14th District Boys Basketball Tournament Preview
February 21-24 – Greenwood High School
2022 Champion – Warren Central
Warren Central won its first 14th District championship since 2013 as the Dragons cruised to a 68-42 victory over Bowling Green. Jaiden Lawrence canned five three-pointers, missing only one attempt, en route to 23 points and nine rebounds in the sizable win. Turner Buttry led the Purples with 15 points.
Last Five Championship Games
2022 – Warren Central over Bowling Green
2021 – Bowling Green over Greenwood
2020 – Bowling Green over Warren Central
2019 – Bowling Green over Warren Central
2018 – Bowling Green over Warren Central
Schedule
February 21 @ 6:00pm – #1 Warren Central vs. #4 Greenwood
February 21 @ 7:30pm – #2 Bowling Green vs. #3 South Warren
February 24 @ 6:00pm – Championship Game
#1 – Warren Central (27-1)
How They Can Win
A well-oiled machine with its entire rotation logging regular varsity minutes for two seasons now, the Dragons of Warren Central are poised for a deep run that ends in late March in Lexington. However, all journeys begin with a single step. Coach Will Unseld will be preaching for his club to do the little things that propelled Central to its #1 ranking in the state. The Dragons are ranked first in scoring margin, winning games by an average of 23.2 points per game. They are also among the state leaders in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and rebounds per game. If the Dragons play their game, they will repeat as district champions for the first time since 2007.
#2 – Bowling Green (23-7)
How They Can Win
Ranked #10 in the KHSAA RPI and in the top ten in most statewide polls across the season, the Purples are not short on talent. Should Bowling Green get by South Warren in the district semifinals, it will be hoping that the third time’s the charm in regard to beating Warren Central. The key to victory will seemingly be in the pace of play. In both matchups, the Purples were able to successfully keep the Dragons from dominating in transition – something WC is known to use to its advantage against most opponents. If Coach D.G. Sherrill’s club can slow down Central and make it a half-court game, its chances will increase exponentially. Furthermore, the Purples will need to rebound better against WC after being outrebounded 35-21 and 44-26 in the two regular season meetings.
#3 – South Warren (21-7)
How They Can Win
Arguably one of the best teams in school history, coach Carlos Quarles’ club has positioned itself as one of the premier teams in the 4th Region this season. Unfortunately, the Spartans have two of the top teams in the state within their district. South has played Bowling Green tight in each of their two meetings, nearly knocking off the Purples at home in early January before falling 55-50. SW closed the regular season on a seven-game winning streak and will hope this momentum carries into the postseason. A balanced roster with six players averaging six or more points per game, the Spartans are led by senior Brandon Rowe. The guard leads the club in points (14.4) and rebounds (5.6) per game.
#4 – Greenwood (9-21)
How They Can Win
Since late January, the Gators have been in every game they’ve played in, losing four straight by three points or less. Replacing nearly its entire rotation from last year’s roster, coach Will McCoy’s squad has experienced quite a bit of growing pains in 2022-23. For Greenwood to pull upsets on Warren Central and Bowling Green it will need to play nearly a perfect game…twice. In the Gators’ most recent game with the Purples in late January, they got to the line 20 times in a 65-52 loss. GHS will need to get to the line often, outrebound its opponent, and get hot from three with the likes of Chaze Huff, Luke Stansbury, and Nick Simpson. The trio have hit a combined 155 three-pointers on the season.
Prediction
In 2022, the 14th District housed three teams ranked within the state’s top ten. In 2023, two teams will be ranked there again. The Dragons fell one-point short of a state title last season and are hungry to avenge last season’s heartbreak. For WC, it all begins at Greenwood High School in the last full week of February. A win over Greenwood will qualify them for next week’s 4th Region Tournament.
Bowling Green won eight-straight 14th District championships from 2013 to 2021 and knows it is talented enough to win a ninth in ten seasons this year. The Purples took the Dragons to overtime in their final regular season meeting, adding extra intrigue for a likely third meeting at Greenwood in the district finale. South Warren believes it can play spoiler though and clinch its first trip to Diddle Arena in school history.
Storylines certainly abound; however, I think when the games are over, the White and Navy will be holding the trophy. Their consistency on both ends of the court will give Warren Central its first back-to-back district titles in the Will Unseld Era.
Champion – Warren Central
