HAS FUELED THE SPARTANS’ FAST START.
SPARTANS STILL LOOKING FOR BREAKTHROUGH WIN AGAINST BOWLING GREEN
South Warren High School’s boys basketball team grabbed its only lead in the final two minutes.
The Spartans had to scratch and claw to stay within striking distance of Bowling Green High School, and first-year South Warren coach Carlos Quaves had his team ready to strike when it counted most.
BGHS freshman forward Gavin Lightning scored on an inside bucket, and teammate M.J. Wardlow followed with two free throws, putting the Purples back in front by three points. Bowling Green held on from there, claiming a hard-fought, 55-50 victory over the Spartans on Friday night at the South Warren gym.
SHOOTS FROM DOWNTOWN.
Offense was at a premium in this one, but that’s what veteran BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill anticipated all along.
“In the (KHSAA) 14th District, games aren’t pretty,” Sherrill said after his postgame radio interview. “Especially with teams of equal talent. Hat’s off to South Warren. They’re going to win a lot of games.
“I think we have a high ceiling with our team, but there’s always going to be a lot of room to improve.”
Bowling Green was the runner-up to crosstown rival Warren Central in last year’s KHSAA 4th Region Tournament, with the Purples losing just one player from that 26-7 squad, senior guard Turner Buttry.
It was a significant loss, as Buttry was named Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball” before moving on to Eastern Kentucky University. But some of his former teammates, guys like junior center Mason Ritter, Wardlow and junior forward Drevin Button have given the Purples a talented nucleus with plenty of upside.
Bowling Green is now unbeaten in 30 games, lifetime, against South Warren, but first-year Spartans coach Carlos Quaves has his team on the rise.
South Warren slipped past Barren County 67-66 on Tuesday night, winning on senior forward Justin Posey’s 3-pointer from the left corner, and they’ll take a 12-2 overall record into Saturday night’s home game against Allen County-Scottsville.
“We’re so close. They’re going to have to see us again,” South forward Brandon Rowe said. “They know we’re here.”
SAYS THE PURPLES “KNOW WE’RE HERE.”
The Purples’ D.G. Sherrill put together as tough a pre-district schedule as he could, and they’ll take a 12-3 overall record into Saturday night’s home game against Whites Creek (Tennessee) in the German American Bank Classic.
After Tuesday’s home game against a solid Franklin-Simpson squad, Bowling Green will play host to arch-rival Warren Central, last year’s KHSAA Sweet Sixteen runner-up. Like Sherrill, Warren Central coach William Unseld has tried to schedule as many tough non-district games as possible.
Seems to pay off in the long run.
“We’re battle tested,” Sherrill said. “We challenge our team. A lot. We’ve played a lot of Top 10, Top 15 teams this year. I think our defensive intensity tonight really carried us.”
Wardlow, who led the Purples with 14 points, said the victory followed a pattern for his team this season.
“We know if we lock down on defense, that we can generate some offense from our defense,” he said.
FOR THE WINNING FORMULA AGAINST BGHS.
The Spartans’ Carlos Quaves was an animated presence on the sideline, and South Warren looks destined to make vast improvement on last year’s 14-16 finish.
“Our guys showed a lot of heart, a lot of toughness,” Quaves said. “We just didn’t make the big shot that we needed, and they did a good job at the free-throw line. I like our depth. We try to make it about us, about our team, more than anything else.
“We’ve just got to keep working, keep improving.”
ALL-TIME AGAINST SOUTH WARREN.
Senior forward Brandon Rowe led the Spartans with 14 points, and point guard Andrew Goley added 12. Goley made the pass to teammate Justin Posey in the final seconds for the winning basket on Tuesday night at Barren County.
Goley still sees the Spartans as a team in transition.
“We’re still working on some things, but we’re moving up,” Goley said. “We’ll see (Bowling Green) again.”
BGHS guard Deuce Bailey, who had a late start because of the Purples’ appearance in the KHSAA Class 5A state championship football game, continues to make progress. Bailey had a couple critical baskets for the Purples in the third quarter, and he’s been able to get the ball to teammates Mason Ritter and Drevin Bratton near the basket.
Bratton had 10 points against the Spartans, while Ritter finished with six.
AND MASON RITTER AFTER THE GAME.
“That was by far our most physical game of the year,” Ritter said when it was over. “We pulled together, defensively, when we needed to.”
“It was a great tussle,” Bratton added. “Most of our big guys got in some foul trouble, but we were able to hold on and get the win.”
Bowling Green led 43-34 heading into the final quarter, but Brandon Rowe and the Spartans stayed within striking distance.
They just couldn’t quite get over the hump.
Bowling Green will play host to the Spartans on January 27 in the BGHS Arena.
ON THE COURT SATURDAY NIGHT.
FINISHED WITH 14 POINTS.
BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 68, SOUTH WARREN 34
Bowling Green earned its first victory since December 21, snapping a four-game losing streak to improve to 9-5 overall.
The Lady Purples play host to Louisville’s Butler High School in a game scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday in the German American Bank Classic.
TO 15 POINTS IN THE SECOND HALF.
Senior forward Meadow Tisdale was effective near the basket and led the Lady Purples with 18 points. Senior point guard Saniyah Shelton added 14 points and kept Bowling Green comfortably in front.
“We are starting to settle into some roles with this team,” BGHS coach Calvin Head said. “We’ve just got to clean up some things. Defensive discipline and rebounding. Those are the areas where we need to get better.”
Junior shooting guard Ryleigh Campbell has given Bowling Green an outside scoring presence. Campbell had 12 points in Friday night’s victory over the Lady Spartans.
“We’re playing pretty well, offensively,” Shelton said. “I think we showed we could play some man-to-man defense tonight. We’re still coming together.”
Lydia Frank led South Warren with 15 points. Teammates Mila Munrath and McLaine Hudson each finished with seven points. The Lady Spartans are 7-9 overall and 1-1 in 14th District play. They’ll be back on the floor when they travel to play Edmonson County.
HIS SQUAD BACK TO THE KHSAA SWEET SIXTEEN.