WITH 16 POINTS, SEVEN REBOUNDS AND FOUR STEALS.
TISDALE SCORES 17 POINTS IN LADY PURPLES’ 58-29 ROUT OF GLASGOW;
METCALFE COUNTY SLIPS PAST LOGAN COUNTY IN OT, 56-55
The Bowling Green High School girls basketball team used a lethal combination of inside strength, depth and experience to roll past Glasgow High School, 58-29, in the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament quarterfinals on Monday night.
The Lady Purples, who are looking for their fourth straight trip to the KHSAA’s Sweet 16 next week in Lexington — the 2020 appearance was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic — were never challenged in running their overall record to 22-10 on the season.
In the nightcap, 15th District regular-season champion Metcalfe County withstood a fourth-quarter rally from Logan County and survived in overtime, claiming a 56-55 victory.
Bowling Green will face Metcalfe County (19-9) in the second semifinal on Friday night at Diddle Arena. Barren County, the 13th District winner, will square off with upstart Russellville High School in the first semifinal. TIp-off for that game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The boys tournament unfolds on Tuesday, with Barren County, the 15th District runner-up, taking the floor against 13th District champion Metcalfe County, and the Bowling Green boys team tangling with Todd County Central in the nightcap.
Warren Central (29-1), the state’s No. 1-ranked team — in polls from the Courier-Journal, the Associated Press and MaxPreps — will face Franklin-Simpson in the first game on Wednesday, followed by Warren East, which finished first in its inaugural season in the KHSAA’s 15th District, putting it all on the line against Monroe County.
BY SOPHOMORE FORWARD KATY SMILEY (LEFT),
ALONG WITH BGHS TEAMMATES
SANIYAH SHELTON AND MEADOW TISDALE.
“Bowling Green’s length, it hurt us a little bit,” first-year Glasgow coach Kelsey Kirkpatrick said when it was over. “I had a chance to work with (BGHS head coach) Calvin Head a few years ago, and I know what he instills in his program. He’s done a great job there.
“Our kids are learning, that’s part of it.”
FIRST-YEAR COACH KELSEY KIRKPATRICK.
BGHS senior center Meadow Tisdale was nothing short of unstoppable.
The 5-foot-11 Tisdale was too much for the Lady Scotties under the basket. The Northern Kentucky University signee played just 19 minutes — Head was able to empty his bench in the second half — but still finished a team-high 16 points, along with seven rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots.
Glasgow had no answers for BGHS point guard Saniyah Shelton, either.
The Lady Purples’ sinewy 5-foot-10 senior, who became a full-time point guard this season, was simply too quick for Glasgow at the top of the key, and she turned in another solid performance in leading Bowling Green to its ninth victory in its last 11 games.
HAD 11 POINTS AND FOUR REBOUNDS.
It should be noted, however, that Tisdale was sidelined with an injured knee for three of those games, including the 75-47 loss to two-time Sweet 16 state champion Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville.
Not only that, but the Lady Purples lost 3-point dynamo Ryleigh Campbell, a rising star on the perimeter, with a torn ACL sustained in practice earlier this month. BGHS coach Calvin Head has had to make several adjustments with his rotations, but the Lady Purples had the kind of talent, drive and experience to minimize the damage.
“It’s always good to go out and get a good feel for playing in this arena,” Head said. “The background is different, it’s an open arena. You have to adjust … It doesn’t matter how many times you play here, you always get a little swallowed up by the atmosphere. Even the seniors.
“We really weren’t worried about our seniors (Meadow Tisdale, Saniyah Shelton and Tanaya Bailey), but depth is important. Ryleigh Campbell was a big loss. Our kids played hard, they had the right kind of focus on the court.”
SCORES INSIDE IN THE EARLY GOING.
It was never a competitive game, which perhaps isn’t surprising in that Glasgow’s first-year coach, Kelsey Kirkpatrick, has five middle schoolers on its roster, including two players who got significant playing time, eighth grader Kayla Kirkpatrick and seventh grader Addy Slagle.
Shelton stayed in control and distributed the ball all night, logging 27 minutes on the floor and finishing with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Katy Smiley, the Lady Purples’ 5-foot-10 sophomore forward, continues to show promise.
Smiley hit three of six shots from 3-point range — where Ryleigh Campbell often excels — and finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Smiley joined BGHS coach Calvin Head, along with Shelton and Tisdale, in the postgame press conference at WKU’s Paul Just Media Room.
I’ll have a complete story on the Lady Purples’ impressive victory, along with Metcalfe County’s tense 56-55 victory over Logan County in Monday’s nightcap.
Thanks for reading.
HAS SIGNED WITH NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY.