Barren County Trojans (7-3) @ Glasgow Scotties (4-4)
January 29, 2021 – 7:30pm
By Perry Swack
Crosstown rivals collide in a 15th District showdown tonight at Glasgow High School as the Scotties welcome the Trojans for a big matchup with postseason implications. The winner of this game will be in sole possession of second place in the district standings. With games getting canceled by COVID-19 regularly, it is uncertain how many district games will actually be played adding to the weight of tonight’s result.
Current District Standings
Allen County-Scottsville 3-0
Barren County 2-1
Glasgow 1-1
Monroe County 0-4
Last Time Out
Barren County edged Central Hardin, 59-58, in overtime
Glasgow defeated Monroe County, 60-50
Last Meeting – January 31, 2020
Barren County breezed by Glasgow, 80-63, on the Trojans’ home court last January. Then-sophomore Aden Nyekan scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Jacob Shaw chipped in 18. Will Bandy scored 15 points and recorded nine rebounds as the Trojans outrebounded the Scotties 37-24. Glasgow’s Nick Sorrell matched Nyekan point-for-point, scoring 27 points on nearly an identical stat line. Robert Kingery scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the losing effort.
What to Watch For
When Aden Nyekan went down with a torn ACL in the Trojans’ fourth game of the season, it begged the question – how will Barren respond? Coach Warren Cunningham’s crew nearly stole a district road game in Scottsville before running off four-straight wins entering tonight’s contest. Wins over Hart County, Logan County, and Monroe County set the stage for Tuesday night’s tilt with Central Hardin. The Bruins led by eight points with three minutes to play; however, the Trojans were not to be denied, winning the game, 59-58, in overtime. Balance has been the name of the game this season in the absence of Nyekan. Tuesday was no exception. Gavin Withrow scored 15 points, Mason Griggs scored 14, and Ryan Shirley (13), and Aiden Miller (12) also tallied in double figures. Barren also won the rebounding battle, 24-20.
Glasgow has started a winning streak of its own in 2021. After losing three of its first four, the Scotties have won three of its last four games, including its last two overall. On Tuesday night, coach James Willett’s club won 60-50 at Monroe County as three players scored in double figures. Jackson Poland led the way with 19 points, Brennan Short hit five three-pointers to score 15, and Sam Bowling added 13. Bowling and Ashton Cerwinske led the team with six rebounds. On the season, Glasgow’s point differential is -1, as they have been in every game they have played so far.
Prediction
Tonight, Glasgow will play its third home game of the season and first since January 8. The team has been on the road for six-straight games. Both teams are very balanced as the Scotties feature four players that average at least 9.2 points per game, led by Poland at 21.6. Barren has four players who are averaging at least 8.1 (not including Nyekan’s 18 PPG through the first four games of the year).
On paper, the teams seem very even. Barren County is averaging just under 60 points per game, while Glasgow is averaging nearly 65. Both teams are averaging around 44% from the field and make nearly five three-pointers per game. The Trojans just edge the Scotties (68-66) when it comes to free throw percentage, as well as in rebounds (25-24). I feel like Glasgow’s frontline of Bowling, Myers, and Cerwinske may be too much for the Trojans to handle. However, the balance of Barren on offense seems too good to pass up. In a game that comes down to the wire, I will take the road team.
Barren County 58, Glasgow 56
Stat to Know – December 29, 2017
This is the date when Barren County last won at Glasgow. It won by eight points that evening, 77-69. It would go on to lose in the district tournament (69-68 3OT) that February to Glasgow, before losing in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 to the Scotties on their home floor.
