Chappelle Whitney named 14th District Player of the Year
Sporting Times All-Hoops Team for the 14th District Boys
All-District Team
Chappelle Whitney, Warren Central (POY)
Mason Ritter, Bowling Green
Brandon Rowe, South Warren
Kade Unseld, Warren Central
Damarion Walkup, Warren Central
MJ Wardlow, Bowling Green
Chappelle Whitney, Warren Central Senior
Coming off a strong junior season, Chappelle Whitney did not disappoint in his senior year. The Sporting Times’ 14th District Player of the Year averaged 16.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the state champion Dragons and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Sweet 16. Whitney also shot 57% from the field and 77% from the line. He was named the 4th Region Player of the Year by virtually every group that votes on the award, both media outlets and coaches.
Mason Ritter, Bowling Green Junior
Mason Ritter was the only player in the 4th Region to average a double double this season, scoring 12.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game to help the Purples back to the 4th Region title game for a tenth-consecutive season. The junior center was efficient from the field, shooting a region-best 61% and knocking down 76% of his free throws. In three games at the 4th Region Tournament, Ritter had a double double in every contest.
Brandon Rowe, South Warren Senior
In what is being considered the best South Warren basketball team of all time, Brandon Rowe was the team’s engine. The senior averaged 14 points per game and 5.4 rebounds as the Spartans went 21-7. In an early-season win over Franklin-Simpson, Rowe shot 10-for-13 and scored 27 points. The Spartan guard will go down as one of the best in the program’s young history.
Kade Unseld, Warren Central Junior
Kade Unseld helped lead the Dragons to the program’s first state championship since 2004. The junior sharpshooter averaged 16.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds as Warren Central went 36-1. Unseld shot 55% from the field, 45% from deep, and 77% from the charity stripe. He also led the region with 79 made three-pointers. When the lights were brightest, Unseld delivered, scoring a tournament-best 73 points over the course of four games at the Sweet 16, including 17 in both the state semifinals and finals.
Damarion Walkup, Warren Central Senior
One of the defining memories of the 4th Region boys basketball season will be Damarion Walkup driving baseline and hammering home a thunderous dunk against rival Bowling Green in mid-January. However, the senior did much more in his final season at Warren Central. Walkup averaged 12.1 points per game on 52% shooting for the state champions. In the state championship game, he scored 17 points and hit three three-pointers as the Dragons avenged a one-point state championship loss from 2022.
MJ Wardlow, Bowling Green Junior
MJ Wardlow averaged 16.2 points per game in his junior season, shooting an efficient 54% from the field, 44% from beyond the arc, and 76% from the line. His 48 three-pointers were among the highest totals in the 4th Region, and his percentage from downtown trailed only Kade Unseld at Warren Central. Returning for his senior season, Wardlow and the Purples will be favorites to return to the state tournament after a two-year absence.
