SOARS FOR A THIRD-QUARTER DUNK.
UNSELD’s DRAGONS SHINE AT DIDDLE; 4th REGION GIRLS SEMIFINALS ARE NEXT
The second day of the KHSAA 4th Region Boys Basketball Tournament was nothing short of a show-stopper.
First, the defending KHSAA Sweet 16 state champion — the Dragons of Warren Central High School — took the floor of WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena, and took the fight to Logan County, crushing the Cougars, 72-42, to return to next week’s 4th Region semifinals.
Then, after the customary 25-minute break between games, a Diddle Arena crowd of 2,809 witnessed the game of the tournament, Glasgow’s thrilling 70-68 victory over Metcalfe County in overtime. The Hornets’ Maddux Garrett forced the OT with a 3-point field goal in the final moments of regulation, and the lead changed twice before Glasgow’s Jerrick Smith delivered the winning points on a drive to the basket.
After a timeout, Metcalfe County still had 7.3 seconds to come up with an equalizer, or even a go-ahead 3-pointer, but the Scotties defense forced a hurried air ball as Glasgow earned its first 4th Region victory since 2012.
KEPT HIS TEAM ON THE ATTACK.
WON IN 4th REGION PLAY FOR
THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2012.
IS JOINED BY ELIJAH STARKS (FROM LEFT)
KADE UNSELD AND DOMINIQUE ANTHONY.
Second-year Glasgow coach William Buford brought five Scotties players to the postgame press conference, and he understood significance of his squad’s breakthrough victory.
“Our guys believed they could win,” Buford said. “We’re playing good basketball at the right time.”
The KHSAA 4th Region girls semifinals will unfold on Thursday, before Diddle goes dark on Friday. Bowling Green High School’s squad, who have qualified for the Sweet 16 every year since 2020, will be the underdog against Franklin-Simpson.
The Lady Cats (30-1) put their 14-game winning streak on the line against Bowling Green (21-10) in the opening semifinal, scheduled for a 6 p.m. start. Then, Metcalfe County (20-12) will scrap with Todd County Central (18-12), with the winners to square off Saturday night in the championship game.
“There’s definitely a lot of pressure,” BGHS guard Chloe Potter said, “when it comes to (a possible) fifth (consecutive) Region (title). It’s a tradition, and we’re just trying to hold it … Definitely some pressure, for sure.”
FRANKLIN-SIMPSON ARE
30-1 ON THE SEASON.
WILL TANGLE WITH No. 1-AREA RANKED
FRANKLIN-SIMPSON (30-1) ON THURSDAY.
WARREN CENTRAL BOYS 72, LOGAN COUNTY 42
It’s been a season in constant flux at Warren Central, with WKU-bound Kade Unseld returning from offseason meniscus surgery over Christmas break and several transfer players not becoming eligible to play until January.
The Dragons, however, led wire-to-wire against Logan County, the KHSAA 13th District champion but a squad that went 1-27 just two seasons ago.
Warren Central had six players in double figures and forced 22 turnovers on defense, rolling to victory that draws the Dragons a little closer to a possible rematch with ninth-ranked Bowling Green High School (27-5). Warren Central improved to 15-10, winning for the sixth time in its last eight games, while Josh Frick’s Logan County squad finished 15-15 on the year.
“We’re still trying to build some cohesion,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “We moved the ball a little better in the second half … Everybody’s trying to pull you down (after winning a state championship) … It’s another win. They hear the talk.
“We aren’t finished.”
DEFENDS AGAINST LOGAN’s KADE WALL.
LED ALL SCORERS WITH 25 POINTS.
IN HALF-COURT SETS AS WELL
AS IN THE OPEN FLOOR.
Warren Central unleashed an effective zone press defense, with 6-foot-4 senior Drevin Bratton challenging the Logan player bringing the ball upcourt. The Dragons pressed from half court and three quarters, and their quickness left the Cougars scrambling before the first quarter came to a close.
“This guy (Bratton) dominated the game,” William Unseld said.
