St. Xavier overcame a 16-point deficit midway through the second quarter to defeat Male during the high school basketball game between the two top-ranked teams in Kentucky. It ended with fireworks!
Bulldogs head coach Tim Haworth nearly came to blows with Tigers head coach Kevin Klein.
The heated high school basketball delivered yet another instant classic. These two teams will play each other for the third time this season at the end of the month and could meet again during the postseason.
St. Xavier defeated Louisville Male.
As things currently stand, St. Xavier and Male are ranked No. 1 and No. in the Bluegrass State, respectively. Both programs now sit at 13-4 on the year after the most recent result.
They both hold a single win during this rivalry series. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers during the championship game of the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic last month. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs by a final score of 68-59 in the semifinal game of the Shirley’s Way Louisville Invitational Tournament on Friday.
St. Xavier (enrollment: ~1,300) and Male (enrollment ~2,000) are both located in the heart of Louisville, just to the east of the University of Louisville campus. They are separated by only only 3.5 miles in total.
It is always intense when these two high school basketball teams meet on the hardwood. This latest rivalry matchup at the LIT was not the exception.
There was even a cheap shot during the second half when a Male player appeared to catch a St. X player below the belt with an elbow. A foul was not called.
Male gonna Male!! Great Sportsmanship. pic.twitter.com/TVmjhboKKd
— lets go cards (@CardsonTop) January 17, 2026
Needless to say, these two teams do not like each other!
The top-ranked high school basketball teams in Kentucky almost got in a fight.
Tim Haworth did not appreciate how Kevin Klein talked to his players throughout the game. The latter apparently chirped at the Bulldogs throughout all four quarters, which did not go over well with the latter.
The first altercation took place just before halftime. According to boots on the ground, Klein allegedly used a cuss word in reference to Haworth’s son. They met at halfcourt to settle their differences.
Tim Haworth and Kevin Klein had a heated exchange in final seconds of first half but worked it out at the break. pic.twitter.com/qeQY1yuDZ2
— Jason Frakes (@kyhighs) January 17, 2026
Although the initial discussion seemed to serve as a metaphorical breaking of the bread, the handshake and hug did not last. Haworth went after Klein during the postgame handshake line.
Male-St. X handshake @WLKY pic.twitter.com/PyX00PUywU
— Kent Taylor (@KentTaylorTV) January 17, 2026
The head basketball coach at Male had to be restrained by his own players and police during a brief kerfuffle with the head basketball coach at St. Xavier. Fortunately, the players did not get involved with each other. They exchanged a few pleasantries but kept to themselves. It could’ve been a lot worse.
The aftermath … pic.twitter.com/bak2LUpy3U
— Jason Frakes (@kyhighs) January 17, 2026
Haworth spoke to Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal after the court had cleared.
“I’m not going to have another head coach yell and say stuff to my players,” Haworth said of Klein. “I don’t do that to anybody. … I’ll take care of my players. He takes care of his players.”
Klein denied any such behavior. Mark Hebert, a high school basketball fan who was at the game with zero ties to either team, claims otherwise.
He thinks “this all started with the St. X coach jawing at Male players during the game.” That would correspond with what Haworth said about his tirade. It would directly contradict Klein’s denial.