Warren Central improves to 15-6, 8-2 in District 14
By Jim Mashek
Bowling Green High School was on top of its game in the first half of Friday night’s KHSAA District 14 showdown against homestanding Warren Central.
The Purples led 33-24 and were sharper than Warren Central on both ends of the floor. But then something happened.
Something that carried the Dragons to an impressive 61-55 victory over the Purples, evening the season’s series at one game apiece.
WCHS coach Will Unseld pulled star forward Dre Boyd aside as the Dragons were going over their strategy for the second half.
The Purples returned to the court midway through halftime but Unseld held his team in the locker room until the last minute or so. He had a message for the Dragons in general, and Boyd in particular.
“We kind of challenged Dre at halftime,” Unseld said. “To me, he’s the best basketball player in the region.”
In the third quarter, Boyd outscored the Purples 20-15 by himself. He scored 20 of the Dragons’ 23 points in the third quarter, and in the final eight minutes, WCHS guard Tay Smith scored on a steal and a dunk that put the Dragons in front for the first time, 49-48, with 5:38 left.
“Tay was huge, with the steal and the dunk,” Unseld said with a smile. “It really took us to another level.”
Boyd, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior, said the Purples’ 79-52 victory over WCHS earlier this season served as a motivational factor beforehand.
“I just knew my team needed me,” Boyd said. “This was a big game for us. We played with a lot of intensity, especially in the second half. We didn’t play real well the first time (against BGHS). As soon as I started scoring, in the third quarter, my team got behind me. They started doing other things to help us get the lead.”
Warren Central improved to 15-6 on the season and 8-2 in Region 14 play, while the Purples fell to 18-4 and 8-2 respectively.
Bowling Green’s Turner Buttry had the hot hand for the Purples for the first half and led his team with 17 points. Isaiah Mason had 11 points for BGHS and teammate Conner Cooper finished with 10.
Boyd and his Dragons teammates sensed their opportunity early in the third quarter, Jessie Wright, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior, took the initiative on the defensive boards. Smith finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Wright added seven rebounds and some critical defense down the stretch.
“In the second half, we rebounded. We took it to the basket,” Unseld said.
Unseld, the nephew of former Louisville star Wes Unseld, likes to emphasize defense and rebounding. That’s what Wes Unseld gave the Washington Bullets when they won the only NBA championship in team history in 1978. Will Unseld assumed a similar role during his college days at South Carolina.
“We used nine, 10 guys early in the game,” Unseld said. “Tried to use our depth. We wanted to kind of take some pieces away (from Bowling Green) in the second half. Dre, Jessie, Tay, all of our kids, they did a great job.
“Dre’s a matchup problem for a lot of teams, with his strength near the basket.”
Wright was sidelined for about a month with an ankle injury, and his return made a noticeable difference against the Purples.
“I didn’t play in the first game against Bowling Green,” Wright said. “I really thought our intensity would be better tonight. I just tried to help my team in any way I could.”
Unseld told the Dragons to put the lopsided loss to Bowling Green earlier this season behind them, and they responded.
“We didn’t want to make any excuses,” Unseld said. “They kicked our tails … I liked what I saw out there tonight. I think our best basketball is in front of us.”
BOWLING GREEN GIRLS 58, WARREN CENTRAL 22 — The Lady Purples took control in the first quarter, outscoring WCHS 16-4 in the opening eight minutes.
Bowling Green never looked back, and used a balanced scoring attack to continue to building its lead the rest of the way.
