DRAINS A 3-POINT FIELD GOAL
AS THE FIRST HALF COMES TO A CLOSE.
PRINCE, DRAGONS SHUT DOWN SOUTH WARREN, 55-38; WARREN CENTRAL FACES NORTH LAUREL IN SWEET 16 OPENING GAME
Warren Central High School’s boys basketball team has a simple philosophy.
Defend, rebound, win.
That’s exactly what the Dragons did, on Tuesday night, in claiming yet another KHSAA 4th Region championship. Warren Central limited South Warren to 13 first-half points, taking control on its way to a workmanlike 55-38 victory over the Spartans at WKU’s historic E.A. Diddle Arena.
South Warren was a game underdog, playing its way to the championship game in the school’s first 4th Region Tournament appearance. But Armani Byrd and the Dragons were lying in wait, ready to pounce, turning defensive stops into points when it counted.
Warren Central will be making its fourth KHSAA Sweet 16 appearance over the last five seasons, and the Dragons will take a 27-3 overall record into its first-round state tournament game next week against North Laurel (28-7) at Lexington’s Rupp Arena.
“I told the kids, ‘If we get 50, we would win,'” Warren Central coach William Unseld said it was over. “They wanted to slow the pace down a little bit … This team had a goal and they got to it. They fought for it. They were prepared for it.
“It’s been our defense, all year … I knew if we got 50 (points), we’d be able to hold them down and we would win.”
HAVE RELIED ON DEFENSE ON
THEIR WAY TO LEXINGTON.
IS A QUICK, ACTIVE PLAYER ON DEFENSE.
The Dragons are a deep team, with seven seniors, and Unseld makes uses of his bench. Senior guard K.J. Johnson gives the team a skilled outside shooter when he takes the floor. Jadice Duncan is a developing front-line player. Ian Daniel has played his way into a valuable backup role, with a deft 3-point shooting touch.
And when Kaleb Prince is running the show, controlling the flow, the Dragons are a formidable force.
Prince, a senior point guard, scored a game-high 18 points as Warren Central extended its winning streak to seven games. Teammates Dominique Anthony, Jeremiah McCombs and Ryan Hulbert, all three senior guards, delivered critical defensive plays as the Dragons defeated South Warren for the fourth time this season.
And if an opponent is able to get in the lane, that’s where 6-foot-8 junior Armani Byrd is waiting. Warren Central’s emphasis on defense was certainly on display in the 4th Region Tournament. The Dragons limited Franklin-SImpson, Barren County and South Warren to a combined 103 points in their three tournament games, a formula they’ll try to put to use next week in Lexington.
“We like to make things a little hectic,” Byrd said with a smile.
CAN SHINE ON OFFENSE, TOO …
SURROUND SOUTH WARREN’s JUNIOR PERKINS.
FINISH THEIR SEASON AT 19-11 OVERALL.
Prince hit a 3-point field goal from the right wing as the first half came to a close, extending Warren Central’s lead to 26-13 at the break. The Spartans got some shots to fall in the fourth quarter, but by then, the die had been cast.
South Warren finishes its breakthrough season under third-year coach Carlos Quarles with a 19-11 record.
“We were the ‘first’ South team to do a lot of things,” senior guard Owen Shively said. “It feels good, being part of a standard.”
Warren Central’s K.J. Johnson said the Dragons understand the finality of it all, particularly for their seven seniors.
“Honestly, we’re enjoying the moment,” he said, “but there’s more to be done.”
Warren Central’s Kaleb Prince, a transfer from Warren East High School, has been the ‘X’ factor for the Dragons for much of the postseason. Prince hit seven of 10 shots on Tuesday night, including the 3-pointer to end the first half, while finishing with 18 points, four rebounds and two steals.
“Kaleb was really focused today,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “We knew he was going to have a great night. He’s a real heady guy, on the court.”
WILL TANGLE WITH NORTH LAUREL
NEXT WEEK IN LEXINGTON.
AN IMPACT PLAYER IN HIS
ONE SEASON AT WARREN CENTRAL.
AND WARREN CENTRAL ARE
RETURNING TO THE KHSAA SWEET 16.
Prince said his teammates have been supportive since he arrived on the WCHS campus last summer.
“They welcomed me with open arms, they trusted me,” Prince said. “We know Coach Un is going to give us the right game plan, when it’s time to play.
“We’ve just got to play OUR game.”
South Warren coach Carlos Quarles, who once was an assistant coach on Unseld’s bench, is optimistic about the future of his program.
“We’ve taken some steps in the right direction,” he said.
Senior forward Jax Decker led the Spartans with 10 points.
CONGRATULATES THE DRAGONS’ WILLIAM UNSELD.
BEFORE LEAVING FOR THE C-USA TOURNAMENT.
