By ST’s Jim Mashek / Photos by Marlow Hazard
When they introduce the starting five, five seniors.
When Warren Central coach William Unseld looks down his bench, there
are seniors aplenty.
On the court. In the locker room. They’re everywhere. The Warren
Central seniors who are taking the Dragons to the state tournament for
the third consecutive season.
Warren Central used a solid defensive game plan and Kobe Brent’s
dramatic outside shooting to knock off Bowling Green High School 53-42
in the KHSAA Fourth Region Tournament championship game on Tuesday
night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Dragons will now face Madisonville-North Hopkins in the tournament
next week at Lexington’s Rupp Arena.
“Your seniors win your big games,” Unseld said. “Kobe Brents hit some
big shots for us. Tay Smith had a great game, like he usually does.
Dre (Boyd)? Dre was smart enough to get the other guys the ball.”
The Dragons dressed 11 seniors for Tuesday night’s title game, and one
key reserve, forward Antonio Barbee, couldn’t play because of the flu.
Bowling Green, on the other hand, has but one senior, sixth man Dorian
Morrison. Morrison had 23 points in the Purples’ 64-52 victory over
Logan County in the semifinals on Monday.
WCHS swingman Jessie Wright said the Dragons’ versatility is in part
due to Boyd’s ability to play either in the paint or on the perimeter,
and the confidence they have in him to adapt to the situation.
“If Dre isn’t hitting his shots,” Wright said, “he goes on a mission
to rebound. Play defense. Other ways to win. We were really composed
tonight. Our experience does help us there.”
Tay Smith, the Warren Central guard with the smooth outside touch, had
a feeling his team would say plenty of Bowling Green over the
2019-2020 season. They played four times with each squad winning
twice. The Purples claimed the District 14 championship on February 28
at South Warren, defeating the Dragons 58-51.
Unseld mentioned that night that bigger goals were on the horizon.
Goals again within the Dragons’ reach.
“We’ve been preparing for this game, since Day One of practice,” Tay
Smith said. “(Bowling Green has) some size on us. We know what we have
to do when we play them. Now we’re ready to keep playing.”
