After putting together an unbelievable comeback to upset South Warren 59-51 in last Saturday’s Region 4 championship, Bowling Green’s Cinderella run continues on Wednesday as it’ll meet Elizabethtown in the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament at 12:30 p.m. CST at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena.
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The Lady Purples (20-12) trailed the Spartans 50-37 with 5:32 remaining in the game but suddenly inherited all of the momentum and closed the game on a 22-1 run to win their first region title since 2016 and earn another trip to the state tournament.
What BG has accomplished this season has been pretty impressive considering the program’s roster is full of young players and contains just one senior in Lipscomb commit Keely Morrow.
“I don’t know if there are words to describe the joy and excitement I have for this team and what they have accomplished this season,” Bowling Green coach Calvin Head said. “With only one senior and a roster full of inexperienced varsity players, no one would have predicted that we would be fourth region champions and playing in the state tournament.
“This is huge for our program, community and school.”
Bowling Green’s hands are now full, as it’ll face a tough Elizabethtown team – the fifth-ranked team in the state – right off the bat.
The Panthers, who are 33-2 overall and sport an eight-game winning streak, booked their trip to this week’s Sweet Sixteen after rolling to a 58-28 victory over Bardstown in the Region 5 championship. One of the Panthers’ 33 wins came against South Warren – a 70-43 decision – back on Jan. 22.
“We have a ton of respect for E’Town,” Head said. “They are very well coached and are a veteran team who has had a ton of success this season. They are very good defensively and they have a balanced offensive attack. They are a top-five team in the state. We know it’s going to be a tough going, but that’s the entire field of 16.
“We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to competing.”
Elizabethtown is led by sophomore guard Whitney Hay, who leads the way with 19.5 points per game. Defensively, the Panthers hold their opponents to just 39.7 points each outing and have only allowed more than 60 points four times this season.
As Bowling Green knows that Wednesday’s meeting with E’Town will be extremely tough, it’ll be proud of its 2017-18 campaign – its first under coach Head – regardless of the outcome.
“It has truly been a blessing to be able to coach these young ladies,” said Head. “They have accepted every challenge handed down to them. This group is because they play for each other, and you don’t see that much anymore. No one cares who gets the credit – they are all about winning.
“This group just continues to find a way and we hope to continue that trend at NKU.”
–Senior writer Tyler Mansfield can be reached at mansfield.sportingtimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TMansfieldST.–
