LEXINGTON — In a contentious and physical battle reminiscent of an SEC rivalry, the Kentucky alumni team La Familia outlasted the Auburn alumni team War Ready 80-76 on Sunday to advance to The Basketball Tournament’s Lexington Regional championship.
The game at Memorial Coliseum was intense from the start, a tone set just two minutes in when War Ready’s Travis McConico unsuccessfully tried to isolate and shoot over 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein, resulting in an air ball. This early moment foreshadowed a gritty contest that featured seven technical fouls, 48 combined personal fouls, and escalating tensions between the two sides.
“When you’ve got one man on this side and one man on this side, and you’ve got a million dollars in the middle, what do you think the intensity is going to be like?” said La Familia coach Sean Woods, referencing the TBT’s grand prize. “Both teams were battling for their lives.”
La Familia built a lead as large as 14 points in the second quarter, but War Ready consistently fought back, eventually tying the game at 76 during the Elam Ending. With the target score set at 80, La Familia’s defense held firm, forcing four missed three-pointers that would have won the game for War Ready.
The decisive play came when Kahlil Whitney secured a steal and started a fast break, which Archie Goodwin finished with a game-winning bank shot.
Goodwin led La Familia with 16 points and six assists, delivering another strong all-around performance after his impressive first-round showing. However, his night was hindered by struggles at the free-throw line, where he shot just 2-for-9.
“It was an ugly game, and we need those tests,” Goodwin said, adding that he planned to immediately address his free-throw shooting. “If I don’t flush it, then it’ll trickle over to the next game. I know it’s just a correction that I need to make.”
The team as a whole struggled from the charity stripe, converting only 18 of 34 attempts (52.9%).
Wendell Green Jr. was the game’s leading scorer, putting up 20 points for War Ready in the loss.
“He was spectacular tonight,” Woods said of Green. “He did his part, but he just wasn’t enough for this La Familia team.”
With the victory, La Familia will face Eberlein Drive in the regional championship on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
“They didn’t care that they were in our place. They gave us everything they got,” Woods said of War Ready. “But this is Kentucky. Especially with them, we find a way to win more times than Auburn does.”
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