Warren East played tough early, but Bowling Green proved to be too much for the young, inexperienced Raiders on Friday night at Warren East High School.
Once leading by just two at the midway point of the opening quarter, the Purples then put their feet on the gas and used a dominant offensive outing to cruise to a 81-57 win — Bowling Green’s 47th straight over the Raiders.
“I thought we did a good job,” Bowling Green coach Derrick Clubb said. “They’re a tough team to guard. They have a lot of really athletic perimeter players. I thought our guys did a good job for the most part. Offensively, I think we’re starting to get a little bit of a rhythm, and I thought that was the difference tonight.”
Jarius Key scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Bowling Green, which improved to 12-7 overall and 4-1 in District 14 play. Brevon Whitney carried East (10-7, 1-2) with a game-high 27 points.
The two sides came out of the gate and quickly put their offenses to work.
As Key already had six points, Bowling Green had a 9-7 lead at the 4:23 mark of the first quarter. Leading by just two, the Purples went on a 12-4 run — powered by back-to-back three pointers from Isaiah Mason and Trevor Dennis — to lead by double digits at 21-11 after one.
“They were staying in it at the beginning of the game, but we just stayed aggressive and were the more aggressive team,” Key said. “I just tried to stay aggressive and play hard. We had that loss against (Warren) Central, but we’re 4-1 and just trying to get better each day.”
The Raiders powered back to cut BG’s advantage to 23-18 at the 4:51 mark of the second, but just before Bowling Green used a 16-4 run to build a 39-22 lead at halftime. The Purples outscored East 18-11 in the quarter and Key was already up to 14 points at the break.
“He can really score around the basket,” Clubb said of Key. “He hit some jumpshots tonight, and he’s capable of that. He keeps improving his decision making. I think that’s the key for him. He’s gotta continue to make good decisions with the ball in his hands because he’s got it in all kinds of places. He’s gotta make good decisions no matter where he is with the basketball.”
Bowling Green took control in the second half.
The Purples’ lead quickly grew to 23 early into the third quarter, as Key scored inside and Ziyon Kenner converted an and-one. A breakaway dunk by Davion Dice later pushed Bowling Green’s advantage to 53-26.
Taking a 60-37 lead into the fourth, Bowling Green cruised through the final quarter and picked up its fourth win in district play.
“Any time you can get a district win in the 14th, it’s a hard fought victory,” said Clubb. “Like I said, they’re a really good basketball team. Brandon (Combs) does a great job and they’ll be right back.”
Senior writer Tyler Mansfield can be reached at mansfield.sportingtimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @_TylerMansfield.
