By Jim Mashek – Sporting Times Reporter
Calvin Head thought about the question and paused.
The Bowling Green High School girls basketball coach was proud of his team. He’s fond of his players. But senior BGHS guard Kiyah Gray holds a special place in his heart.
The 4-foot-11, 105-pound dynamo sparked the Lady Purples to a methodical 47-35 victory over Russell County in the KHSAA 4th Region quarterfinals on Thursday night. And one of her teammates in the backcourt, junior BGHS guard Emma Huskey, returned from a shoulder injury to play for the first time in more than three weeks.
Bowling Green improved to 16-10 on the season and will advance to play in the 4th Region semifinals at E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday evening. Crosstown rival Greenwood, the 14th District runner-up, also advanced to the semifinals with a 59-58 overtime victory over Metcalfe County on Wednesday night.
Gray missed the 2019-20 season with a torn ACL, when the Lady Purples won the 4th Region championship with a tense 58-48 victory over Barren County at Diddle Arena.
On Thursday night, Gray led Bowling Green with 13 points against Russell County, lifting the Lady Purples to their eighth consecutive victory.
“I get choked up when y’all ask me about Kiyah,” Head said when it was over. “I’ve talked to her about the journey, coming back from the ACL, She’s really got the heart of a champion.”
Head was also pleased with the all-around performance from Huskey, one of the Lady Purples’ more seasoned players and a threat from the 3-point line.
Under the basket, BGHS sophomore Meadow Tisdale and teammate LynKaylah James dominated defensively, forcing the Lady Lakers to take the majority of their shots from the perimeter.
“Our will to win, on the defensive end, was really good tonight,” Head said. “LynKaylah and Meadow continue to rebound. They continue to communicate. They’re really the anchors of our defense.”
Tisdale scored 9 points and had several blocked shots while James and Tanaya Bailey each finished with 8 points.
“Defensively, generally speaking, we stay engaged,” Head said. “(Russell County teammates) Juliah Bault and Star Marcum can flat-out play . We just kept battling and tried to wear them down the best we could.”
The Lady Purples kept Russell County at arm’s length in the second half until Bailey’s fast-break basket late in the game accounted for the final margin. Marcum led Russell County with 9 points while Bault and Sophie Shearer each finished with 8.
“Defensively, we’ve improved quite a bit over the season,” Huskey said. “I was really glBowlad to get out there again.”
Russell County coach Brett Blankenship was pleased with his team’s grit.
“We had a charge call that I didn’t agree with, late in the first half,” Blankenship said. “I think that hurt us going into the break. Juliah, Star and the other girls did everything they could do … We came out and played hard. Really battled.
“Bowling Green was bigger than us, they were quicker than us, and they had more depth than us. But our girls were playing hard to the very end.”
Russell County finishes its season with a 15-13 record.
