No one will ever say that Bowling Green's Coach D.G. Sherrill backs down from a challenge. When he put the University Heights Academy Blazers on his schedule for early December, he had to think that the Purples football team had a good shot at another trip to the KHSAA State Football Championship Game. Yes, Bowling Green's gridders are back in Louisville this week to take on Highlands, which leaves the school's basketball team with a thin roster. Most of Coach Sherrill's starters were sitting in the stands with their football teammates watching their basketball teammates take on UHA.
Coach Sherrill could have backed out of the game or postponed it until another part of the season. Instead, he took a "play 'em as ya schedule 'em" attitude and kept his date with the Blazers from Hopkinsville.
University Heights is a formidable opponent, too. They feature one of the state's best players, shooting forward Scotty Hopson. Hopson is a muscular 6'5" kid who glides up and down the court and has explosive moves to the rim. He put on a show for the Bowling Green crowd during warm-ups with a crazy looking 360 dunk. It was impressive, and I sort of felt a buzz in the small but interested crowd. Tyshawn Edmondson also did some razzle-dazzle moves during the warm-ups. I thought it might be a long night for the depleted Purples squad, especially when I saw D.L. Moore in street clothes hanging out with his football teammates.
When they tipped the ball up, though, I could tell that Bowling Green wasn't going to let the Blazers cruise into their gym and let them walk away with an easy victory. The Purples went after the ball on the defensive end, and they attacked the basket on the other. They challenged the visiting Mr. Basketball candidate, even frustrating him to the point of knocking a Bowling Green player down after a turnover. In the first quarter, an errant elbow split the eyebrow of a UHA player, which sent him to the locker room. No, no. The Purples were not going to back down to this Second Region powerhouse.
At the end of the first quarter UHA was up 11 to 9.
In the second quarter, UHA found their game, but the pesky Purples hung within striking distance. Their defense continued to force the Blazers into mistakes and made them force their shots. Scotty Hopson had a couple of nice moves to the basket and one very authoritative dunk.
Hopson, however, lacks intensity. Prior to the game there was some discussion about whether or not he was going to sign with Mississippi State University. In college recruiting, nothing is certain until the ink dries on a letter of intent, and Hopson hasn't signed a thing, as far as I know. Some say he wants to attract the attention of the state powerhouses of Louisville and Kentucky, but Hopson is going to have to show those programs that he can turn it up to 11 and play the college game.
Throughout the game with Bowling Green he seemed out of sorts, almost lolly-gagging around the court. Perhaps Coach Randy McCoy told him to dial it back a few notches out of respect for Coach Sherrill's thin roster, but he exerted as little defensive pressure as possible. Hopson's attitude did not impress me.
Tyshaun Edmondson impressed me the most. He's a good guard, and has excellent moves to the rim. He also has a good sense for the court. I lost track of how many points Edmondson had. Hopson had 23.
In the third quarter, Bowling Green made a respectable run at the Blazers. They went in the locker room at halftime down 30-22, but with 3:51 left in the third frame, Bowling Green got a one point lead, 33-32, on a free throw.
University Heights was frustrated. Coach McCoy had his "seat belt" on after a first half technical foul. Scotty Hopson mouthed an official after a foul call, and he got a technical. Unfortunately, for the Purples, they could connect on only one of four free throws after the technical. I thought the Bowling Green players were trying for jobs at Lee Brick and Block. Heck, they laid so many bricks I thought about checking to see if they had their International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers union cards.
Ouch! That moment deflated the Purples.
Bowling Green made a run at UHA and cut the lead to seven, 57-50, about halfway through the fourth quarter. The Blazers came alive and pused the lead out to 13. The home team lost their momentum, and UHA cruised to victory 74-59.
OBSERVATIONS
Jeran Nixon led the Purples with 17 points. He made baskets when Bowling Green needed them.
D.G. Sherrill said that he was going to buy the football coaches Buffalo Bills hats if they did not win in Louisville on Friday.
Lando Calrissian? #20 for Bowling Green's name is Billy Williams. I only hope he proves to be a good defensive player, so he can earn the nickname "D."
Bowling Green Traffic: Randy McCoy and his UHA Blazers need to learn to allow a lot of time to get into Bowling Green on a Thursday night. They were late for the JV game that preceded the headline event. Coach McCoy needs to know that all those WKU students are headed to night class on Thursday night at The Deuce and Good Tymze 2. It's their extracurricular studies. Coach McCoy! This ain't Hoptown, baby.
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