UNLOADS THE GAME-WINNING 3-POINTER.
TISDALE, BOWLING GREEN ROUT WARREN CENTRAL, 63-26
They traded leads, stayed within a possession or two within one another for the entire second half.
South Warren High School was looking for a three-game sweep of Greenwood, its longtime KHSAA 14th District rival. Seasoned vet Gracie Hodges came up with a critical steal and got the ball to South teammate Abby Overbay for a basket that tied things up, 45-all, in the final 90 seconds of the 14th Tournament semifinals.
Greenwood’s Leia Trinh worked the ball around the perimeter, holding possession to get a late shot for the victory.
Trinh stepped back from the Spartans’ defense and delivered a 3-pointer from the left wing, a ball with a shooter’s touch that bounced well above the rim before falling through the cylinder with 2.8 seconds left. That sent the Lady Gators to a dramatic 48-45 victory over South Warren on Monday night at Greenwood High School.
WATCHES JUNIOR GUARD LEIA TRINH WORK THE POINT.
ON HER GAME-WINNING SHOT.
The boys’ tournament begins on Tuesday with No. 1-ranked Warren Central opening against homestanding Greenwood at 6 p.m.
Trinh and senior forward Kayla Grant combined for 37 of the Lady Gators’ 48 points and Greenwood will square off with No. 1 seed Bowling Green High School on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Bowling Green had little trouble with Warren Central on Monday night, outscoring the Lady Dragons 22-4 in the third quarter on its way to a 63-26 triumph.
Trinh, the smallest player on the court pretty much any time she takes it, has had her share of dramatic shots for Greenwood since her middle school days. But this one was special because it turned the tables on South Warren, which posted a pair of double-digit victories over Greenwood on its way to earning the second seed for the tournament.
The Spartans finish their season at 17-14.
“It was crazy. I was so tired, but I wanted to win for my teammates,” Trinh said. “(Win Monday) and we go to region. It feels good to do that.”
Kayla Grant grabbed Trinh and spun her around, near the Lady Gators’ bench, and the Greenwood student section celebrated, too. Greenwood coach Zach Simpson wanted to put the ball in Trinh’s hands, and she delivered.
TURNED THE TABLES ON SOUTH WARREN …
CELEBRATE THE VICTORY.
“I told (Trinh), if we get the ball, the last possession, I wanted you to get that shot,” Simpson said. “I trust a lot of people to get that shot, I really do … Leia was shooting the ball well, and she got the roll.”
Trinh, the durable Lady Gators junior guard, led all scorers with 21 points while Grant added 17 points and 12 rebounds. South’s Gracie Hodges closed her outstanding career with a team-high 17 points, and freshman star McLaine Hudson finished with 13.
Grant wanted to get another shot at playing in the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament, which begins Sunday at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena. Marcus Grant, Kayla’s father, is a longtime assistant coach to seventh-year WKU head coach Rick Stansbury.
“I definitely didn’t want this to be my last game,” Kayla Grant said. “I haven’t slept for the last three days … We were ready to play. I just wanted to pick (Trinh) up and swing her around …”
ITS SEASON AT 17-14.
Greenwood coach Zach Simpson said his team’s improved defensive play was probably the difference.
“We thought if we could hold them to less than 50 points, we could win,” Simpson said.
South Warren stayed within striking distance throughout the second half, but the Spartans hit just 12 of 23 free throws on the night.
CHARTS SOME LATE STRATEGY.
Greenwood, which improved to 15-15 with the victory, has had an up-and-down season, and the Lady Gators had dropped six of their last eight games. They’ll be looking for the same sort of mental toughness on Thursday evening against Bowling Green, the three-time 14th District champion.
“We’re going to come in and try to defend our home floor,” Simpson said. “We’ve got to limit turnovers, get on the glass and keep (BGHS point guard Saniyah) Shelton out of the paint.”
TO THE 4TH REGION TOURNAMENT.
CONSULTS WITH AN OFFICIAL.
BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 63, WARREN CENTRAL 26
The Lady Purples bolted in front of Warren Central and stayed there, although the Lady Dragons did pull to within nine points of Bowling Green on Aida Akhmedova’s 3-pointer to end the first half.
BGHS teammates Meadow Tisdale and Saniyah Shelton fueled a dominant third quarter, however, as the Lady Purples outscored Warren Central 22-4 in the critical eight minutes.
AT THE POINT FOR BOWLING GREEN.
Tisdale is coming back from a significant knee injury, and the Lady Purples lost 3-point standout Ryleigh Campbell to a torn ACL late in the season. They’ve had to make some adjustments on the fly, but BGHS coach Calvin Head said his team’s priorities are simple.
“Our message to our kids at halftime was ‘we’ve got to guard.’ In the second half, we started to do that,” Head said. “If we don’t guard and rebound, anybody can beat us. Our kids responded.
“I thought Meadow looked good (physically). When she’s playing at her best, we’re at our best.”
WARREN CENTRAL WITH 11 POINTS.
Tisdale led the Lady Purples with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Shelton finished with 14 points. Akhmedova led Warren Central, which finished 5-25, with 11 points.
“Our defense creates our offense,” Saniyah Shelton said. “Meadow’s pulling her way through. We’ve got to emphasize our defense, moving forward.”
Bowling Green improved to 20-10 with the victory.
WITH GREENWOOD ON THURSDAY NIGHT.