A 3-POINTER AT THE BUZZER TO END THE FIRST QUARTER.
WARREN CENTRAL WINS SEVENTH STRAIGHT GAME
Warren Central High School’s William Unseld knows there will be games like this.
Dive, scrap, trap, rebound. Hit some shots. Find a way to win.
That’s what the Dragons, ranked No. 1 in the Commonwealth by Maxpreps, did in knocking off Bowling Green High School’s boys basketball team, 54-39, before a packed house Friday night at the BGHS Arena.
Warren Central senior forward Chappelle Whitney scored a game-high 17 points and the Dragons pulled away throughout the second half, improving to 16-1 overall and 2-0 in the KHSAA’s 14th District.
Warren Central will face Lebanon (Tennessee) on Saturday afternoon in the Toyota of Bowling Green Classic. Tip-off will be at 4 p.m. at Greenwood High School.
AN OUTSIDE SHOT TO END THE THIRD QUARTER.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Unseld said after the workmanlike victory over the Purples. “In the second half, we just moved our feet, played better defense. That’s all. Chappelle had the mismatch (with BGHS junior center Mason Ritter) and he took advantage of that.
“We’re going to have a mismatch, somewhere, every night.”
DUNKS IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
Mason, a 6-foot-8, low-post player, helped keep his team in the game in the first half. There were an abundance of fouls called, in the first 16 minutes, but when the teams returned for the second half, it was a little more wide open.
In the second half, Warren Central didn’t get called for a foul until the final three minutes.
“We didn’t have (senior point guard) Iziyah Villafeurte for 10 minutes in the first half,” Unseld said. “He’s the conductor for this train.”
The Dragons’ Kade Unseld, son of the WCHS coach, finished with 14 points while versatile Damarion Walkup added 10.
Bowling Green had a four-game winning streak snapped while dropping to 15-4 overall and 2-1 in 14th District play. The Purples will tangle with Pope John Paul II, a private school in Hendersonville, Tennessee, at noon Saturday in the Toyota of Bowling Green Classic at Greenwood High School.
“I thought all the fouls in the first half took Mason (Ritter) out of his game,” BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill said. “We took some satisfaction in that we could play with them, physically. We just have to rebound better.
“With Warren Central, once you get past one defender, you’re usually gonna have two waiting for you. They’re very good, but we know we’re going to be playing them again.”
The rematch between Bowling Green and Warren Central is scheduled for February 3 on the Dragons’ home floor. Last year, the Dragons won three of four games against Bowling Green on its way to a runner-up finish in the KHSAA’s Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
On Friday night, Warren Central won at BGHS for the first time since 2018.
Sophomore guard Deuce Bailey led the Purples with 10 points in the loss to the Dragons. M.J. Wardlow had nine points for BGHS, while Mason Ritter finished with eight.
“This is probably our biggest game, so far, this year,” WCHS senior forward Chappelle Whitney said. “The crowd was firing us up. We probably had too much energy, in the first half.
“Bowling Green is a real good team.”
I’ll have a complete story on the game Saturday morning.
WORKS THE BALL UPCOURT.
LITTLE TROUBLE WITH WARREN CENTRAL.
BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 62, WARREN CENTRAL 15
Senior guard Tanaya Bailey scored a game-high 18 points and Bowling Green teammate Ryleigh Campbell, a junior shooting guard, added 16 as the Lady Purples rolled to victory over visiting Warren Central.
Veteran BGHS coach Calvin Head emptied his bench in the fourth quarter, giving his starters a break. Bowling Green travels to play Henderson County, the KHSAA 3rd Region contender, on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is at 1:30 p.m.
TO PLAY HENDERSON COUNTY ON SATURDAY.
Bowling Green improved to 12-5 overall and 3-0 in KHSAA 14th District play. Warren Central fell to 3-16 and 0-3, respectively.
“We gave our girls some defensive goals for this game, and they came through on that,” Head said. “Ryleigh is shooting every day, after practice. That’s a huge positive, moving forward.”
Senior BGHS center Meadow Tisdale said Campbell has embraced a more high-profile role this season.
“Ryleigh was lightin’ that thing up tonight,” Tisdale said. “She’s playing with a lot more confidence this season.”
