Jim Mashek

BOWLING GREEN, ADAIR COUNTY WILL OPEN SWEET 16 NEXT WEDNESDAY AT RUPP ARENA

Bowling Green High School’s boys basketball team is on its way to the KHSAA Sweet 16.

The Purples extended their winning streak to seven games, while winning for the ninth time in their last 10 contests, in turning back a dogged Clinton County squad, 66-59, on Wednesday night in the KHSAA 4th Region championship game in an electric E.A. Diddle Arena.

Bowling Green had reached the 4th Region championship game for the 12th consecutive season, but the victory over the Bulldogs marks the Purples’ first Sweet 16 berth since the 2020-21 season.

“It’s just a proud moment, to kind of have validation for a great group of kids that hung in here at Bowling Green High,” Purples coach D.G. Sherrill said.a

Bowling Green (28-6) will face 5th Region champion Adair County (30-5) in the KHSAA Sweet 16 opening game, set for Wednesday morning at Rupp Arena. TIp-off is scheduled for 11 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

Senior BGHS guard Luke Idlett had a banner night shooting the ball, hitting 7 of 11 shots — including a 3-for-7 showing from 3-point range — in leading the Purples with 21 points. BGHS teammate Joe Hurt, a transfer from Louisville’s Fairdale High School, finished with 18 points and six rebounds.

And Deuce Bailey, the two-time MVP in the last two KHSAA Class 5A state championship football games, took the initiative in the third quarter, when the Purples began to establish themselves near the basket.

“I couldn’t be happier for a great group of young men,” Sherrill said.

Bailey finished the game with 12 points and five rebounds, staying on the court after struggling with foul trouble in the first half. The future Missouri State University quarterback hit five of seven shots, including a deep 3-pointer from the right wing in the first quarter, when the Purples were struggling to find their offensive footing.

“I tried to take the game into my own hands, for my guys,” Bailey said. “This game meant a lot to all of us … It’s all about how you leave your legacy, how you can do something in these kinds of situations.”

Clinton County, which finished its season at 30-3, led for most of the first half. But the Purples trailed by just two points, 31-29, at halftime, and both teams started to deal with foul trouble to key players in the second half.

Bowling Green’s Luke Idlett said the victory was a “great weight off our shoulders,” after the Purples took crosstown rival Warren Central to the limit in each of the last three 4th Region championship games.

Bowling Green won its first three games against Warren Central last season, but former Dragons star Kade Unseld carried his team to a 64-57 overtime victory over the Purples in last year’s 4th Region title contest.

BGHS teammate Deuce Bailey came up with an offensive rebound and got the ball to Idlett for a critical 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, a trey that extended the Purples’ lead to 53-48.

Idlett and four other BGHS seniors — Bailey, Braylon Banks, Kadyn Carpenter and Jace Wardlow — have been playing together since their childhood days, and the addition of transfer Joe Hurt helped the Purples overcome a lack of size inside.

Bailey was often matched up with Clinton County’s front-line starts, senior center Cannon Young and junior forward Jackson Mason. Young led the Bulldogs with 23 points and nine rebounds, while CCHS teammates Nick Poore and Mason added 15 and 13 points, respectively.

I’ll have complete coverage on the game later today. Thanks for reading jimmashek.com