BEATS THE DOUBLE-TEAM IN THE HIGH POST.
BGHS CENTER MASON RITTER DOMINATES REBELS; BEWLEY’s LATE DRIVE ELIMINATES METCALFE
There were some familiar faces, sights and trends on Tuesday in the KHSAA’s 4th Region basketball tournament at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
D.G. Sherrill was back on the sidelines with the tradition-rich Bowling Green High School boys squad, which was a KHSAA Sweet Sixteen quarterfinalist just two years ago.
Sherrill’s counterpart at Barren County High School, the well respected Warren Cunningham, was leading the Trojans to glory under the hot, bright Diddle Arena lights.
(Cunningham, you might not know, even opts for the old school, shirt-and-tie look on the sidelines.)
IS FLANKED BY SENIOR FORWARDS
AIDEN MILLER (LEFT) AND ELI BROOKS.
Sturdy Todd County Central, the KHSAA 13th District champion, came over to Bowling Green from Elkton before making an early exit with Tuesday night’s quarterfinal matchup with Sherrill’s Purples.
And Metcalfe County senior guard Wyatt Blythe was nothing short of magnificent, putting the Hornets into position to reach the semifinals time and again in the evening matchup against Barren County.
There was plenty of action on the John Oldham Court at E.A. Diddle Arena. Highlights everywhere.
Ultimately it was Cunningham’s rugged Barren County bunch, the runner-up in KHSAA’s 15th District, needing the heroics of point guard Brey Brewley, a 6-foot, 138-pound sophomore, to send the Trojans to the semifinals in dramatic fashion.
Blythe’s high-wire game — the 6-foot Metcalfe senior is a lean, mean shootin’ machine — allowed the Hornets to gain the early momentum, and they protected that lead, for the better part of three quarters, until:
**** Barren County senior forwards Aiden Miller and Eli Brooks kept the Trojans within striking distance;
**** Blythe and the resourceful Hornets hit an amazing eight of 10 from the field, while outrebounding the Trojans 6-2 in those eight minutes;
**** And Carson Beckham’s clutch 3-pointer, with less than two minutes showing on the clock, and a subsequent basket from Barren County teammate Tate Spillman tied things up at 54.
TAKES CONTOL IN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS …
A cat-and-mouse game ensued, between Barren County coach Warren Cunningham and his Metcalfe counterpart, Brandon Brockman, with timeouts and sideline strategy sessions and whatnot.
Then, in the final 45 seconds, Barren County’s slender sophomore point guard, the aforementioned Brey Brewley, killed the clock against a safe man-to-man defense, before starting his move toward the basket with about nine seconds left in the game.
It had the feel of a championship prizefight, and the prize was certainly going to make the fight feel like it was worth it.
Brewley drifted into the lane, looking for teammate Eli Brooks on the wing, when he realized he had to take matters into his own ends.
So Brewley did, hitting a runner from about six feet away, with 3.2 seconds on the clock, sending the Trojans to a dramatic 56-54 victory.
Metcalfe County had one last possession but Jax Allen’s heave from half-court was off the mark.
FALLS THROUGH THE NET WITH 3.2 SECONDS LEFT …
ON THE COURT IN A HURRY.
The Trojans’ players, parents and fans celebrated and Warren Cunningham wore a relieved expression in the postgame press conference. The Trojans improved to 21-12 overall and will now face longtime rival Bowling Green High School in Monday’s semifinals.
The Purples had little trouble with Todd County Central, the 13th District champion with precious little depth. BGHS center Mason Ritter, the 6-foot-8 junior, turned in a dominant performance, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots to send the Purples to a resounding 66-41 victory over the Rebels.
Sherrill said he’d make use of his team’s three days in the gym after the Purples got trounced in the KHSAA 14th District Tournament championship game, and as they’d probably say at the Jefferson Davis shrine on the Todd County/Christian County line, wily ol’ D.G. wasn’t whistlin’ Dixie …
“I thought we challenged our kids in practice,” Sherrill said.
DOES THE OBLIGATORY TV INTERVIEWS.
The Purples seemed to have been listening. They unleashed a precision passing game on the perimeter, and found a way to get the ball to Ritter in the low post. The Purples’ Power Five college prospect was limited by early foul trouble, but he stayed on the floor in the second half and helped Bowling Green finish with a 30-23 advantage on the boards.
Game, set, match, homeslice.
“Everything’s starting to fall into place,” Ritter said.
AGAINST TCC’s JAMISON GLASS.
Cunningham was a little more guarded, as the Trojans have yet to beat Bowling Green in the 4th Region tournament, but Brey Bewley’s steely runner against Metcalfe was a pretty fair starting point for next Monday’s first matchup at Diddle.
“We know how good Bowling Green is,” Cunningham said, “and the physicalityop that they play with, that Coach Sherrill’s teams always play with … They’re a very good team.”
No. 1-ranked Warren Central (29-1) takes the floor on Wednesday, in the opening game at Diddle, against nearby rival Franklin-Simpson (19-9). In the nightcap, KHSAA 15th District champion Warren East (20-9) tangles with Monroe County (18-14) in the final quarterfinal of the tournament.
The WKU women’s team has a home game against Conference USA opponent Texas-El Paso on Thursday, and the KHSAA 4th Region girls tournament resumes on Friday with top seeds Bowling Green and Barren County — that sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it — along with underdogs Russellville and Metcalfe County.
The Russellville girls and Piper Lindsey’s tradition-rich Barren County squad take the floor on Friday at 6 p.m.
