BGHS IMPROVES TO 19-4
South Warren High School’s boys basketball team found a way to climb back into the game.
A steal here, a put-back there. And freshman guard Ty Price started drilling 3-pointers, a couple from about 30 feet out.
Bowling Green didn’t flinch.
The Purples closed the game with an impressive 22-7 run, overpowering the Spartans 64-49 on Friday night at South Warren. Bowling Green improved to 19-4 overall and 6-2 in KHSAA 14th District play, and the Purples still have a shot at earning the No. 1 seed for the district tournament later this month at Warren Central High School.
“We lost our composure, a couple of times,” BGHS coach DG Sherrill said, “but I really like how we responded to finish the game.”
Senior point guard Turner Buttry steadied the Purples over the course of the fourth quarter, but it was 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Mason Ritter’s turn to bring down the house.
The Purples were in control with a double-digit lead, but Buttry fired an entry pass to BGHS forward Elijah Starks on the baseline, and Starks found Ritter underneath for a resounding dunk to make it 60-46 midway through the fourth quarter.
“At first, we came downcourt and I saw (Buttry) coming my way,” Starks said. “I had Mason in my field of vision, and I thought I might be able to get him the lob … He knew it was coming.”
Ritter threw down the dunk, and he finished with a game-high 19 points as Bowling Green claimed its fifth straight victory, as well as nine wins in its last 10 games. Buttry gave the Purples his usual presence from the 3-point line and finished with 18 points.
Senior guard Turner Buttry scored 18 points in Bowling Green’s 64-49 win over South Warren on Friday.
“It changed the pace of the game,” Ritter said of his resounding fourth-quarter dunk. “We picked it up on defense, and that turned into offense.”
It was the kind of effort that had DG Sherrill beaming when it was over.
“Mason just keeps getting better,” Sherrill said. “He is relentless in practice. Every day. He’s an absolute joy to coach. His feet are getting really good, and he posts deeper on the floor and understands how to use his body to clear space in the lane.”
Buttry said Ritter’s “toughness” has made a difference over the last month of the season, and he knew the Spartans would pose a challenge after Bowling Green dismantled South Warren 77-44 on the Purples’ home court on January 14.
“We knew (South Warren) would try to slow down the pace,” Buttry said. “After we won big at our place, it’s easy to think you’ve got the upper hand. We knew they’d be ready to play.
“I’m proud of our team. We buckled down when we had to have it.”
South Warren coach Jason Holland’s squad tied the game at 42 on a free throw from junior guard Andrew Goley, but the Purples quickly responded.
BGHS senior guard Curtis Lin drilled a 3-point field goal from the left wing, quickly adding a steal and a trip to the free-throw line, where he split on a pair of foul shots.
Ritter used the glass to hit a shot that made it 48-42, and after Price’s drive trimmed the deficit to four points with 4:46 left, Buttry connected on a 27-foot jumper from the right wing.
Turner Buttry (No. 10) and the Bowling Green Purples finished fast in a 64-49 win over South Warren.
Ritter’s three-point play set the stage for his memorable dunk, which brought down the house on the visitors’ side of the gymnasium.
“I thought Elijah’s energy, and effort, were huge for us,” Sherrill said. “He made winning plays. Big rebounds, diving on the floor for the loose ball.
“It was a great team effort to finish the game. Give South Warren a ton of credit. They had a great game plan and played really well.”
M.J. Wardlow had 9 points for the Purples and Lin finished with 7. Price led the Spartans with 18 points and junior guard Jason Rowe added 10.
“We’re not going to win, scoring 7 or 8 points in the fourth quarter,” South Warren forward Luke Burton said. “We stopped running our offense after we tied it up … We’ve got to sharpen our defense and do a better job executing the offense in the next couple weeks.”
Bowling Green will play host to Barren County on Monday, which will be Senior Night for the Purples. South Warren (10-12, 1-6 in 14th District play) travels to play Russellville on Tuesday before tangling with Warren Central one day later.
BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 58, SOUTH WARREN 30 — Junior forward Meadow Tisdale scored a game-high 19 points and BGHS teammate Tanaya Bailey added 14 as the Lady Purples (19-5 overall) remained unbeaten in eight KHSAA 14th District games.
BGHS coach Calvin Head said his team has made significant improvement on the defensive end of the floor, and the Lady Purples won for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
Junior guard Gracie Hodges led the Lady Spartans with 9 points.
Bowling Green plays host to Barren County on Monday at 5:30 p.m., while South Warren (8-14, 3-4 in 14th District play) is on the road to tangle with Muhlenberg County at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
