By ST’s Jim Mashek / Photos by ST’s Marlow Hazard
The basketball was thrown into the heavens.
There was a pirouette. Or two. Lots of hugs. Plenty of jumping up and down, seemingly in unison. And it made perfect sense.
The Bowling Green High School girls basketball team has the look of a winner. The Lady Purples’ date with destiny arrived Saturday night, as Bowling Green methodically dismantled Barren County, winning 58-48 in the KHSAA Fourth Region championship game at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Lady Purples are going places. Lexington’s Rupp Arena, in fact. Bowling Green (28-6) is off to the Sweet Sixteen, and Coach Calvin Head’s Lady Purples will face the Russell Red Devils, from the 16th Region, in first-round play at 5:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday.
Head said the team would likely leave for Lexington on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.
“I think we can get up there and win some games,” BGHS sophomore center Lynkaylah James said when it was over. “Our team knows what it’s capable of doing.”
That was really all Head and the Lady Purples did in defeating Barren County, which denied BGHS a shot at the state tournament in the Fourth Region title game last season.
“That game was on our girls’ minds,” Head said. “Definitely.”
The Lady Purples used another brilliant all-around performance from freshman forward Meadow Tisdale, and her sidekick, Saniyah Shelton, a slender ninth grader with a quick first step and an eye seemingly always working toward the basket.
“Saniyah is special. A really special player,” Head said. “She’s been really locked in since the (14th) District Tournament. Meadow, she’s something. She protects the basket. She has really picked it up in the postseason.”
The Lady Purples seem to be a different team when Tisdale is on the floor.
Tisdale picked up her third personal foul moments into the second half, and the Trojanettes managed to cut the deficit to six points.
As soon as Tisdale got back on the court, the Lady Purples’ energy level seemed to reflect her presence.
“I knew my team needed me,” Tisdale said with a smile. “I had to be careful, about getting that fourth (foul), but I thought I could do it. Mentally, I was still in the game.”
Tisdale drew two and sometimes three defenders on most every BGHS possession in the second half, and she was equal to the task. Tisdale finished with a game-high 17 points and added eight rebounds and two steals.
Head used Shelton to guard Barren County’s leading scorer, Elizabeth Bertram. Bertram, who was sensational in wins over Warren East and Logan County, managed just six points in this game on 2-for-8 shooting.
Mary Lockhart led Barren County with 12 points while teammates Karleigh Delk and Raven Ennis each finished with 10.
“I didn’t have a good offensive game (against Russell in semifinal play Friday),” Shelton said. “I was going to be ready for this one.”
Shelton hit 7 of 10 shots, including her only 3-pointer, and finished with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
“The loss to those guys (Barren County) last year really motivated us,” Tisdale said.
BGHS senior guard Keyozden Jones had another solid game. She scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds, but Lynkaylah James’ game off the bench may have been more impressive.
James hit her only two 3-pointers and had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Lady Purples.
“I know they probably weren’t expecting me to shoot that far out,” James said. “The top of the key, that’s my spot.”
And now the Lady Purples have their spot in state tournament.
Next stop, Rupp Arena.
