BOWLING GREEN HAS TWO GAMES LEFT BEFORE 14th DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
They’ve been at it for nearly three months now, the Bowling Green High School boys basketball team, and the Purples remain a force in the KHSAA’s 4th Region.
They dropped a hard-fought, 75-67 decision in their final 14th District game, an overtime loss to No. 1-ranked Warren Central, last Friday in the Dragons’ lair.
But the Purples are a Top 10 team themselves, and they’ve got a few days in the gym to tinker with some things before the KHSAA 14th District Tournament unfolds later this month at Greenwood High School.
“All of our guards can shoot it,” veteran BGHS coach DG Sherrill said.
One of them, slender sophomore Braylon Banks, got the hot hand in the opening moments of the second half in Tuesday night’s non-district game against Owensboro High School at the BGHS Arena.
The Red Devils had plenty of other offensive threats to deal with, however, and the Purples pulled away for an 82-70 victory over Owensboro before a sparse crowd, but a victory with plenty of meaning.
ARE 23-5 ON THE SEASON.
Bowling Green had Warren Central on the ropes last week, and even had a good look for a game-winning shot as regulation came to a close. The Purples had 3.6 seconds to break a 65-65 tie in regulation, and they got the ball to 6-foot-8 junior center Mason Ritter at mid-court before calling another timeout, giving them a chance at a game-winning shot with 2.9 seconds showing on the clock.
Bowling Green got the ball to junior guard MJ Wardlow, the Purples’ leading scorer, and Wardlow had a good look on a runner about eight feet from the basket. The ball spun around the rim and fell to the floor, however, and in overtime, Warren Central turned it on to sweep the regular-season series with their crosstown rival on Rockingham Avenue.
Bowling Green knocked off Barren County 72-63 on Monday night in Glasgow, and veteran coach DG Sherrill got another look at his team before next week’s final few days of regular-season play.
Owensboro is one of the top two or three teams in the KHSAA’s 3rd Region, but the Red Devils trailed Bowling Green 44-30 at halftime of Monday night’s game. Wardlow found BGHS teammate Gavin Lightning for a layup on a wraparound pass in the final moments of the half, and in the third quarter, the 6-foot-3 Banks got hot.
Did he ever.
Banks scored 11 of his team-high 20 points in the third quarter, and the Purples survived a fourth-quarter threat when Owensboro closed the gap to 67-63. Bowling Green kept the Red Devils at arm’s length down the stretch to its eighth victory in its last nine games.
“I kind of took matters into my own hands,” Banks said.
AND MJ WARDLOW AFTER THE GAME.
BGHS guards MJ Wardlow and Deuce Bailey can do the same thing, one of the Purples’ greatest strengths as they close in on postseason play. Ritter, a veteran front-court player drawing interest from several Power Five conferences in college basketball, is also a force at the offensive end of the floor.
Bowling Green improved to 23-5 overall while the Red Devils dropped to 14-8.
“Owensboro has a really aggressive playing style,” Sherrill said, “and there were several points in the game where we didn’t match their physicality. They were able to speed us up, on offense … They’re a team that could come out of their region, definitely.
“We had five starters in double figures, balanced scoring, but we’ve got to shorten the passing lanes. You can’t get caught in the corners, the baseline or near half-court. They’ll trap you, force turnovers.
“Sometimes we kind of just stood around and watched.”
FROM BGHS TEAMMATE MJ WARDLOW.
The Purples seem to have gotten the message.
“I think we played pretty good,” sophomore guard Deuce Bailey said, “but we’ve got to do a better job of closing it out.”
Owensboro trimmed it’s deficit to 67-63 when Sherrill called a timeout with about five minutes left in the game.
The Purples responded.
Ritter found BGHS teammate Gavin Lightning on the baseline for an easy basket that pushed the Purples’ lead to 69-63. Ritter added a put-back, extending the Purples’ lead to eight points, before Bailey scored on a drive to the basket, extending the Red Devils’ deficit to double figures.
Senior OHS guard Kenyatta Carbon gave the Purples trouble with his outside shooting, leading all scorers with 26 points. Talas Taylor added 18 points while Red Devils teammate Ethan Pendleton finished with 11.
“We really just had to stay calm,” Wardlow said, “and keep playing.”
That’s what the Purples have in mind, first on the practice floor and then in next week’s non-district games against Evangel Christian and Trinity. They’ll square off with a vastly improved South Warren squad in the KHSAA 14th District Tournament semifinals, with the winner moving on to the 4th Region tourney at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
The loser, of course, will have to pack its gear for the 2023-24 season.
TRAILED BY JUST 4 POINTS MIDWAY
THROUGH THE FOURTH QUARTER.
Banks led Bowling Green with 20 points, while Bailey and Wardlow added 14 and 13, respectively. Ritter had 12 points while Lightning finished with 10.
Banks believes the Purples are going to get another shot at Warren Central, which is 22-1 on the season. The two teams played four times last year, with Warren Central punching its ticket to the KHSAA Sweet 16 with a tense 58-50 victory over Bowling Green at Diddle Arena.
“We know we’re going to see them again,” Banks said. “We’ve just got to keep our heads up, keep working, and use these last couple games as preparation for the postseason.”
HAVE WON EIGHT OF THEIR LAST NINE GAMES.