SEVEN REBOUNDS AND FIVE BLOCKED SHOTS.
PURPLES CENTER DOES IT ALL IN 66-41 ROUT OF TODD COUNTY CENTRAL
The Bowling Green High School boys basketball team served notice Tuesday night.
The Purples mean business.
Bowling Green bounced KHSAA 13th District champion Todd County Central with little trouble in quarterfinal play of the 4th Region Tournament, rolling to a resounding 66-41 victory at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
Bowling Green had a significant size and depth advantage over Todd County Central, starting in the middle with 6-foot-8 junior center Mason Ritter.
Ritter did it all for the Purples, even while missing the bulk of the first half with two fouls. BGHS guard Deuce Bailey had one of his best games for Bowling Green this season, and fellow sophomore Braylon Banks was cool under Diddle’s hot bright lights.
Veteran BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill had his squad ready to play after last week’s 75-56 loss to crosstown rival Warren Central, the Commonwealth’s No. 1-ranked team. The Purples found the open man with precise passing and were never challenged in this game, improving to 25-8 on the season.
“I thought we challenged our guys in practice,” Sherrill said in the postgame press conference. “We wanted to get the ball to the guy with the hot hand. (Freshman forward) Gavin Lightning had a great first half. We really responded, defensively, tonight.”
Todd County Central shot just 33 percent from the field, while the Purples were equal parts explosive and efficient.
TODD COUNTY CENTRAL SQUAD FINISHED 19-11.
AGAINST THE REBELS’ TRAYVON FOSTER.
Bowling Green shot 57 percent from the field, hitting 26 of 46 field-goal attempts, while forcing eight steals. Ritter had one of his best games this season, in just 20 minutes on the floor, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
Deuce Bailey, the quarterback for the Purples’ state runner-up football squad, was quick to attack the basket and finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
If the ball got loose on ther perimeter, chances are Bailey or teammate M.J. Wardlow were getting it, and the Purples were getting out in the open floor.
“Everything’s starting to fall in place,” Ritter said.
FOR TEAMMATE MASON RITTER INSIDE.
Bailey said the Purples put their practice time on the floor over the last three days to good use against the Rebels.
“The confidence is there, for everybody,” he said. “We feed off each other.”
Bowling Green will now have to wait six days before returning to the floor to face Barren County in the 4th Region semifinals on Monday night. Barren County struck for a dramatic victory in the first game of the Diddle doubleheader, using Brey Bewley’s runner in the lane with 3.2 seconds left to defeat KHSAA 16th District champion Metcalfe County, 56-54.
Warren East, the 15th District champion, will square off with Monroe County in the first quarterfinal on Wednesday evening. Tip-off for that game is at 6 p.m. Warren Central (29-1) will take the floor against Franklin-Simpson (17-10) in the nightcap, with the winners of those games to collide on Monday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
BARREN COUNTY 56, METCALFE COUNTY 54
Barren County front-court players Aiden Miller and Eli Brooks kept the Trojans within striking distance of Metcalfe County, who led for nearly the entire game before a sudden change of events in the fourth quarter.
The Trojans had trouble with Metcalfe senior guard Wyatt Blythe, a familiar problem for Barren County coach Warren Cunningham. Blythe played the game’s entire 32 minutes and had a terrific scoreline, finishing with 22 points, on 9-of-16 shooting, along with three rebounds and two steals.
Metcalfe County seemed to have the upper hand until Miller and Brooks basically willed the Trojans back into the game. Brooks had a team-high 15 points, along with seven rebounds, while Miller added 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Brewley and the Trojans worked for a final shot in the game’s last 45 seconds, and he took the ball to the basket himself with the game on the line. Brewley’s 6-footer rattled around the rim and fell through with 3.2 seconds left in the game.
Metcalfe County couldn’t get off a shot before the horn sounded, and the Hornets finished their season at 13-18.
“It was a hard-fought game, and we knew it would be,” Cunningham said. “We just kept saying, ‘if we can ever take a lead …’
“The biggest key for us has been our guards, from the start of the season. It was good to play the early game (Tuesday), to get a chance to look at our opponent on Monday.”
FALLS THROUGH THE BASKET.
Barren County regularly schedules Bowling Green, and the Purples claimed a 72-63 victory over Cunningham’s squad on February 4 at the BGHS Arena.
I’ll have a comprehensive look at the two games on Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading.
BY SENIORS AIDEN MILLER (LEFT) AND ELI BROOKS.