Elijah Starks, the Dragons’ senior forward, led his team with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while teammates Kade Unseld and Dominique Anthony each had 11 points. Three Warren Central starters — Bratton, Elijah Howard and Cadin Hammer — all finished with 10 points, as the Dragons shot 59 percent from the field, and 40 percent from the 3-point line.
“You have to give Warren Central credit,” Logan County coach Josh Frick said. “Their length gave us some problems … They guarded us really well and turned us over. I think our 22 turnovers were probably our high for the season.
“That’s what good basketball teams do. They expose your weaknesses.”
Logan County’s Samson Hightower, a slender, 6-foot-6 junior, took the scoring initiative for the Cougars, scoring 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting. No other Logan County player, however, scored more than three points against the swarming Warren Central defense.
“Kade (Unseld) likes to tell us defense turns into offense,” Starks said.
HITS A 3 FROM THE LEFT CORNER.
HAS GIVEN HIS TEAM INSIDE STABILITY.
Warren Central will be able to get back in the gym for four days before taking the floor on Monday night against Glasgow. William Unseld seemed to suggest the Dragons’ press will be addressed, and no one has to tell him his squad is just two victories away from a return to Rupp Arena for the Boys KHSAA Sweet Sixteen later this month.
Warren Central went 34-1 last season in winning the second state championship in school history. The Dragons usually overpowered the opponent on both ends of the floor. But this has been a different sort of team, with lots of moving parts and unexpected challenges.
“A lot of it, I let them figure it out,” William Unseld said. “We made some good adjustments at halftime tonight. We’re still competing.”
THE DECISIVE BASKET IN OVERTIME.
GLASGOW BOYS 70, METCALFE COUNTY 68 (OT)
Metcalfe County has had a trying season, but the Hornets certainly came to play at Diddle Arena on Wednesday night.
The game stayed competitive, with neither team leading by more than seven points until Maddux Garrett’s 3-pointer in the final moments of regulation allowed Metcalfe County to tie the game at 60. The game featured 12 lead changes, with Glasgow going in front, for good, on sophomore Jerrick Martin’s drive to the basket with about eight seconds left in overtime.
“I knew I had to step up, for my team,” Martin said.
Metcalfe County coach Brandon Brockman was effusive in his praise of the Hornets, who finish the season with a 12-22 overall record.
“Hat’s off to Glasgow. They shot the ball well,” Brockman said. “These (Metcalfe) guys left everything out on the court tonight … The program’s going in the right direction.”
AGAINST GLASGOW’s JOHN CARTER WALBERT.
GLASGOW WITH 20 POINTS
AND 12 REBOUNDS.
SCORES FROM DOWNTOWN.
DEFENDING STATE CHAMPION
WARREN CENTRAL ON MONDAY NIGHT.
Metcalfe County’s Jessie Hudson scored a game-high 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting — he was 3-for-5 from 3-point range — while teammate Cade Button, a slashing guard, finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists. Maddux Garrett, who tied it up with the 3 in the final moments of regulation, played the entire 36 minutes and had seven points and three assists.
Glasgow finished with an 18-0 bulge in fast-break points, and Jerrick Martin led the way with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Josiah Driver was effective off the bench, scoring 16 points, while teammates Quinn Nunley and Jaylen Bradley added 13 and 11, respectively.
Glasgow’s point guard, John Carter Walbert, brought energy to the court and finished the game with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Scotties shot 48 percent from the field and 42 percent (5-for-12) from 3-point range.
Equally important, Glasgow went 13-for-16 from the free-throw line.
“I give ’em the freedom to play,” Glasgow coach William Buford said. “These guys were built for an overtime game. They’re always running. I wasn’t worried about their legs being ‘dead,’ or anything like that. The bigger (WKU court) helped us.
“This game was big for our confidence. We’re looking forward to getting back in the gym.”
CHALLENGES THE SCOTTIES INSIDE.
WAS IN THE HOUSE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
SQUEEZE IN SOME DOG PARK
TIME THIS AFTERNOON …