Jim Mashek

LADY PURPLES TAME TODD COUNTY CENTRAL, 49-35; BGHS TO FACE OWSLEY COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING

After an upset for the ages on Thursday, the Bowling Green High School girls basketball team came back to earth a little bit for Saturday night’s KHSAA 4th Region Championship Game at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.

Bowling Green shot 66 percent from the field in stunning eighth-ranked Franklin-Simpson High School, 52-39, in semifinal play on Thursday evening, doing virtually everything right with their season on the line. Franklin-Simpson lost for just the second time in 32 games, while the Lady Purples were back in the 4th Region title game for another opportunity to play in the KHSAA’s Sweet 16 state tournament at Lexington’s Rupp Arena.

After eight lead changes in the first half, Bowling Green closed with an 11-0 run before halftime to take a 26-20 lead into the break. That set the stage for the second half, played at a deliberate pace, and the Lady Purples were clearly equal to the task.

Bowling Green 49, Todd County Central 35.

The Lady Purples improved to 23-10 on the season and will face Owsley County, from the KHSAA’s 14th Region, in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 10 a.m. CDT, and the winner won’t play again until Friday morning, in quarterfinal play, so you can make the case that pacing yourself is critical in the Sweet 16 setting.

The Lady Purples obviously know the drill.

“You knew this was a dedicated group,” sixth-year Bowling Green coach Calvin Head said. “We knew it was going to be a rollercoaster ride, a little bit … We did it, when it mattered most.

“I’m so proud of these seniors … JaSiyah Franklin, Ryleigh Campbell, and Chloe Potter have been with me since they were in sixth grade. It’s a special group. I’m really proud of them.”

Franklin, who was injured in the Lady Purples’ victory over South Warren in the KHSAA 14th District championship game, came back with a vengeance to help get Bowling Green back to the Sweet 16. She led the Lady Purples with 17 points and eight rebounds on Saturday night, repeatedly slashing to the basket and using her quickness in the open floor.

“From the beginning, I knew we had it in us,” Franklin said.

Todd County Central finished its season with a 19-13 record. The Lady Rebels held a 20-15 lead in the second quarter before Franklin scored on back-to-back baskets, adding a free throw on the second field goal for a three-point play. Then Ryleigh Campbell, a senior who was sidelined with a torn ACL in last year’s run to the Sweet 16, added another basket on a putback to put the Lady Purples in front, 22-20.

NaTaya Wardlow, the Lady Purples’ 5-foot-1 dynamo in the backcourt, added two free throws in the final minute of the first half. And then Katy Smiley, Bowling Green’s scoring leader, took an entry pass from Franklin and scored on an inside basket before the horn sounded, sending the Lady Purples into halftime with a 26-20 lead.

It would be Smiley’s only points of the game, but they were critical, in the big picture.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game, coming in,” Smiley said. “We came in, executed and pulled away. And now we’re on the Road To Rupp, and that’s been our goal all year.”

Smiley was out for four minutes of the third quarter after picking up her third foul, but BGHS coach Calvin Head turned to freshman Emma Macy, who drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner to help the Lady Purples protect their lead. Macy got limited playing time this season, but she was ready to contribute with the game on the line.

“I just went in and tried to do what I could, to help the team,” Macy said. “Now, we’re going to Lexington.”

Owsley County (26-9) will face a resourceful BGHS squad that shot lights out to eliminate Franklin-Simpson, but Saturday’s victory was more workmanlike. Bowling Green’s NaTaya Wardlow had 14 points against Todd County Central, and her quickness gives the Lady Purples another dimension in the transition game.

Todd County Central coach Nick Suttle said Bowling Green’s depth, and rebounding strength, were difficult for the Lady Rebels to overcome. Like Franklin-Simpson’s Ashley Taylor, Suttle conceded well before the final whistle, replacing his starting five with young players with just under two minutes left in the game.

“Our legs were starting to wear out a little bit,” Suttle said. “They’re a good rebounding team.”

Alexis Taylor, TCC’s talented junior forward, led the Lady Rebels with 15 points.

Ryleigh Campbell, the Lady Purples’ senior guard, might have put it best.

“It means a lot,” she said. “Coach Head put together a challenging schedule for us, and it helped us. The losses we had, they helped prepare us. We were prepared for this moment.”

Next stop, Rupp Arena. The Lady Purples will leave for Lexington on Tuesday night.