Another championship trophy has been added to South Warren High School’s display case.
The school’s girls’ basketball team, which was the top seed in this week’s District 14 Tournament at Greenwood High School, captured its third consecutive district championship — and won its 11th straight game overall — on Thursday with a 68-62 win over Bowling Green.
After beating Bowling Green 69-30 in the two sides’ final regular-season meeting back on Jan. 30, the Spartans (29-3 overall) had to battle for Thursday’s win as the Lady Purples tested them from start to finish.
“It was a great game. That’s what high school basketball is all about,” South Warren coach Blane Embry said. “I told the girls that they could forget about the 40-point blowout at our place because we knew it was gonna be a dog fight. I was pleased with the way we hung in there.”
South Warren only led 21-16 after the first quarter and 33-30 at halftime before clinging to a 47-42 lead entering the fourth. It was in the final period that the Spartans were able to take control as Natalie Pierce caught fire.
The junior sharpshooting guard made five three-pointers – two of which came in the fourth – and finished with 20 points to help carry South Warren. Alongisde her, senior guard Amaya Lasley scored 22 points and Sarah Dennison added 13.
“Once we started getting going I felt confident and was enjoying myself,” Pierce said. “My shot was on.”
With another District 14 championship under their belt, the Spartans now turn their attention to next week’s Region 4 Tournament, which begins Monday evening at Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena. They’ll find out who their first-round opponent is on Saturday morning, as will Bowling Green.
The two sides went at it in the opening half.
“It was a really good game,” Lasley said. “We both get to go to region, so it’s good. They’ll played really well and we played really well, too.”
After South Warren started hot and jumped out to a 7-0 lead, Bowling Green responded with scores on back-to-back possessions to quickly cut its deficit to three at the 4:45 mark of the first quarter.
The Spartans led 21-16 at the end of the first, but the Lady Purples fought back in the second.
Keely Morrow knocked down a three-pointer – and Taylor Ragland scored on a floater – to cut Bowling Green’s deficit to just 24-23 at the 5:43 mark. A bucket by Morrow soon after her triple gave the Lady Purples their first lead at 26-24.
“I just loved the fight in my girls,” Bowling Green coach Calvin Head said. “There were a couple times where we could’ve just tucked our tails and ran, but they kept fighting and kept fighting. I love that about ‘em.”
Pierce’s three evened the scoreboard at 29-all with 2:46 left in the first half, and the Spartans would take a 33-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. Lasley was up to 12 points at the break, while Morrow had already scored 13.
Morrow finished with a game-high 32 points to carry the Lady Purples (17-12), while Ragland scored 12.
The flow of the game remained the same in the second half.
“We scrimmage for 30 minutes in practice every day because we know that’s how we play,” Lasley said. “I think we’re in really good shape. We had to play every possession and not take any plays off because we knew they were coming for us.”
South Warren took a 38-35 lead midway through the third quarter, but Keyozdon Jones splashed a three to tie things at 38-all. Jordan McDonald scored twice in a row to put the Spartans up 43-38, and it later led 47-42 entering the fourth.
The Spartans had a 54-49 lead at the 5:06 mark of the final quarter, but Bowling Green continued to fight, as it cut South Warren’s advantage to 54-52 with just under four minutes remaining.
From that point forward, it was all Spartans – thanks to Pierce’s hot shooting.
A 10-3 run – which was powered by Pierce’s fourth and fifth threes of the contest – put South Warren up 64-55 with 1:22 left and it was able to hold on from there.
“She wants those shots,” said Embry. “A lot of people want to shoot it for the first 30 minutes of the game but not everyone wants it the last two minutes – and Natalie does. She likes it, she enjoys it and the other girls feed off of her. Offensively, I’m very happy.”
Girls’ All-District Team announced
The following players were named to the District 14 All-District Team on Thursday:
Jacqueline Jackson – Greenwood
Riley Hartis – Greenwood
Carly Miller – Greenwood
Cressida Duncan – Warren East
Cailyn Howard – Warren East
Lucy Patterson – Warren East
Ivy Shelton – Warren Central
Taylor Ragland – Bowling Green
Shalyn Whitson – Bowling Green
T’Alla Brown – Bowling Green
Keely Morrow – Bowling Green
Sarah Dennison – South Warren
Jordan McDonald – South Warren
Amaya Lasley – South Warren
Natalie Pierce – South Warren
–Senior writer Tyler Mansfield can be reached at mansfield.sportingtimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TMansfieldST.–
