By ST’s Jim Mashek/ Photos by ST’s Marlow Hazard
Forgive Warren Central coach William Unseld for keeping the big picture in mind.
Clinton County threw a legitimate scare into the stronger, more athletic Dragons, but Unseld’s bunch was equal to the task.
Warren Central will play for its third straight berth in the KHSAA state tournament on Tuesday evening, after the Dragons turned back Clinton County 58-47 in the Fourth Region semifinals on Monday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Coach William Unseld
“We’ve got 11 seniors, and they know what it takes.”
On Monday, things looked ominous in the opening moments for the Dragons. Senior forward Dre Boyd turned the ball over in the backcourt and made a sensational play on his way out of bounds to get the ball back. But he let out a scream in obvious pain and left the floor with an injured right ankle. Boyd would return before the end of the first quarter, and then lead the Dragons with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
“I think I was just scared, more than anything,” Boyd said. “We got in the training room and worked it out.”
Unseld said a flu bug has limited the Dragons in practice, and senior forward Antonio Barbee was not dressed out for Monday’s game.
“It was a tough game,” Unseld said. “We didn’t play sharp. Give (Clinton County) a lot of credit. Our schedule prepared us for this kind of game.
“We had some guys come in and play, who hadn’t had a lot of minutes this year.”
Tay Smith was the Dragons’ catalyst in the early going. He hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Geovanni Floyd had nine points and nine rebounds for Warren Central, which has won the Fourth Region Tournament in each of the last two seasons.
Now they’ll try to do it again, this time against crosstown rival Bowling Green High School. The Purples defeated Logan County 64-52 in the first semifinal game Monday.
Blake Melton led the Bulldogs with 11 points, and teammates Nick Brown and Nick Delk added nine and eight, respectively.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Clinton County coach Todd Messer said. “We came out against a very athletic team and found a way to give ourselves a chance. I think we’re just one or two shots from really being able to put the pressure on somebody (in this environment).”
Clinton County finishes its season 24-8.
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