By Jim Mashek
The Greenwood Gators found a way to hang around.
A tough, half-court game. Limited fouls. Plenty of aggressive plays. Warren Central was put to the test.
The Dragons survived, winning 60-52 on their home floor on Friday night to clinch the No. 1 seed for the KHSAA DIstrict 14 tournament.
Warren Central improved to 20-6 on the season while Greenwood fell to 15-13.
“You just have to stay in it,” Warren Central forward Dre Boyd said. “Grind it out. You know it’s not gonna be pretty. Maybe even a little ugly.
“You just have to find a way.”
The Dragons found their way on Senior Night, and in the final minute, as senior guard Tay Smith hit back-to-back 3-point field goals from the right wing to put the game on ice.
Smith finished the game with 14 points.
“We did what we had to do, got the job done in some late-game situations,” Smith said with a grin. “When the first (3-pointer) went in, I knew I had to take the second one.
“It was nice, because we’re a 3-point shooting team.”
Warren Central coach Will Unseld that limiting the Gators in their 3-point game may have been the difference. Greenwood finished the game with four treys.
“We guarded the 3 very well,” Unseld said. “We’ve got to make the plays at the end of the game. It’s a District 14 game, though. It’s gonna be a battle. We got stagnant a little in that second quarter. Standing around too much on offense.
“For 3 1/2 quarters, I thought we really played good basketball, defensively.”
The Dragons played strong defense against Greenwood guard Noah Stansbury, who kept his team in the game in the fourth quarter. Stansbury finished with six points.
Ben Carroll was the Gators’ most effective offensive weapon, bringing the Warren Central big men out to the perimeter to open up the floor. Carroll led all scorers with 20 points and had a solid game on both ends of the court.
Cade Stinnett had 14 points for Greenwood and Parker Williams finished with 10.
Kobe Brents had eight points for the Dragons.
WARREN CENTRAL GIRLS 49, GREENWOOD 48
Greenwood led nearly the entire game before the Lady Dragons pulled it off in dramatic fashion.
Sophomore forward Kennedee Robinson fielded a long shot to the right of the basket and her put-back at the horn lifted Warren Central to the amazing victory.
“I tell the girls all the time, ‘You don’t look at the clock. I do,'” Warren Central coach Joe Hoods said. “A big key is we didn’t foul too much in the third quarter. We were able to play aggressively in the fourth quarter. It’s a great way to send our seniors out.”
Warren Central improved to 10-17 while the Lady Gators dropped to 11-13 on the season.
Robinson said she was just following the path of the ball around the perimeter before establishing position under the basket.
“I really knew I just had to box out,” Robinson said. “I just wanted to help my team, and we were able to work together and get the win.”
LaAunni Lewis led Warren Central with 22 points and teammate Krisheana Johnson finished with 12.
Greenwood forward Kayla Grant had 16 of her team-high 19 points in the first half. Leia Trinh, an eighth-grade point guard, kept the Lady Gators on the attack and finished with 12 points. Senior forward Annie Lasley gave Greenwood a steady inside presence and finished with eight points.
