Warren Central may have not won, but it’s still happy with how it presented itself.
The Dragons, which hosted Region 5 foe LaRue County on Friday in their final regular-season game, battled from start to finish, fought back from multiple deficits and made numerous big plays but ultimately fell short, 54-52, at Warren Central High School.
“We played at LaRue County last year and Jordan Cousin misses a shot that would’ve won the basketball game,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “Same thing … but it got us ready for the (district) tournament. I’m excited about how we competed and how we fought. We executed late, which is something we haven’t been doing all year.
“I’m tickled and excited about where we are right now.”
WCHS – now 16-10 on the 2018-19 campaign – trailed 10-7 after the opening quarter and 24-22 at halftime. The Dragons outscored LaRue County 18-11 in the third quarter to lead 40-35 entering the fourth, but the Hawks made clutch plays down the stretch to come out on top.
Kobe Brents knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 24 points for the Dragons, while Kamden Lawrence added nine.
“This was a tough game,” Brents said. “We fought. It didn’t go how we wanted it to, but we still fought our hearts out.”
Mark Goode finished with 21 points to lead LaRue County (23-4).
Warren Central wasn’t sharp out of the gate.
LaRue County led 8-7 at the 2:20 mark of the first quarter before Dailliss Cox scored on a basket inside to give the Hawks a slim 10-7 advantage after eight minutes of action.
The Dragons improved on the offensive end in the ensuing frame, scoring 15 points compared to their seven in the opening period to get within 24-22 at the break. Warren Central trailed 22-19 with just under a minute remaining in the half, but Brents beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to make it a two-point contest.
Brents was already up to 11 points at the break, while Mark Goode had scored 12 for LaRue County.
Brents continued to light it up in the second half.
With the scoreboard knotted at 30-all midway through the third quarter, Dre Boyd finished an alley-oop with a slam dunk and Brents splashed his fifth 3 to give Warren Central a 35-30 lead. Lawrence’s triple from the right corner put the Dragons up 40-35 at the 1:43 mark – and they took that lead into the final quarter.
Another triple from Lawrence – this one from the opposite corner – made it 43-37 in Warren Central’s favor, but LaRue County answered with five straight points to quickly cut the Dragons’ advantage to 43-42 with just over five minutes remaining.
Brents’ bucket in the paint put Central up 47-44 – but just before Noah Davis hit a 3 to tie it for the Hawks and Goode’s layup with 2:20 left gave LaRue County a 49-47 lead.
A pair of Brents free throws tied it at 49-all, but Jerimiah Belton answered with a pair for the Hawks to put them back in front 51-49 with less than 30 seconds left.
Brents’ big triple with 7.1 seconds left brought Central within 53-52. Then, with the Dragons trailing 54-52 with possession, Boyd’s layup at the buzzer fell short and WCHS dropped a close one.
Warren Central now turns its attention to the postseason as it’ll take on Greenwood at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals of the District 14 Tournament at Warren East.
“Five days to get ready for it. We’re gonna work,” Unseld said. “I’m excited about what we can do. Just have to have good days of practice and see what happens that first game.”
“We’ve just gotta practice and get ready for ‘em,” Brents said. “We’ve got to come out and just play. Keep our heads up and keep pushing.”
LaRue County – 10 14 11 19 — 54
Warren Central – 7 15 18 12 — 52
LCHS – Mark Goode 21, Dailliss Cox 10, Noah Davis 9, Anthony Adkins 8, Jerimiah Belton 4, Warner Bryan 2.
WCHS – Kobe Brents 24, Kamden Lawrence 9, Tayshaun Bibb 5, Kris Horn 4, Dre Boyd 4, Jamale Barber 3, Tre Pillow 2, Jessie Wright 1.
