Jim Mashek

DRAGONS POST 13TH STRAIGHT VICTORY; TISDALE INJURED IN LADY PURPLES’ TRIUMPH

William Unseld emerged from the victorious Warren Central High School locker room and had reason to look ahead to the postseason.

“We needed a game like this,” Unseld said.

The veteran Warren Central coach has a seasoned, savvy squad. The Dragons are the Commonwealth’s No.1-ranked team. But Bowling Green had a huge upset victory within its grasp, only to watch Warren Central survive, taking control in overtime for a 75-67 victory over the Purples on Friday night in a packed WCHS gym.

Warren Central (22-1 overall, 6-0 in the KHSAA’s 14th District) will get back in the lab for a week of practice before the Dragons travel to Campbellsville to scrap with the 5th Region’s No. 1-ranked squad, the Taylor County Cardinals (20-3). Tip-off for next Friday’s game is 6:30 p.m. EST.

Bowling Green, ranked ninth in Kentucky’s MaxPreps statewide poll, saw its six-game winning streak come to an end. The Purples (21-5, 4-2 in 14th District play) will travel to play Barren County (17-8 overall) on Monday night in Glasgow.

Bowling Green had the ball and 3.6 seconds to make something happen in the final moments of regulation, and the Purples certainly put themselves in position to pull off the upset.

After inbounding to 6-foot-8 BGHS center Mason Ritter at mid-court, the Purples called another timeout with 2.9 seconds showing on the clock. They inbounded the ball near the 3-point line and junior BGHS guard MJ Wardlow got off a runner about eight feet from the basket.

It was a good look.

The horn sounded as the ball fell harmlessly to the floor, and Warren Central had posted its 13th consecutive victory.

“This one’s on me,” BGHS coach DG Sherrill said. “I rode my five starters too long. I was playing matchups. We were hot and none of them wanted to come out … We lost some legs in that overtime.

“Give Warren Central credit. They didn’t play any more players than we played, but their kids made a few winning plays in overtime to give them a cushion.”

In overtime, the Dragons’ athleticism came into play. Wardlow hit a tough baseline shot to tie the game at 63 with about three mintues left. But WCHS point guard Izayiah Villafeurte found teammate Omari Glover for a layup on an inbounds play, under the BGHS basket, and the Dragons’ Damarion Walkup and Chappelle Whitney scored on subsequent possessions to extend Warren Central’s lead to six points.

Warren Central’s Kade Unseld added an inside field goal to make it 71-63 with 1:06 left in the OT. The Dragons finished the task at hand, but they understand there’s a possibility, perhaps even a likelihood, that they’ll run into Bowling Green again, first in the KHSAA’s 14th District Tournament, at Greenwood High School, and then at the cut-throat 4th Region tourney at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.

“We’ll see them again, for sure,” Warren Central star swingman Omari Glover said.

William Unseld implored his WCHS squad to attack the basket in overtime, to capitalize on its size and athleticism. The Dragons seem to have paid attention to his instructions.

“We’ve got to be able to get to the front of the rim,” Unseld said.

That’s where Villafuerte, the Dragons’ senior point guard, comes in.

“In the fourth quarter, we took a lot of long 3-pointers,” Villafuerte said. “We wanted to keep (Bowling Green) from getting in the paint, defensively … get the ball inside when we had it.”

Chappelle Whitney, the Dragons’ senior 6-foot-5 forward, understood the stakes in overtime. Whitney led the Dragons with a game-high 26 points.

“We had to take it one possession at a time,” Whitney said. “Our point guard is a great leader. When he’s cool, we’re cool. We usually fall in right behind him.”

Villafeurte carried the Dragons’ scoring burden for much of the first half. Omari Glover got hot in the second half and finished with an impressive 22 points and 18 rebounds, while Villafeurte hit some late free throws and added 14 points.

William Unseld said Whitney “busted 1,000 points for his career” and paid tribute to Glover’s tenacity and drive.

“Omari dominates the game,” Unseld said. “People forget that he was playing wide receiver well into November. His best basketball is in front of him.

“He’s a winner, man.”

DG Sherrill was in no position to disagree.

“They’re the unanimous No. 1 team in the state, so we’re playing with house money,” Sherrill said. “You saw a burst from MJ (Wardlow) … We played four good quarters.

“We had a layup to win the game from a kid I thought was the best player on the floor, in MJ. Again, I had big bodies out there and I kinda ran my big bodies in the ground. I have to work some more guys in.

“It’s on me. It’s completely on me.”

BGHS guard Deuce Bailey, the quarterback for the Purples’ football team, got a particularly late start after Bowling Green reached the KHSAA Class 5A state championship game in December. Bailey hit an array of 3-point field goals on Friday night and scored a team-high 20 points.

Wardlow added 18 points and sophomore BGHS guard Braylon Banks added 12.

Only six Purples players scored in the game, and just five for the triumphant Dragons.

“We just wanted to keep them from getting in the paint,” Villafuerte said.

“We just had to sit back and guard, move the ball, and take better shots in overtime,” Glover added.

Bowling Green has four regular-season games remaining before squaring off in the KHSAA’s 14th District Tournament against a vastly improved South Warren squad (16-6, 2-4) in the district tournament semifinals later this month at Greenwood High School. No. 1 seed Warren Central will scrap with Greenwood (6-20, 0-6) in the other 14th District semifinal.

The winners of those games will automatically advance to the cut-throat 4th Region Tournament at WKU.

Warren Central, last year’s KHSAA Sweet 16 runner-up, is being careful not to put the cart in front of the horse.

“We’ve got a great opportunity in front of us,” WCHS point guard Izayiah Villafeurte said. “We just try to stay level headed.”

That’s what William Unseld has in mind, too.

“Let’s take people’s best shot and see how we respond,” Unseld said. “This is great momentum.

“We’ve got five tough games left. We just have to keep playing, get better and understand what we are good at. I hope we have a few more like the one tonight, to get us ready for that tournament run.”

BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 62, WARREN CENTRAL 15

The Lady Purples, South Central Kentucky’s No. 1-ranked girls squad, limited Warren Central to single-digit scoring in all four quarters.

But the victory came with a price. Senior BGHS center Meadow Tisdale injured her left knee early in the second half, but she stayed around for the boys’ game, seated behind the Purples’ bench with an ice pack on her knee.

“It brought tears to my eyes, seeing Meadow on the floor like that,” BGHS point guard Saniyah Shelton said.

BGHS coach Calvin Head said he doesn’t expect Tisdale to be available for Saturday night’s non-district game against Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville. Sacred Heart is the two-time defending KHSAA Sweet 16 champion, and the Valkyries eliminated Bowling Green in the quarterfinals of the state tournament in 2021.

“Hopefully, it was just a hyperextension,” BGHS coach Calvin Head said. “If that’s the case, it might be a day-to-day thing. You never know. Meadow’s health is the most important thing.”

Tisdale led the Lady Purples with 14 points, while three teammates — senior point guard Saniyah Shelton, sophomore forward Katy Smiley and senior guard/forward Tanaya Bailey — all finished with 8 points.

“Saniyah’s been like a rock for us,” Head said.

Bowling Green (16-8, 6-0 in KHSAA 14th District play) will again face the Lady Dragons (4-19, 0-6) in semifinal play of the district tournament at Greenwood.

Junior guard Aida Akhmedova led Warren Central with 10 points.