Jim Mashek

JOE HURT, BGHS MOTOR INTO TITLE GAME AGAINST MALACHI MORENO AND GREAT CROSSING

LEXINGTON — They understood the task at hand.

Pace yourself, win the game, play for a championship.

That’s what the Bowling Green High School boys basketball squad accomplished on Saturday morning. The Purples moved into the KHSAA Sweet 16 championship game with a resounding 73-51 victory over South Oldham, with Bowling Green capitalizing on its quickness and ability to defend the 3-point shot.

That’s been a big part of the Purples’ winning formula since the final weekend in February, when Braylon Banks’ 3-point field goal in the final seconds lifted Bowling Green to a dramatic 61-59 victory over crosstown rival Warren Central in the KHSAA 4th Region championship game at the BGHS Arena.

The elongated tournament format, necessitated because Rupp Arena was playing host to first- and second-round NCAA men’s tournament games, has given veteran BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill to spend plenty of time with his squad on the practice floor, in the film room, and now, with a championship on the line, an opportunity to claim the school’s second state championship in boys basketball.

Terry Taylor and the 2016-17 BGHS squad defeated Cooper High School, 67-56, to take the KHSAA Sweet 16 title, and this senior-laden Purples squad will try to match that feat in a championship game against Great Crossing. The Warhawks (34-4 overall) cruised past Montgomery County, 70-49, in the second semifinal game on Saturday afternoon.

The title game will tip off at 7:30 EDT tonight, and the place will be packed, regardless of the opponent. Bowling Green improved to 31-6 overall, extending its winning streak to 10 games.

“Our philosophy,” BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill said, “is to try to get your teammate the best shot possible. We can’t be afraid to put it up … We just wanted to contain their 3-point shooting. That was our entire focus.

“We only had a 24-hour turnaround, and (South Oldham) shoots the 3 so well. We talked all morning, about running them off that (3-point) line. No catch-and-shoots. We did a good job of guarding that 3-point line.”

BGHS senior swingman Joe Hurt, a transfer from Louisville’s Fairdale High School, found a rhythm near the basket early in the game, and he led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The Purples kept South Oldham at arm’s length throughout the second half before pulling away with a decisive fourth quarter.

The 6-foot-5 Hurt scored just two points in quarterfinal play, when Bowling Green pulled out an 80-74 victory over Ashland Blazer on Friday morning. None of that mattered when the Purples laced ’em up with a shot at the championship game on Saturday.

“Usually, all our players can score,” Hurt said. “It was just my night tonight. I feel like I did pretty well. My teammates got me the ball for wide-open shots.”

There would be plenty of them, as the Purples found different ways to score in the transition game.

“They’re a very formidable team,” South Oldham coach Steve Simpson said. “In all our timeouts, we kept saying, ‘All we need is one South Oldham run,’ but they never materialized.”

Bowling Green’s Kadyn Carpenter finished with 12 points and seven rebounds while teammate Braylon Banks added 11 points, six rebounds and a game-high seven assists. The Purples outscored South Oldham, 36-26, in the paint while shooting 60 percent from the field, including a 8-for-14 showing (57 percent) from 3-point territory.

That’s a pretty good formula for winning.

Asked about whether the Purples would prefer playing Montgomery County, and its polished 3-point shooting squad, or 6-foot-11 Malachi Moreno, Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball,” and Great Crossing, Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill chose to be philosophical.

“We’ll play UK next … we don’t care, we’re in the championship game,” Sherrill said. “We have an opportunity … we’re here to play basketball.”

South Oldham finishes its season 30-6 overall.

I’ll have more on the KHSAA Sweet 16 for jimmashek.com later today. Thanks for reading.