 12, Dalton Hicks 8, Joe Hurt 14, Jacob Tucker 12, Blake Russell 2, Eli McCutcheons 6.

All-tournament team – Isaiah Chitapa, Christian Doerr, Kyran Tilley (Evangel Christian); Cam Croney, Jacob Tucker (Fairdale); Cam McDaniels (Jeffersontown); Will Gibson (Fairdale); Noah Glover (Fern Creek); John Thomas (Moore); Dayton Williams (Butler); Mike Loftis (Holy Cross).

More: Spencer County basketball tops Simon Kenton, earns first trip to Sweet 16 in its history

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA basketball: Evangel Christian tops Fairdale, reaches Sweet 16