Greenwood 61 - Warren Central 44

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky 02-08-08

Welcome to the Jungle? Prior to tapping the ball, Greenwood sound man cued up some Firearms and Flowers welcoming everyone to the jungle. But, I thought it was "The Swamp." Jungle? Swamp? No matter the venue it was still a big lizard fight on Scottsville Road in Bowling Green tonight. That's right, Dragons and Gators are just big danged lizards when you think about it. One's a toothy swamp lurker that death rolls its prey under water, and the other is a mythological fire breathing creature. Both are dangerous.

Coming into tonight's game Warren Central had beaten Greenwood 24 times in a row. The last Gator victory over the Dragons came in 2001. The latest defeat came on January 4th, when Central sent the Gators packing with a 53-44 defeat at the Dragons' lair on Morgantown Road.

Would the streak ever end?

In the first quarter, it looked like Steve Riley's latest version of Dragons would run the streak into another Clinton administration. At first, it seemed that Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Mark Lacy and Austin Reed) were busting the Central press, and the Dragons couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with their jumpshots to start the game. The clawed back and had a narrow 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

No matter how poorly Central plays on the offensive end in a ballgame they always have their press, and the play it so well. Then, they are good at converting off of the turnovers the press creates.

Things changed in the second quarter, however. Lacy started picking off Central's passes as they tried to move the ball around the perimeter, and he got a couple of easy baskets. He's very good at anticipating the pass, and thrives on other team's bad offensive spacing. Teams cannot make that mistake against Greenwood.

For the first time since in a long time I watched Warren Central lose their composure. They did not handle Greenwood's half-court pressure and continued to turn the ball over. Greenwood took a 29-23 lead into the break, and I felt that the ground below us would tremble and split open because Central's streak was about to be broken. The Gators were controlling this contest.

In the third quarter, Greenwood put some beatdown on Central that I've not seen in a long time. Dee Anderson, Mark Lacy, and other Gators circled the wounded Dragons like they were a team of saints ready to slay another fiery beast.

The Gators outscored their visitors 22-7 in the third frame and took a commanding 51-30 into the break.

Greenwood controlled the fourth quarter, even though Central made a small run at them. I'm sure Coach Blane Embry didn't want to give Warren Central anything to smart about on the eve of district play and backed off the gas. Greenwood broke the streak on Friday night with a 61-44 victory over the Dragons.

OBSERVATIONS

The Ballard Effect: This is not so much an observation as a reminiscence. When I was in high school in Louisville Ballard High School seem to always get preferential treatment from the officials. Ballard was an east end school, and their students drove new cars. Male High was perceived as an inner-city school, so everyone thought we were thugs. When Ballard students did something mischievous it was called "school spirit." When we did something it was called "misdemeanor." Well, that was the Louisville Police Department's description of it. The preferential treatment seemed to find its way onto the basketball court, too. I called it "The Ballard Effect." For the life of me, I can't imagine why I just thought of this.

Fourth Quarter Fracas: I don't know what happened or who was involved, but a couple of Central players got into a dust-up with a couple of Greenwood players in the fourth quarter. It didn't seem like a big deal to me, except that players ended up in the stands. It's interesting to me that when baseball teams clear benches and throw punches, people think its funny and have cutesy names for it like "rhubarb." When basketball players start throwing haymakers then it is treated like a criminal act. It happens. The kids are competitors.

Migraine Maker: Before the game, Greenwood's band was playing something terribly out of key while the sound system was blaring "We Will Rock You." I thought my head was going to explode. One thing at a time, please. Hey, Gators! The next time Warren Central visits try "Dragon Attack" by Queen and let the band practice in the hallway.

District Stuff: Bowling Green will take the one seed, and I guess with the loss tonight Central will be the four seed. I think Greenwood and East are split, so they'll flip a coin to see who wears white in the first round. In the 14th District none of it really matters. It's played at Central, so there's three teams that better beware.