Jim Mashek

DRAGONS FINISH SEASON AT 23-7; BOWLING GREEN WILL TANGLE WITH GLASGOW ON TUESDAY NIGHT

It was a disappointing finish, for veteran coach William Unseld and the tradition-rich Warren Central High School boys basketball team.

Ranked statewide for the entire regular season, Warren Central arrived at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena for the KHSAA 4th Region quarterfinals on Monday night. The Dragons were paired with 15th District champion Barren County in the opening game of the tournament, but they might not have known what they were up against.

They do now.

Barren County unleashed a steady 3-point shooting attack in the first quarter, hitting four of six shots from beyond the arc in the first eight minutes, and the Trojans NEVER TRAILED in eliminating Warren Central, a three-time defending 4th Region champion, to the tune of 58-44.

Clinton County, the KHSAA 16th District champion, then took the floor against Logan County in the nightcap. The Bulldogs led by just four points, 43-39, at halftime, but the second half was something else entirely.

Clinton County outscored the Cougars 24-14 in the pivotal third quarter, and the Bulldogs started hitting their stride. Clinton County crushed Logan County, 87-64, which means the Bulldogs will square off with Barren County when they return to Diddle for the first semifinal contest on Monday, March 17.

The 4th Region quarterfinals resume on Tuesday night, with 13th District champion Franklin-Simpson (11-13) tangling with Russell County (17-11) in the opening game, followed by Bowling Green High School (25-6) squaring off with the Glasgow Scotties (5-22).

Unseld, meanwhile, met with his squad for more than 90 minutes after the Dragons bowed out of postseason play. Warren Central has set quite the standard over the last few years, including the 36-1 squad that claimed the school’s second KHSAA state championship in 2023.

It was a standard the Dragons did not meet on Monday night.

“We didn’t handle the expectations very well,” Unseld said in the Dragons’ locker room, after Clinton County and Logan County filed off the court and toward their respective buses. “I think a lot of the guys figured, ‘We’ll put on the Warren Central jerseys, and it was just gonna happen.’

“We only had one kid, Dominique Anthony, play significant minutes in last year’s regional tournament. In the third quarter, we had the ball, down by four (points), and we turned it over … We were down, eight, 10 points before we knew it.

“You have to give credit to Barren County. (Senior guard Tate) Spillman had a helluva game. Their big man off the bench, (Gavin) Nunn, played very well. We just weren’t tough enough. Great kids, great to work with. It was like we were running in quicksand out there.”

Barren County improved to 20-12 on the season. Spillman, the quarterback of the Trojans’ successful football team in the fall, led his team with 17 points and four assists. Teammate Kade Hardy hit three of six shots from 3-point range while adding 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Nunn needed less than nine minutes on the floor to provide nine points and four rebounds.

All told, Barren County finished with a 34-22 rebounding advantage.

Barren County coach Warren Cunningham said his team put the 10 days between the 15th District championship game — a 66-53 thumping of crosstown rival Glasgow High School — to good use. The Trojans came out swinging, and they never relented.

“I think we had a good week of preparation,” Cunningham said. “We got some rest, and we got some practice time. We have great respect for Warren Central. But we said all week, ‘Sooner or later, somebody’s going to beat them (in the 4th Region Tournament)’ … and why not us.

“I thought these guys could do it. We did a really good job, guarding them. We turned it over, a little bit, but we made shots.”

That’s a pretty good equalizer right there. Barren County shot 44 percent from the field, and 38 percent from the 3-point line. The Dragons finish their season at 23-7, and they’ll be saying good-bye to their two senior standouts, Robert “Ant” McAfee and Jarek Kirk.

McAfee, who is headed to Louisville’s Bellarmine University on a basketball scholarship, led Warren Central with 12 points, and teammate Kauran Johnson finished with 10 points. Kirk fouled out in the fourth quarter and finished the game with nine points and three rebounds.

Barren County’s Tate Spillman said the Trojans’ fast start — they led 16-5 after the first quarter — was following a recent pattern for the team. Barren County had lost three of four games before traveling to Allen County-Scottsville High School for the KHSAA 15th District Tournament, and the Trojans have been efficient in victories over AC-S, Glasgow and now Warren Central.

“One guy makes a shot, and then somebody else does,” Spillman said. “It’s contagious … We trusted in Coach Cunningham. We came out ready to play, and hit some shots, which helped us down the stretch.”

CLINTON COUNTY 87, LOGAN COUNTY 64

The Bulldogs outscored Logan County in the paint, 36-20, while hitting 13 of 21 shots from 3-point range.

That’s 62 percent, in case you were wondering.

From downtown.

Clinton County, the team with the 4th Region’s highest RPI, improved to 29-2 on the season. The Bulldogs won for the eighth time in nine games, and they look to be a confident squad heading into next Monday’s semifinal against Barren County.

Four Clinton County players finished in double figures. Junior guard William Beaty led the Bulldogs with 21 points, while senior forward Nick Poore finished with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Clinton County’s Cannon Young had 18 points, and teammate Jaxson Mason tallied 14 points to go with his seven rebounds.

Logan County finishes its season with a 19-12 record. Senior forward Samson Hightower led the Cougars with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, while teammate Nicholas Thomas finished the game with 15 points.

I’ll have complete coverage on the opening quarterfinal games later this morning at jimmashek.com. Thanks for reading.