Ballard Bruins (9-1) @ Bowling Green Purples (12-1)
February 26, 2021 –7:00pm
By Perry Swack
Two of the state’s best teams collide at Bowling Green High tonight for what should be one of the best games of the regular season across the Commonwealth. Per the latest AP poll, Ballard ranks #4 while BG checks in at #6. The MaxPreps rankings have Bowling Green at #4 and Ballard at #7. And in the KHSAA RPI, Bowling Green is #3 and Ballard #10. How ever you see it, this matchup should be a tantalizing affair.
Last Time Out
Ballard lost to Trinity in double overtime, 102-85
Bowling Green beat Fern Creek, 70-54
Last Meeting – February 21, 2020
Ballard eased past the Purples by a score of 78-60. The Bruins were led by Gabe Sisk, who scored 20 points and hit four three-pointers. Bowling Green was led by Jaxson Banks. The then-junior dropped a game-high 24 points and nailed five three-pointers in the loss. Ballard outrebounded the Purples 33-22.
What to Watch For
Both the Bruins and the Purples are incredibly balanced. Ballard has five different players who average at least 9.6 points per game; Bowling Green has five players that average at least 7.0 points per game. However, the two squads have a 1-2 punch that lead the way. For Ballard it is sophomore Gabe Sisk and junior Maker Bar. Sisk is averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting nearly 50% from the field. Bar is averaging 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds to lead the Bruins. The junior is shooting nearly 60% from the field and leads the team at the free throw line (82%). Chaunte Marrero (10.5), Kennedy Hayden (10.3), and Derrick Tilford (9.6) also know how to score the basketball and provide tertiary scoring for coach Chris Renner’s club.
Bowling Green has its own deadly 1-2 punch in senior Isaiah Mason and junior Turner Buttry. Mason is averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while Buttry averages 17.1 points per contest and is well on his way to an elusive 50-50-90 season. The junior is shooting 57.8% from the field, 52.3% from three-point land, and a state-leading 96.1% from the line. Jaxson Banks and Willie Wilson provide scoring boosts from the wings as Banks averages 8.5 points and Wilson 7.1. Jaxon Flanary and Jordan Dingle average a combined 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds as the duo patrols the paint for coach DG Sherrill and company.
Prediction
Bowling Green has played four teams this season that were ranked highly within the state of Kentucky. Three of those games were on the road. The Purples blew by Somerset (87-55), grinded out a win at John Hardin (73-66), and were beaten by 28 at Elizabethtown (64-36). BG defeated Blazer at home (83-57). This matchup with Ballard will be its fifth game against the state’s best. Ballard was undefeated until it lost in double overtime to Trinity on Tuesday. Marrero led the way for the Bruins with 26 points, while Sisk and Bar combined to score 40 in the loss.
The individual matchups are going to be incredible. At point guard, Buttry and Marrero will be a clash of minds. Marrero regularly pressures the point guard from the moment the ball is passed in, while Buttry has a knack for drawing fouls. Who gains the edge tonight? On the wings, Mason will potentially go toe-to-toe with Sisk. Either player could easily score 25. Banks and Hayden may be tasked with guarding the wing standouts. In the post, Bar will be defended by the duo of Flanary and Dingle. The Bowling Green pair’s ability to keep him off the glass will likely be a major factor in who wins.
Ballard and Bowling Green may very well meet again at Rupp Arena. I do not think it would surprise anyone. I expect tonight to go back-and-forth with each team showing the other why it is one of the state’s best. Bowling Green comes out hot and leads by as many as ten in the first half, but the Bruins charge back to make it tight late. However, the Purples hold serve on their home court and pick up another huge win.
Bowling Green 83, Ballard 78
Stat to Know – 44.3%
Bowling Green is shooting 44.3% from beyond the arc this season. The Purples only shoot about 15 per game; however, when they do, it often goes in. Between Buttry, Banks (46.0%), and Mason (45.2%), BG ranks second in the state in three-point field goal percentage.
