South Warren hosted its own Spartan Classic on Saturday at South Warren High School.
The four-game tournament featured four District 14 teams – Warren East, Greenwood, Bowling Green and South Warren – along with Apollo, Central Hardin, Edmonson County and Region 4 foe Clinton County.
Here’s a roundup from all of Saturday’s boys’ basketball action:
Warren East 76, Apollo 41
Ryan Carter recorded a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Warren East to a 76-41 rout of Apollo in the opening game of the Spartan Classic.
The Raiders (3-2) – which bounced back from Friday night’s heartbreaking 67-65 loss to South Warren – dominated from start to finish and triggered the KHSAA state mandated running clock in the third quarter en route to the lopsided victory.
Warren East will return to action Monday in a 7:30 p.m. road contest at Franklin-Simpson.
Greenwood 73, Clinton County 48
Behind dominant performances out of Isaac Stansbury, Jack Roberts and Ben Carroll, Greenwood rolled to a 73-48 win over Clinton County – which was without leading scorer and WKU commit Jackson Harlan (back spasms) – in the Spartan Classic.
By knocking down 12 three-pointers, the Gators (1-2) – who earned their first win of the season and regrouped from a buzzer-beating loss to Allen County-Scottsville on Thursday – were able to build a comfortable lead and never allow the Bulldogs (4-1) to get into their usual rhythm.
“That was a good win for us,” Greenwood head coach Bob Pels said. “We’ve been really trying to stress the ball movement – and I’m sure we had the most assists than we have all season. That really makes a big difference.”
While Stansbury splashed four threes and finished with 19 points, Roberts scored 15 and Carroll added 14. Noah Stansbury knocked down three triples to tally nine points and round out the Greenwood stat sheet.
“Well, we can all shoot threes – that’s a good thing to have,” Isaac Stansbury said. “We use lots of fakes, we drive it and kick it. When we’re hitting threes like that, we’re a tough team to beat. Hopefully we can keep knocking those down.”
Seth Stockton – last season’s state-leading rebounder – recorded a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead Clinton County.
Greenwood returns to action Tuesday in a District 14 road tilt at Bowling Green. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
“We really needed that one. We haven’t started very easily this year,” Pels said. “We were loading right up with pretty good teams. That first one’s always the hardest one. You’ve gotta get that first one. I’m just really pleased with the way they kept their energy up the whole game.”
Bowling Green 73, Central Hardin 68
It went down to the wire, but Bowling Green was able to hold off a sharp-shooting Central Hardin team for a 73-68 win in the Spartan Classic.
“We gutted it out,” Bowling Green head coach Derrick Clubb said. “I was really proud of ‘em. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. (Central Hardin) is a really good basketball team. They shot the ball really well tonight, but we made a lot of plays.”
Central Hardin knocked down 12 three-pointers and earned a 26-point performance from Deonco Wilkerson, but a team-high 24 points – and four threes – from Trevor Dennis, along with a consistent offensive rhythm helped the Purples come out on top.
“They really weren’t on me as much as I thought they would be, so it just got me a lot of open shots and I just happened to knock them down,” Dennis said.
Bowling Green led 25-23 after the opening quarter before the scoreboard was knotted at 43-all at halftime. Things remained tight throughout the fourth quarter, but the Purples delivered the final punch to hold off the Bruins.
In addition to Dennis’ stellar night, Kolbe Gray finished with 15 points, while Isaiah Mason added 11. Similar to Central Hardin, the Purples were also hot from beyond the arc and made eight triples.
“We have a lot of people who can score the ball, so us moving the ball around and finding the open man always works out best for us,” said Dennis.
Bowling Green – which is now 3-0 on the season – hits the court again Tuesday against Greenwood in a District 14 battle. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Bowling Green High School.
“Greenwood played really well tonight. They’re similar to the team we played tonight,” Clubb said. “They shoot the ball well, pass the ball well, play really hard, got some good size, so Tuesday will be a good test for us. It’s always fun to play district games.”
South Warren 93, Edmonson County 62
Jace Carver scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead South Warren past Edmonson County, 93-62, in the nightcap of the Spartan Classic.
“I was just hitting my shots,” Carver said. “Everything was falling for me. I was feeling good. My teammates just found me whenever I was open.”
The Spartans – who earned their second win under new head coach Blane Embry – controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish and never allowed Edmonson County to string together any momentum. South Warren led 48-26 at halftime, built a comfortable 70-44 advantage after three and coasted through the final period.
While Carver filled the stat sheet, Tyler Martin scored 21 points, Luke Burton tallied 10 and Cam Harrison added eight to help the Spartans move to .500 at 2-2.
“That helps out a lot,” Carver said of the Spartans’ balanced scoring. “We practice hard every day. We listen to what coach tells us to do and go out and get it done.”
Chaz Wilson paced Edmonson County (2-4) with 14 points, and Decker added 12.
South Warren returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Todd County Central at 7:30 p.m. Edmonson County will travel to Barren County on Monday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“I was just want to see us keep growing every day, keep pushing in practice and do everything we’re told to do – and we’ll be fine,” said Carver.
