LEXINGTON — As Andrew Harrison drove into the lane and took a pair of Herd That defenders with him, he twisted his body in midair, turning around to dish off the ball to his open teammate, Nate Sestina. Though Herd That’s Tyrus McGee tried to knock the ball away, it safely reached its destination. Sestina tracked down the ball, rose and fired less than a foot in front of the interlocking “UK” logo at Rupp Arena’s half-court line.
Sestina’s long-distance try was true, swishing through the basket to extend La Familia’s lead to 14 (53-39) in the middle of the third quarter.
But Harrison wasn’t done Tuesday.
On the subsequent possession, the visitors in green and white pushed the ball up the court, attempting to catch La Familia’s defense sleeping after Sestina’s triple.
Harrison had none of it.
He swatted the ball out of bounds as Herd That tried to pull off an alley-oop. All that accomplished was setting off a loud cheer from those in attendance as the game went into a media timeout.
Harrison’s defensive intensity and Sestina’s poise were merely two examples of La Familia’s excellence Tuesday, as the group of former Kentucky basketball players stomped Herd That, 95-66, in a round of 16 matchup in The Basketball Tournament.
“We’re pretty familiar with each other. But now guys are starting to get their legs under them,” La Familia coach and former UK star Tyler Ulis said. “Everybody’s starting to get in shape.
“And the outcome is showing.”
It was a drubbing in every sense.
La Familia won every quarter: 22-16 in the first, 16-14 in the second, 32-18 in the third and 15-12 in the fourth before the Elam Ending was enacted. La Familia led 85-60 when the Elam Ending started, then outscored Herd That by four (10-6) to bring the lopsided affair to a conclusion.
It was a balanced effort offensively for La Familia, as five players tallied a double-digit point total, led by Eric Bledsoe’s 24. Kerem Kanter was next in line with 20. Sestina and the Harrison twins, Aaron and Andrew, finished with 11 points apiece.
With the win, La Familia clinched a spot in the TBT quarterfinals, which will be held next week. La Familia will face the winner of the contest between The Ville and Team DRC, who square off at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Freedom Hall.