Bowling Green meets Ballard again in state quarterfinals
By Perry Swack
KHSAA Boys’ Basketball State Tournament
Bowling Green Purples vs. Ballard Bruins
Friday, April 2 @ 2:00pm EST
Rupp Arena – Quarterfinals
Opponent – Ballard Bruins
7th Region Champions
Record: 20-2
Last State Appearance: 2017
Defeated Madison Central, 70-61, in the first round of the state tournament
Defeated Manual, 83-55, in the region title game
Defeated Eastern, 68-63, to win the 28th District championship
Key Players
Gabe Sisk, Sophomore #21
18.6 PPG
50% from the field
75% from the free throw line
5.0 RPG
Maker Bar, Junior #31
15.2 PPG
57% from the field
77% from the free throw line
10.7 RPG
Kennedy Hayden, Junior #2
13.2 PPG
53% from the field
42% from the three-point line
Chaunte Marrero, Senior #0
8.2 PPG
50% from the field
77% from the free throw line
DJ Tilford, Junior #3
7.9 PPG
54% from the field
41% from the three-point line
Analysis
The Bruins entered the state tournament as the odds-on favorite to win their fourth state championship. Ballard last took home the crown in 1999. A 70-61 victory in the opening round over Madison Central furthered their favorite tag. Coach Chris Renner’s club has won seven games in a row, including the 28th District and 7th Region titles. The team consistently plays an eight-man rotation led by the dynamic inside-outside combination of Gabe Sisk and Maker Bar. The 6’5 Sisk is the team’s leading scorer and netted 19 points in the state opener against Madison Central. Bar is a 6’10 junior that averages 15 and 10. The big man scored 11 on Wednesday and grabbed 14 rebounds as well. If those two were not enough, Kennedy Hayden has the ability to fill it up on any given night. The 6’3 junior may be the team’s third-leading scorer, but he can put the team on his back in an instant if needed. Hayden scored 26 points on Wednesday and also led the team in scoring against the Purples back on February 26. Not to be overlooked are the backcourt partners of Chaunte Marrero and DJ Tilford. The 5’10 Marrero consistently pressures opponents’ ballhandlers, while the 6’1 Tilford provides trusty outside shooting and rebounds well for a guard.
Ballard came into Bowling Green High School on February 26 and gave the Purples their only home loss of the season, 61-45. Hot three-point shooting paved the way for the Bruins’ victory as the club hit 11 three-pointers – five more than their season average. Tilford drilled three three-pointers, as did Jalen Buford. Sisk and Hayden each knocked down two triples as well. Ballard outrebounded Bowling Green, 30-22, keeping Bowling Green six rebounds below its average of 28 per game. Led by Bar’s 10.7 rebounds per game, Ballard averages right at 31 rebounds per contest. Only so much can be drawn from February’s game as both coaches would tell you; however, if you’re a Purples fan, two things stick out. One is that Isaiah Mason came ready to ball. The senior scored 24 points in the loss on 8-of-10 shooting from inside the arc. Secondly, Coach DG Sherrill’s rotation has filled out more since that meeting. Jordan Dingle and Conner Cooper both missed the game, while Jacobi Huddleston was in only his third game of the season. Adding those three at full strength will only give BG a boost.
Although Elizabethtown and Highlands can also claim status as tournament favorites, the Purples and Bruins are right there with them. The winner of Friday afternoon’s showdown will have a feather in its cap that no other team in the tournament will have yet. On paper, the Bruins are the favorite to eliminate the Purples. A 16-point win in February coupled with the region title in the ever-tough 7th Region give Ballard the edge. However, it is March (well, acutally April now) and anything can happen at the state tournament at Rupp Arena (see Turner Buttry’s three-quarters court swish). The individual matchups within the flow of the teams’ strategy may very well decide the game.
In February, Sherrill started his guys out with Mason guarding Sisk, Buttry on Marrero, Jaxson Banks on Tilford, Trace Flanary on Hayden, and Huddleston on Bar.
Renner and Ballard countered with Sisk on Mason, Marrero on Buttry, Hayden on Banks, Bar on Huddleston, and Tilford on Flanary.
These matchups could obviously change. Bowling Green will likely continue to start Dingle, which would potentially put him on Hayden to begin the game. Another thing to watch will be how each team defends on-ball and off-ball screens. In the February meeting, Ballard nearly exclusively switched on every screen, while Bowling Green sought to fought through the screen and remain with their original man. The Purples had success – especially with Mason – exposing the switches that gave them favorable matchups for Mason to attack. How will this all play out Friday? Only time will tell. It feels like a game where the winner may take home the state title. But you have to win the game in front of you first. In what would be seen as a minor upset (though not to anyone wearing Purple and Gold), I’ll take the Purples in a tight one.
Bowling Green 62, Ballard 60
