Jim Mashek

BGHS PLAYS HOST TO PATRIOTS ON SATURDAY NIGHT; WARREN CENTRAL AWAITS BARREN COUNTY

Inbounding the ball against Warren Central High School’s full-court press is no easy task.

That’s because Armani Byrd, the Dragons’ 6-foot-8 junior center, is waiting inside the free-throw line, forcing errant passes, pouncing on loose balls and ready to convert opponents’ turnovers into points.

That’s pretty much what sent Warren Central to a decisive victory in its KHSAA 14th District opening game before a packed house in the Dragons’ sweltering gymnasium on Friday night.

Byrd led a balanced Warren Central scoring attack as the Dragons stopped Bowling Green High School dead in its tracks, rolling to a 69-45 victory to set the tone for the KHSAA’s ultracompetitive 4th Region marathon.

As fate would have it, the Dragons now await the team that derailed their Sweet 16 ambitions just 10 months ago, as they’ll play host to Barren County High School in a high-profile, non-district matchup on the Warren Central floor.

The Trojans stunned Warren Central in last year’s KHSAA 4th Region Tournament quarterfinals, thumping the Dragons 58-44 on the court of WKU’s historic E.A. Diddle Arena.

Three weeks later, it was Bowling Green that was making a run to the Sweet 16 championship game, only to fall to 7-foot-1 center Malachi Moreno and the Great Crossing Warhawks, 71-61, at Lexington’s Rupp Arena.

That served as a prelude to Moreno’s college career, as he is now the Kentucky WIldcats’ starting center, leading Mark Pope’s UK squad in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and blocked shots.

Veteran Warren Central coach William Unseld took the Dragons to three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, finishing as the runner-up in 2022 before bringing home the state championship trophy one year later.

Unseld has guided the Dragons to a 10-1 start this season, with the lone defeat coming at the hands of Louisville’s St. Xavier High School, 62-54, on December 18 in the King of the Bluegrass Tournament at Louisville’s Fairdale High School.

Bowling Green, meanwhile, dropped to 7-5 overall, heading into Saturday night’s finale against Allen County-Scottsville in the German American Bank Classic at the BGHS Arena.

The Purples will resume their KHSAA District schedule against Greenwood High School in a home game next Friday night, following the girls game at the BGHS Arena.

Armani Byrd, the Dragons’ quick, 6-foot-8 junior center, scored 16 points and dominated defensively as Warren Central pulled away from Bowling Green in the second half in its district opener in the WCHS gymnasium.

“It was all about effort tonight,” Byrd said when it was over. “Go out and play hard. Play defense. We know (Bowling Green) was going to be ready to play. We just had to put our foot on the gas and play hard.”

Byrd, who has grown about two inches over the last year or so, is perhaps the key to the Warren Central full-court press because of his length, quickness and ability to generate instant offense. The Dragons’ Bryce Cousin, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, finished with 12 points, all in the first half, while point guard Kaleb Prince finished with 11.

Prince is a transfer from Warren East High School, just one of the cogs in the Dragons’ machine.

“Our defense has been carrying us,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “Our defense, and our depth. We had some chances, in the second and third quarter, to put the game away. We’ve got to find a way to get to the basket.

“We’ve got to finish better.”

It was Warren Central’s first home game, but that’s by design, because Unseld believes road contests and tournament games against top-flight opponents prepare his team for the long haul toward postseason play.

“I like to play on the road, early,” Unseld said. “It builds character. It builds toughness. But now we’re going to be playing around here for awhile.”

After Tuesday night’s rematch with veteran coach Warren Cunningham’s Barren County squad, the Dragons will resume KHSAA 14th District play across town, when they take the short trip down Nashville Road to tangle with South Warren High School.

Warren Central will put its 10-1 record on the line on Tuesday night against Barren County, which improved to 9-2 overall with a 72-49 victory over Warren East on Friday night in Glasgow. The defensive-minded Trojans stunned Warren Central in the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament last year, which led to some soul searching for the Dragons.

Unseld kept his team in the WKU golf locker room for about 90 minutes after last year’s loss to Barren County in the 4th Region tourney, which came on the heels of a 61-59 loss to Bowling Green in the 14th DIstrict championship game.

The Dragons would finish 23-7 overall, while returning key players such as Armani Byrd, Dominique Anthony, Bryce Cousin and Jeremiah McCombs for the 2025-26 season.

“I feel like we had some distractions with that team, late in the season,” Byrd said. “That’s something we looked at, in the offseason, and that’s something we don’t want this year.”

Bowling Green (7-5 overall) will face Allen County-Scottsville and Taylor County before resuming district play at home on Friday against Greenwood (9-3). The Gators opened 14th District play against South Warren, dropping a 69-59 decision at The Swamp.

Freshman forward Anthony Davis, the starting quarterback on the BGHS football team, led the Purples with 14 points against the Dragons. Sophomore guards JaCaurie Woodard and Hunter Aikins finished with 10 and eight points, respectively.

“I think we got a little frustrated, and shot some quick 3s,” BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill told Micheal Compton of the Bowling Green Daily News. “Quicks 3s, we are shooting, long rebounds, and here comes another transition opportunity. They score probably half their points, in transition. They’re fast.

“They’ve got big bodies, that are great finishers at the bucket. That’s just what they do.”

The rematch will take place at the BGHS Arena on January 23.