Montrezl Harrell delivered a dominant performance Monday night, pouring in a TBT career-high 35 points to lead The Ville (Louisville Alumni) to an 82-62 victory over La Familia (Kentucky Alumni) in Game 2 of their best-of-three first-round series at Freedom Hall.
With the win, Louisville evened the series at one game apiece and forced a decisive Game 3, which will be played at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night at Historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington with a spot in the Alumni Bracket semifinals on the line.
Photo Cred: The State of Louisville
Needing a win to keep its $2 million hopes alive after Saturday’s 72-68 loss in Lexington, The Ville turned in a commanding performance in front of its home crowd to even the series.
Kentucky Alumni opened the game by taking a 15-12 lead after the first quarter, but the momentum quickly shifted in the second period as Louisville caught fire offensively, ripping off a 15-0 run and holding La Familia to just seven points in the quarter. The Ville outscored Kentucky 24-7 over the second 9 minutes to take a commanding 36-22 halftime lead.
Louisville never allowed Kentucky back into the contest in the second half. Harrell dominated from start to finish, helping The Ville build its lead to as many as 26 points before putting the finishing touches on the 82-62 victory with the game-winning basket in the Elam Ending. Harrell’s 35-point outburst set a new single-game scoring record in The Ville’s TBT history.
He finished an efficient 14-for-16 from the field while adding a game-leading eight rebounds. David Johnson and Alex Matthews each scored 14 points, while Malik Williams contributed seven rebounds as Louisville shot 50% (31-62) from the floor. Andrew Harrison led La Familia with 19 points, while Chris Coffey added 14 points and six rebounds. Kentucky struggled to find its offensive rhythm, shooting just 33.9 percent from the field.
Photo Cred: Courier Journal
The Ville controlled the game in nearly every statistical category, out rebounding La Familia 43-30 while doubling Kentucky in points in the paint, 40-20. Louisville also held a 20-7 advantage in bench scoring and converted 15 second-chance points. The rivalry now heads back to Lexington for a winner-take-all Game 3 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET at Historic Memorial Coliseum. The winner will advance to the Alumni Bracket quarterfinals to face the winner of Syracuse Alumni vs. Seton Hall Alumni.
