When Bowling Green is firing on all cylinders, it is hard to beat.
That’s exactly what the Purples did on Tuesday evening — executing on both sides of the ball and dominating from start to finish in a lopsided 79-56 win over Greenwood at Bowling Green High School.
Bowling Green — now 4-0 on the season and off to a 1-0 start in District 14 play — built a 14-0 lead after the opening quarter and extended it to 35-13 at halftime. Thanks to that comfortable advantage, the Purples were able to cruise through the second half en route to the big victory.
“It’s very important to win all of your district games, but extremely important to win your home games,” Bowling Green coach Derrick Clubb said. “We’re excited to start the district season off with a win at home.”
Kolbe Gray led the way for Bowling Green with 17 points and was one of five players in double figures for the Purples. Connor Cooper finished with 15 points and Isaiah Mason tallied 12.
Jack Roberts paced Greenwood (1-3, 0-1 District 14) with 16 points.
“For me as a senior, I had to come out and set the tone,” Gray said. “We like to start with a stop first and play from there.”
Bowling Green controlled things from the start.
After jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead and triggering a Greenwood timeout at the 5:00 mark, the Purples continued to dominate. Doubling their advantage over the course of five minutes, Bowling Green was already up 14-0 after one.
“I thought we were really good defensively the first quarter and-a-half. We had moments the rest of the game where we were good, but we weren’t consistent,” Clubb said. “We were consistent almost every possession for about a quarter and-a-half.”
Greenwood was able to score 13 points in the second quarter, but the Purples added 21 to their side of the scoreboard to build an even more comfortable cushion.
Leading 17-0 at the 7:19 mark of the period, Bowling Green later made it 33-7 with just over a minute left in the half and took a 35-13 advantage into the locker room at the break.
While Gray was leading the way with 10 points, Cooper had already scored eight and Mason had seven.
The Purples finished the game 14-of-27 from three-point range.
“Most of those tonight, I think, were good shots, and were in flow of the offense” said Clubb. “When these kids push the ball and let the ball find the open man and we play like that, then I think we’re pretty good.”
Bowling Green maintained its same rhythm in the ensuing half.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Trevor Dennis boosted the Purples’ lead to 49-20 at the 3:20 mark of the third quarter — and they were soon up 54-30 entering the fourth.
Bowling Green continued to be too much for the Gators in the final eight minutes and coasted to the win.
“We’re getting a lot more comfortable now,” said Gray. “We have so many pieces that can do so much, so we’ve just gotta trust each other and play off that.”
Greenwood returns to action Friday in a 7:30 p.m. district contest at home against South Warren. Bowling Green will be back on the court Saturday at McCracken County.
