CHAPPELLE WHITNEY’S 20 POINTS FUEL DRAGONS VICTORY
Warren Central High School’s boys basketball team is used to getting to WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena for the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament just about every year.
It’s old hat for the Dragons.
Maybe that’s why Warren Central looked so relaxed in its tournament opener, a 64-36 shellacking of Todd County Central in the 4th Region quarterfinals on Thursday night.
WCHS coach Will Unseld gave his starting five the fourth quarter off Thursday night, as the Dragons raced to a 31-13 halftime lead and never looked back in eliminating the Rebels. Warren Central (24-3) will scrap with Barren County (17-12) in the 4th semifinals on Monday night, while Todd County Central finishes its season with a 23-9 record.
Junior forward Chappelle Whitney led the Dragons with 20 points and seven rebounds, as Warren Central dominated the boards (33-18) while shooting 45 percent from the field.
“We won with our quickness,” Unseld said. “We’ve got so many guys, who can play, off the bench, and we were able to get the ball in the paint and get some easy baskets.
“I told the guys before the game, ‘If we guard, we’ll be all right.”
Suffice it to say the Dragons guarded their tails off.
“We knew it was going to be a tall task,” Todd County Central coach John Stigall said. “They’re so big, so physical, so long on defense. They’re very well coached. The way they pass the ball … they play like grown men.
“We’re proud of our guys. We’ve had a heckuva year. Give Warren Central a lot of credit.”
The Dragons may have seemed reluctant to take it, because they’re going back in the lab — aka the WCHS gymnasium — for 72 hours before tangling with Barren Central in the second game of a semifinal double-header on Monday night at Diddle.
Junior point guard Omari Glover had a sensational game for the Dragons, bringing the house down on a second-quarter dunk and finishing the game with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
We’re not sure if Glover drove the bus back to WCHS, but he did everything else for the Dragons.
“I knew we would be a little bit rusty,” Unseld said, “but I’d rather play the Thursday (quarterfinal) game instead of Tuesday, because I’d rather be rusty now. Now we have a shorter window, instead of playing Tuesday and having that long window again.”
Yes, in case you’re wondering, the Bowling Green Purples have the longer window now. BGHS (24-6) squares off with a tough Clinton County squad (22-8) in the first 4th Region semifinal on Monday evening.
Chappelle Whitney, the Dragons’ 6-foot-3 swingman, scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Senior forward Jaiden Lawrence turned in his usual steady game, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Backup forward Malik Jefferson was strong near the basket, grabbing six rebounds and collecting two blocked shots.
The Dragons had 18 assists on 26 made baskets, a stat that brought a big smile to Will Unseld’s face.
“We just played together,” Lawrence said.
Whitney was ready to look forward to the Barren Central matchup on Monday night.
“Play defense and rebound … that’s what we always do,” he said.
BARREN COUNTY 54, CUMBERLAND COUNTY 43
Thursday’s first game evolved into a showcase of Barren County senior forward Aden Nyekan and the Panthers’ do-it-all guard, senior Ty Seay.
Barren County never trailed in improving to 17-12 on the season.
“The way the game went didn’t surprise me,” Barren County coach Warren Cunningham said. “At halftime, we were down three, on the glass, and we finished with nine more (rebounds) when the game was over. That’s something we take a lot of pride in.
“When Cotton (Stephens, a Trojans guard) took the charge from Ty, that was his fourth foul, and I think that took away from his aggressiveness.”
The slight, 5-foot-11 Seay scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting, adding three rebounds and two assists. Garrett Scott and Ray Harwood each had 9 points for the Panthers.
“When we got close, I think it was 3 or 4 points, Barren grabbed a couple crucial loose balls, a rebound,” Cumberland County coach Kurtis Claywell said. “This senior class made it to Diddle (for regional play) twice in their four years, and that’s something that hasn’t been done at Cumberland County since the late ’90s.”
Aden Nyeken, the Trojans’ powerfully built 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior, was dominant on both ends of the floor.
Nyeken had 21 points, on 9-of-14 shooting, and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, adding six assists and two steals in a team-high 29 minutes.
Three Barren County players — junior forward Aiden Miller, senior guard Mason Griggs and senior guard Taye Pointer — all finished with eight points.
