Jim Mashek

LADY PURPLES AWAIT WINNER OF RUSSELL/McCRACKEN COUNTY CONTEST

LEXINGTON — Bowling Green High School’s girls basketball team found the winning formula on the fly.

Use your quickness, establish some 3-point shooting, and hang on for dear life.

That’s pretty much what happened for the Lady Purples in first-round play of the KHSAA Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena. Bowling Green survived an extremely slow start, falling behind by as much as 15 points in the second quarter, before slowly, gradually playing its way back into contention.

Then, in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, Bowling Green grabbed a 30-29 lead on Katy Smiley’s inside basket. The Lady Purples never trailed again, holding on for a workmanlike 46-44 victory over Owsley County on Wednesday morning at Rupp Arena.

“It’s kind of like how we’ve played all year,” sixth-year BGHS coach Calvin Head said with a smile when it was over. “A little muddy, up and down a little, a rollercoaster ride … We made some good adjustments at halftime.

“Our second quarter was really good. We found some defensive rhythm.”

Bowling Green improved to 24-10 overall, and the Lady Purples will now face the winner of Wednesday’s game between McCracken County and Russell High School on Friday morning. The Lady Purples have qualified for the Sweet 16 in each of the last five seasons, but they’ve yet to move on to the semifinals, which will unfold on Saturday.

Owsley County finished its season at 26-10.

“Hat’s off to Bowling Green,” Owsley County coach Travis Smith said. “They’ve been here a lot, and they played a good game … I told the girls that this is the unicorn of high school basketball in this country. With no classifications, the last (state) that does it that way …

“That’s what makes this tournament so special. There’s some very good teams here.”

Smiley, a junior BGHS forward, and Chloe Potter, a senior Lady Purples guard, both played the entire 32 minutes against the Lady Owls. Smiley finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists.

BGHS coach Calvin Head calls Potter his “defensive specialist,” but Potter contributed in a lot of other areas. Potter hit five of seven free throws and finished the game with 12 points and three rebounds.

BGHS forward NaTaija Alexander also had 12 points, while teammate JaSiyah Franklin finished the game with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. Bowling Green finished the game with a 36-30 rebounding edge.

I’m runnin’ on fumes right now, driving up here after three hours sleep following Warren Central’s emotional OT victory over Bowling Green in the KHSAA 4th Region championship game on Tuesday night. I’ll check into my hotel, get some rest, try to reach Coach Head for a couple more comments on the game, and have a more complete story on the game sometime tonight.

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