Jim Mashek

BOWLING GREEN EXTENDS WINNING STREAK TO ELEVEN GAMES; SMILEY, LADY PURPLES PREVAIL

For one quarter, and a little change, South Warren’s boys basketball team was playing on even terms with crosstown rival Bowling Green High School.

When the Spartans’ Drew Hudson scored in the lane in the opening moments of the second quarter, South Warren trailed the Purples — ranked ninth in the Courier-Journal’s statewide poll — by just three points. Hudson is South’s top threat from 3-point range, but teammates Griffin Rardin and Thad Hall excel in that role, too.

Bowling Green had other ideas.

Mason Ritter, the Purples’ 6-foot-8 center headed for the Ivy League and Columbia University, and the Bowling Green’s interchangeable backcourt started to assert themselves at the defensive end of the floor. The Purples turned that strength into another rout in the KHSAA’s 14th District, a 64-38 victory over the Spartans on Friday night at South Warren High School.

“We kind of weathered the storm, got some turnovers,” BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill said when it was over. “Mason Ritter allows us to get up and pressure the man with the basketball … I’d like to think I’ve got as good a group of guards as anyone in the state.”

Heady praise, but it’s the Purples’ players who have made it happen.

Bowling Green extended its winning streak to 11 games, improving to 18-4 overall and 4-0 in the 14th District. South Warren lost for the fourth time in five games, dropping to 8-8 overall and 1-3 in district play.

“We wanted to control the pace and limit the number of possessions,” South Warren coach Carlos Quarles said. “Coach Sherrill has Mason inside, and that’s something nobody else around here has … He’s a problem, for sure.”

Ritter likes to share the credit with his teammates, and they’re quick to return the favor. On Tuesday night, the Purples stopped defending KHSAA Sweet 16 state champion Warren Central, 52-47, outscoring the Dragons 14-5 over the course of the fourth quarter.

Friday night’s game at South Warren was pretty much decided in the second quarter.

“It’s a district game, and we knew they’d play hard, they’d play with a lot of energy,” Ritter said. “We knew if we could stay consistent, we could force some bad shots. In the second quarter, we locked in on defense.”

The Purples outscored South Warren 18-5 in the second quarter.

Bowling Green senior guard M.J. Wardlow scored on a drive to the lane to put the Purples in front, 19-14, about one minute into the quarter. Wardlow grabbed a loose ball and scored on a layup moments later, at which point Ritter blocked a South Warren shot before scoring on a put-back to make it 23-14. South Warren called a timeout, with 5:24 left in the half, but Wardlow drilled a deep 3 from the right wing, before converting another Ritter blocked shot into a field goal, and suddenly the Spartans were trailing by 16 points.

They’d get no closer the rest of the way.

“We just had to come in and keep a level head,” BGHS guard Deuce Bailey said. “We had to stay focused and take care of business. Our coaches stress ball movement. M.J.’s a playmaker, and Jace, his little brother … well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

M.J. Wardlow led the Purples with 19 points, while Bailey finished with 13. Ritter had a handful of dunks, two of them while converting offensive rebounds into points, while adding 12.

Drew Hudson led the Spartans with 15 points, while Griffin Rardin was next with seven.

“With M.J. and Deuce, we’ve got guys who can really pass the basketball,” BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill said. “We had to withstand some things, early on, but we were able to dictate the pace after halftime.”

Bowling Green plays host to Ohio County (9-10, 5-2 in KHSAA 3rd Region play) on Tuesday night before resuming its district schedule next Friday at Greenwood (10-11, 0-4). South Warren will hold Senior Night on Tuesday against visiting Logan County (10-8 overall) before next Friday’s district game at Warren Central (7-6, 3-1 in the 14th District).

BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 43, SOUTH WARREN 29

Bowling Green’s girls basketball team built a modest 16-11 lead over the course of the first half, as it was clear the Lady Purples were missing rangy guard/forward JaSiyah Franklin, a 5-foot-10 senior who was out with an illness.

“Some people are used to us scoring a lot of points,” veteran BGHS coach Calvin Head said. “But that really isn’t this team … We missed JoSiyah, but everybody seems to be panicking, except for us.”

Especially junior BGHS forward Katy Smiley, who found her range in the third quarter before going on to lead all scorers with 21 points.

Diminutive point guard NaTaija Alexander gives the Purples some quickness in the open court, but it’s Smiley and BGHS teammate Ryleigh Campbell are the team’s top 3-point shooters, and Smiley is also effective near the basket.

“Katy scored tonight by getting her feet in the paint and hitting free throws,” Head said. “We improved to 4-0 in the 14th District (and 12-4 overall), and that’s what we came here to do.”

The Lady Purples are on the road to play Wayne County (8-10 overall, 1-2 in the KHSAA’s 12th Region) on Saturday afternoon before returning to the BGHS Arena to face traditional rival Barren County (14-4, 4-1 in the KHSAA’s 4th Region) on Tuesday night. South Warren (7-10 overall, 2-2 in the 14th District) is on the road Tuesday night against Glasgow (3-17, 1-10 in the 4th Region).

Smiley admits she’s had to adjust to a new role following the departure of former BGHS teammates Saniyah Shelton (Eastern Kentucky) and Meadow Tisdale (Northern Kentucky) to college basketball. Bowling Green has won an unprecedented KHSAA 4th Region championships, but the Lady Purples have largely been a work in progress this season.

“I’ve just tried to step up, and be a leader,” Smiley said. “I’m just trying to do what the coaches have in mind.”