Bowling Green 72 - Grayson County 59

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

There's just no way to pass up a game between the best team in the Third Region and one of the best teams in the Fourth Region. It's just too good of an opportunity to see some great basketball. Grayson County leads the Third with a 10-1 record and Bowling Green sports a 9-2 record in the Fourth and is right behind Russell County, who is undefeated in the region but only has played six games. I contend that Bowling Green and Warren Central are the teams to beat in the region. Both are good and both play full court, full tilt basketball.

Grayson County is a very good basketball team. All the players handle the ball well or really well, and they all can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. They are patient and well coached. They don't do anything stupid and they always work for a good shot, which is easy to do when you have shooters like Travis Johnston and Tyler Saltsman on your team.

The Cougars pulled into Bowling Green riding a 10 game winning streak that includes wins over North Hardin, hated rival Edmonson County, and back-to-back victories over Apollo -- the high school and not the son of Zeus.

Bowling Green, still stinging from a tough three point loss at Warren Central, was not going to let the best team in a neighboring region come into the Purple Palace and sneak away with a victory. As usual, the Purples pressed from start to finish (it's why I like watching them so much), and they think in terms of the entire court rather than just the half court on the offensive side. At times, Bowling Green can play as graceful as any basketball team has ever played. Then, there are times when they start looping and telegraphing their passes and taking ill-advised shots and look like they might belong in Cloverport, Whitesville, or on Glenmary Avenue in Louisville.

Hey! The Purples haven't compiled a 14-3 record by playing bad basketball. They get no respect in the Fourth Region, and I don't know why because they have a real good shot at plying the hardwood in Rupp Arena this season.

Grayson County handled Bowling Green's pressure very nicely in the first quarter. They used Bennett Skaggs and Wes Smith to move the ball up the court against the press. They had Johnston in the middle of the court, but the Purples did a good job of keeping the ball out of his hands.

Bowling Green hit some nice shots in the first quarter, including D.J. Ray's bank-in three pointer. I don't think Ray called the shot, though, so it wouldn't count in a game of H-O-R-S-E.

Bowling Green had a thin 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Grayson County opened the second quarter with a "old fashioned" three point play and tied the score at 19. The Purples, however, pretty much controled the second frame with a good press and good hustle, but Grayson is too good of a team to roll over for an opponent even on the road. Bowling Green opened up a nine point lead at the half, but there was no feeling of the home team being in control of the game. They had a lead, but the Cougars are a forceful team and everyone could sense that they were still around for a victory.

The teams played fairly even in the third quarter, but the Purples did increase their lead by one point.

In the fourth quarter, the Cougars picked up their intensity on the defensive end, and they forced Bowling Green to play some sloppy basketball for a couple of minutes. They cut the lead to four points, and that put the home squad in a dangerous situation because of the long range shooting threat Grayson County presents. The Cougars were making a gutsy charge at a very good team on their home court.

When Bowling Green clicks they really click. When the knuckle down and play their game -- full court and fast paced -- they operate like a well-tuned, high performance engine. They started clicking in the fourth quarter when they decided to attack the basket again against a smaller and slower opponent. Charlie Williams hit a couple of nice shots late in the game. Williams is very good at slashing into the lane with the ball and hitting short jumpers because he has good elevation on his shots.

Bowling Green controlled the last five minutes of the game and won 72-59. It's an impressive victory for the Purples because Grayson County is a fine basketball team. I hope the Cougars and their fans don't hang their heads over this loss because Bowling Green is a fine team, too. Tuesday night's fans -- the few that were at the game -- might have seen a preview of a couple of Sweet Sixteen teams.

OBSERVATIONS

Chambre syndicale de la haute couture: French cuffs? Really? Did I see Coach Todd Johnston sporting French cuffs last night? I just wonder where in Leitchfield he's coming up with dress shirts with those kinds of cuffs. We have a dress code here at the corporate offices of the Pennyrile Pick and Roll, and I have thought about requiring everyone to wear French cuffs, but I think the staff would rebel.

Can't Describe It: Bowling Green's Brian Turner's jump shot defies description. It's effective, and he's a good basketball player. His jump shot starts at his ankles, peaks near the rafters, and splashes down in the nylon. If the Air Force still had Project Blue Book, he'd agents and officers prowling throughout the Fourth Region. It's definitely a UFO, and Bowling Green should call the three point stripe to the left of the lane "Area 51."