The 2017-18 high school basketball regular season has concluded, but hoops season is just getting started, as the District 14 Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Tournaments are set to take place from Monday to Friday at Greenwood High School.
As all five area teams enter with hopes of taking home the trophy, only one club from each bracket will be able to say they’re District 14 champions.
Here’s a rundown of the tournaments, which will make for an exciting week of postseason basketball action:
District 14 Girls’ Tournament Seeding: 
1) South Warren
2) Bowling Green
3) Warren East
4) Greenwood
5) Warren Central
District 14 Boys’ Tournament Seeding: 
1) Bowling Green
2) Warren Central
3) Warren East
4) Greenwood
5) South Warren
District 14 Girls’ Tournament Schedule:
- Mon., Feb. 19 — No. 4 Greenwood (11-17, 2-6) vs. No. 5 Warren Central (3-27, 0-8) — 6 p.m.
Greenwood swept the regular season series against Warren Central, winning 52-39 and 54-47, respectively. The Lady Gators enter Monday’s tournament opener following a 55-27 loss to Edmonson County, while the Lady Dragons have lost seven straight.
Greenwood is led by the duo of Jacqueline Jackson (16.5) and Riley Hartis (12.4), who combine to score 28.9 points per game. Saniyah Shelton carries Warren Central with 14.6 points per game.
For the winner of the meeting, it doesn’t get any easier, as it’ll have to face top-seeded South Warren the following day in the semifinals.
Tyler’s Pick: Greenwood 56, Warren Central 44
- Tues., Feb. 20 — No. 1 South Warren (27-3, 8-0) vs. No. 4 Greenwood/No. 5 Warren Central — 8 p.m.
South Warren is, undoubtedly, the hottest team entering the District 14 Tournament. The Spartans have won nine straight games and will meet the winner of Greenwood and Warren Central in the semifinals. South Warren concluded its regular season with a 74-44 win at Hopkinsville on Feb. 15.
The Spartans swept both the Lady Gators and Lady Dragons in the regular-season, winning those four contests by an average of 39.5 points. Amaya Lasley, a finalist for the prestigious 2018 Kentucky Miss Basketball award, leads South Warren with 17.0 points per game, while Natalie Pierce scores 12.9.
Tyler’s Pick: South Warren 76, Greenwood 43
- Wed., Feb. 21 — No. 2 Bowling Green (16-11, 7-2) vs. No. 3 Warren East (18-12, 4-5) — 6 p.m.
When Bowling Green and Warren East meet Wednesday, it’s bound to make for the best game of the tournament – besides the championship, that is. The Lady Purples and Lady Raiders met three times in the regular season, as they also played in the South Central Bank Classic at Allen County-Scottsville on Dec. 30 alongside their two District 14 matchups.
The two sides went at it in district play, as Bowling Green had to fight for tight wins of 49-41 and 56-52, respectively. Warren East put together its best regular season in 10 years, and it’ll be looking to win its first District 14 Tournament game since Feb. 27, 2008. If they’re able to upset BG, the Lady Raiders will play in their first District 14 championship since 2007.
Keely Morrow leads Bowling Green with 23.2 points per game, while Warren East is led by Cressida Duncan’s 13.2 points per outing.
Tyler’s Pick: Bowling Green 58, Warren East 55
- Thurs., Feb. 22 — Championship — 6:30 p.m.
As it’ll likely be No. 1 South Warren vs. No. 2 Bowling Green in the title match – as I have it, at least – it’ll mark the fifth straight season the Spartans and Lady Purples have met in the District 14 championship. South Warren swept the regular season series, winning 63-58 and 69-30, respectively.
Of the previous four district championship meetings between the two sides, they have each won two. Who will win Round 5?
Tyler’s Pick: South Warren 70, Bowling Green 59 — Both go to Region 4 Tournament at WKU
District 14 Boys’ Tournament Schedule:
- Mon., Feb. 19 — No. 4 Greenwood (16-14, 2-6) vs. No. 5 South Warren (14-13, 1-7) — 7:30 p.m.
Each of the two regular season meetings between Greenwood and South Warren went down to the wire. The Spartans won the first matchup, 61-60, on Dec. 15 before the Gators earned a 69-60 win on Feb. 2. Greenwood enters Monday’s tournament opener following a 68-53 win over Edmonson County, while South Warren has won its last two games.
The Gators are led by the trio of Jack Roberts, Luke Littrell and Ben Carroll, who average 17.5, 15.6 and 15.0 points per game, respectively. Tyler Martin leads the Spartans with 20.1 points per game.
The winner will advance to the semifinal round, where it’ll face top-seeded Bowling Green the following day.
Tyler’s Pick: Greenwood 65, South Warren 58
- Tues., Feb. 20 — No. 1 Bowling Green (19-10, 7-1) vs. No. 4 Greenwood/No. 5 South Warren — 7:30 p.m.
Bowling Green enters the District 14 Tournament looking to make another run though the postseason just like it did a year ago, and the Purples should be able to earn a win on Tuesday. BG swept both Greenwood and South Warren in the regular season and suffered a tough loss to Christian County in its last time out, so it’ll be fired up and ready to go to work.
Jarius Key leads the Purples with 18.6 points per game, while Ziyon Kenner is averaging 10.7. Bowling Green hasn’t lost an opening game in the District 14 Tournament since 2013.
Tyler’s Pick: Bowling Green 76, Greenwood 64
- Wed., Feb. 21 — No. 2 Warren Central (25-4, 7-1) vs. No. 3 Warren East (16-12, 3-5) — 7:30 p.m.
Warren Central is the hottest team entering the District 14 Tournament. The Dragons have won 17 out of their last 19 games and will meet Warren East in the semifinals. Warren Central concluded its regular season with a tough 59-57 loss at LaRue County, which enters the District 18 Tournament with just two losses, on Feb. 16.
The Dragons swept the Raiders in the regular season, winning each of the two contests by an average of 18.5 points. Skyelar Potter, a finalist for the prestigious 2018 Kentucky Mr. Basketball award, leads Warren Central with 24.3 points per game, while Jordan Cousin scores 14.3.
Tashawn Neal carries Warren East — which enters Wednesday’s game following a 57-46 loss to Monroe County — with 16.6 points per contest, while Brevon Whitney and Treonte Patterson each add 12.0 per outing.
Tyler’s Pick: Warren Central 85, Warren East 68
- Fri., Feb. 23 — Championship — 6:30 p.m.
Nearly year in and year out, Warren Central and Bowling Green play for the District 14 title. And, if the two sides do in fact meet again on Friday evening, it’ll mark the eighth time in the last 10 seasons that the Dragons and Purples have met in the District 14 Tournament championship.
BG and Central have collided 13 total times in the District 14 finals dating back to 1983, and the Purples lead the series 8-5 and have won the last four over the Dragons.
The two sides split their 2017-18 regular-season series, as Warren Central won 66-56 on Jan. 12 and Bowling Green recorded a 66-57 victory on Jan. 26.
Tyler’s Pick: Warren Central 68, Bowling Green 62 — Both go to Region 4 Tournament at WKU
For complete coverage of the District 14 Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Tournaments, be sure to follow @SportingTimes and 
@TMansfieldST on Twitter and watch selected games LIVE for FREE on STBNTV.com, a part of The Sporting Times Broadcast Network.
–Senior writer Tyler Mansfield can be reached at mansfield.sportingtimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TMansfieldST.–
