By Jim MashekSporting Times
It’s been 13 months, give or take, since the Bowling Green boys basketball squad has squared off with arch-rival Warren Central.
A lot has happened since then, when the Dragons knocked off Bowling Green in the 4th Region championship game at E.A. Diddle Arena.
For starters, William Unseld’s WCHS squad didn’t get to play in the KHSAA Sweet 16 Tournament, the 2019-20 season coming to a sudden halt because of the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Across town, veteran BGHS coach D.G. Sherrill was returning to his old stomping grounds, and the Purples were ready to build on their 26-8 record last season.
Were they ever.
It’s just been a bumpy ride for almost everyone because of the COVID-19 protocol. But Warren Central (4-1) will play host to No.1-ranked Bowling Green (6-0) in the nightcap of a boys/girls doubleheader on the Dragons’ home court on Friday.
Tip-off for the girls game is at 6.
“Everybody that’s playing high school basketball,” Sherrill said, “from here to California and back, right now, the biggest opponent is the pandemic.
“You can be scrapped an hour before tip-off. We’ve had three (COVID-19) shutdowns within our own program. It’s a balancing act.”
Bowling Green lost six consecutive playing dates to the COVID-19 protocol, and the Purples have yet to be challenged this season. Sherrill has a deep bench and plenty of experience in the backcourt as well as underneath the basket. “We know they’re the No. 1 team in the state,” Warren Central guard Izayiah Villafuerte said. “We want to lock down, defensively, and play physical basketball.
“The seniors from last year’s team showed us the way. We can’t let our pride get the best of us.”
Bowling Green has rolled three opponents — Ashland Blazer, University Heights and Christian County — in the last five days. Friday’s game will be just the Dragons’ third outing in as many weeks, and Unseld admits his team is ready to mix it up with someone besides themselves.
“It’s been too much practice time, honestly,” Unseld said. “We need to play games.”
Chappelle Whitney and South Warren transfer Jace Carver lead the Dragons in scoring, with both averaging over 12 points per game.
“We’re young, playing a lot of sophomores,” Unseld said. “But I like that we’ve got a lot of length, a lot of versatility.”
Northern Kentucky signee Isaiah Mason has been a difficult matchup for the Purples’ opponents. He averages 17.6 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game, and usually in little more than a half’s playing time.
Junior point guard Turner Buttry leads Bowling Green with 18.1 points per game, and the return of Jordan Dingle, a football signee with the University of Kentucky, has bolstered the Purples’ inside game.
Dingle didn’t play basketball last year as a junior because of injury.
The Purples have such a deep bench that Sherrill often shuffles his rotation in mid-game, a nice problem to have.
“I think it’s important in our program that everybody is going to get their turn,” Sherrill said. “These kids have done a great job. They’re investing in themselves, and they’ve invested in the program.
“They want to play for each other.”
Mason admits this game takes on an added significance because there’s a good chance it’ll be the only regular-season matchup between Bowling Green and Warren Central this season.
“This game is a very personal game to me,” Mason said. “They’ve ended our season each of the last three years. It’s always going to be a big game.
“We could be playing at Kereiakis (Park) and it would be a big game.”
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