By Fletcher Keel:
Lady Spartans 57 Bowling Green 55
In Kentucky, high school basketball is a 32 minute game, and the Lady Spartans and Lady Purples needed all 32 minutes to decide their second meeting of the year in what would end up being a 57-55 South Warren victory.
The first quarter was a back and forth one and saw a little bit of everything. Bowling Green head coach LaVonda Johnson was issued a technical foul just moments after Amaya Lasley accidentally brought down Keely Vincent by her pony tail, causing her to leave the game. The Lady Spartans enjoyed a 13-11 lead after the first eight minutes, but the second quarter belonged nearly entirely to the Lady Purples as they had all the momentum. South Warren refused to go down quietly, or at all, and trailed by just one at halftime, 28-27.
The second half was an even closer one, but the Spartans made all the necessary adjustments. In the first half, the Lady Purples stingy defense didn’t allow for any passes to come into the lane. In the second half, the Spartans waiting for an opening before going inside, and found more success.
The outside game for the Lady Spartans was on fire all night, as South Warren drained eight three pointers, none bigger than the final one.
With 3.7 seconds to play, Dejia Moore went to the free throw line for Bowling Green, who was up by a point at the time, on a 1-and-1 opportunity. She missed the first attempt, and Timitryi Patterson grabed the rebound. She immideately dished it off to Amaya Lasley who dribbled up the court with time expiring, stopped at the top of the key, let a three fly, and drained it with no time left on the clock to give South Warren the 57-55 victory and the regular season sweep of the Purples.
As was the case in early January, Colby Downing lead the way for the Lady Spartans against Bowling Green with 20 points, while it was Oneisha Turner who paced the home team with 18.
Spartans 58 Bowling Green 61
It was a result no one saw coming, and one that seemed nearly impossible to fathom, but the South Warren Spartans went toe to toe with the Bowling Green Purples before falling 61-58 in a District 14 classic.
The game plan for the Spartans worked in the opening minutes, as it was a 4-4 game with 5:00 to play in the first half. But, from there, the Purples would take advantage of missed shots and South Warren turnovers to build a double digit lead, and close out the first half with 20 points.
The second quarter fared much better for the Spartans, but they weren’t able to truly cut into the lead for Bowling Green, as it was a 10-point game for the majority of quarter, and saw that same deficit enter the Spartans into the halftime locker room.
Then the second half began.
The Spartans got everything to go their way – be it shots they attempted, shots the Purples missed, Bowling Green’s free throw woes – and not only clawed back from the 10 point deficit, but was able to take a lead, where they lead 46-42 after the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was back and forth the whole way, and nearly ended like the girls game preceeding it did, but a Marquise Walker half court shot went off the glass but didn’t fall to secure the win for Bowling Green.
After not having a single double figure scorer in the first half, both Dayton Gumm and Brandon Stacker finished the day with double figures – Gumm totalling 11 as he fouled out in the closing seconds and Stacker with a game high 16.
The Spartans fall to 10-13 on the year and 1-5 in district play, but have a chance to right that record a little bit as they’ll look to channel success from tonight and put it in action Friday against Greenwood. As always, you can hear all the action here on GoSpartanNation.com.