DOES A HALFTIME INTERVIEW
DURING THE BOYS’ QUARTERFINALS
AGAINST BARREN COUNTY.
FINISHED WITH 11 POINTS AND FIVE ASSISTS.
PASS INSIDE TO TEAMMATE MASON RITTER.
BOWLING GREEN 66, TODD COUNTY CENTRAL 41
The Purples pretty much put this one to rest in the second quarter.
Even with Mason Ritter, the gifted BGHS junior center, on the bench with two fouls, the Purples were taking control with superior quickness and bold moves to the basket from Bowling Green guards Deuce Bailey, Braylon Banks and M.J. Wardlow.
Two sophomores and a junior, in case you’re wondering.
Todd County fans sitting behind press row were duly impressed with the Purples’ passing game, something longtime Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill stresses away from the spotlight, when his team is bustin’ a hump in the BGHS Arena.
FINISHES ITS SEASON AT 19-12.
HAD 13 POINTS, SIX REBOUNDS AND FIVE ASSISTS.
Todd County coach John Stigall was certainly impressed. The Rebels finished the season at 19-12.
“It was going to be a tall test for us, regardless,” Stigall said. “We didn’t get it done, but I’m just proud of these guys. It’s been a heckuva run. In the postseason, everybody’s bench shortens, so we thought we might be OK there.
“They’ve got a good team. So skilled. Pretty much anything we tried, couldn’t slow them down. At all.”
Bailey, the quarterback of the Purples’ state runner-up football squad, got an unusually late start because of those commitments, and it took him a little while to tap into his vast potential. Bailey’s quick moves to the basket and crisp passes on the perimeter left the Rebels defenders in their wake.
WORKS AGAINST THE REBELS’ TRAYVON FOSTER.
Banks and Wardlow were equally efficient, and freshman forward Gavin Lightning (11 points on 4-for-4 shooting, three rebounds) helped pick up the slack in the first half, when Mason Ritter was sidelined with foul trouble.
Todd County’s Preston Rager, who led the Rebels with a game-high 16 points, and his teammates tried to scramble back into it, after the break. The Purples were already on cruise control and on their way to a critical victory, after dropping three of their previous four games, including the 14th District title tilt against Warren Central.
Besides, it was the 19th consecutive season in which the Purples posted an openin- victory in the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament. It’s pretty much old hat on Rockingham Avenue, even though the BGHS student section was out in full force — including several football and baseball players — on the raised seating above the Diddle Arena floor.
WAS A FORCE, INSIDE, AGAINST TCC.
“Watching film on Todd County,” Sherrill said, “they have some really confident shooters. They can shoot the ball. (TCC center Jameson) Glass is a good post player. They have a lot of nice pieces …
“Our calling card is we want to be great defensively and we want to be great on the boards. We don’t do it all the time, but that is certainly what our emphasis is,game in and game out.”
Or, as Bowling Green’s M.J. Wardlow succinctly put it:
“We stuck to the game plan.”
D.G. Sherrill said “Warren’s (Barren County) team will be really well prepared,” and Cunningham, the Trojans’ longtime coach, was equally respectful.
“It’s good to play the early (semifinal) game,” Cunningham said on his way to scouting duties in the stands. “We play Bowling Green all the time, during the regular season, and we know what kind of team they really have. Our kids are excited about the challenge.”
BARREN COUNTY 56, METCALFE COUNTY 54
Wyatt Blythe, the Metcalfe County senior point guard, was nothing short of brilliant in the opening semifinal Tuesday night.
Metcalfe paced the Hornets throughout the first half, when there were a handful of early lead changes until Barren County got hot and made it 30-25 at halftime.
A deliberate second half followed, with Blythe and the Hornets holding the lead, possession by possession. Barren County’s Aiden Miller and Eli Brooks sturdy play on the front line kept the Trojans within striking distance, and Carson Beckham’s 3-pointer in the final two minutes, and a subsequent field goal from teammate Tate Spillman tied the game at 54.
Cunningham and Metcalfe County coach Brandon Brockman had the aforementioned cat-and-mouse game to set up the dramatic finish, at which point the Trojans’ Brey Bewley, a slender sophomore, began milking the clock.
HIS DRIVE FOR A GAME-WINNING SHOT …
Bewley was hoping to get the ball to teammate Eli Brooks, on the perimeter, before taking charge with about nine seconds showing on the clock. He drifted into the lane and launched a runner from about six feet in front of the rim. The shot took a couple clean bounces off the top of the rim before falling through the net, setting off a wild celebration in the Barren County seating section.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Cunningham said. “We knew it would be … It’s Barren-Metcalfe. It’s two teams that are very similar … They play hard, we play hard. We just kept saying, ‘If we can ever take the lead …’
“We didn’t know it would be that late, when we finally did. I’m just proud of our guys. I don’t think we played particularly well, but Metcalfe had a lot to do with that.”
ACTUALLY DID FALL THROUGH THE BASKET.
Aiden Miller led the Trojans with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Brooks finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. The Trojans’ Carson Beckham hit three of six shots from 3-point range while adding 11 points, while Bewley hit four of five shots from the field while scoring nine points with seven assists.
Wyatt Blythe led the Hornets with 22 points, hitting 9 of 16 shots, while teammates Cade Button and Jax Allen added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
IN THEIR ROUT OF TODD COUNTY CENTRAL.
IS NOW 25-8 ON THE SEASON.
WHEN WE GO TO LEXINGTON … SHE’s
A SPORTS SCRIBBLER’s KINDA DOG.