Warren Central 55 - Greenwood 54

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

The Fourth Region's 14th District is loaded with three good teams and is the basketball equivalent to a heavy loaded shotgun. When the triggered is pulled it's going to roar with a bang and have the potential of knocking someone on their butt.

Every game is important in this district, and nearly every game is a marquee matchup. So, when Tim Riley and his Warren Central Dragons rolled over to Gator Alley at Greenwood on Friday night, everyone knew it would be a intense, high energy affair. At the beginning of the season I would have thought that the toughest thing for the Dragons in this matchup would've been to get their bus down Scottsville Road, but I've changed my thinking. Well, the Gators have changed my thinking.

These two teams did not disappoint on Friday night.

It was a battle from the beginning. Warren Central started out trying to pound the ball into George Fant, the 6'6" blue chip college recruit who patrols the paint for the Dragons. Greenwood was determined to make Fant kick the ball back out to his guards and forwards, so they swarmed him when he got the ball. The Dragons are a very good basketball team and always show a lot of poise, so they handled Greenwood's half court pressure.

Warren Central made a couple of small runs, but Greenwood always had the answer and came back on them.

Jordan Shanklin made a beautiful play in the first half. He had the ball on the right side of the court and made a looping move to the baseline and drove to the basket. He went behind the backboard and made a reverse layup with his left hand. I told the gentleman sitting next to me that it he looked like Julius Erving. No one will take that wrong, but I must explain that I have just bestowed one of the best compliments I can give to a basketball player by comparing a move to "Dr. J," who is my favorite all time player. I saw him play when I used to go to ABA games in Louisville. To me, he was the greatest player to ever play the game and the most electrifying.

Central led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter and was able to pull away a little bit in the second. They had a 29-23 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter the Dragons looked like they were going to seal the deal and put pesky Greenwood away. However, Greenwood has a lethal trio of players that are nearly too much for any team to handle. The trio is led by the ball handling skills of Lane Embry, who has fantastic instincts as a point guard. The other member is Austin "Theme Park" Disney, who has a deadly shot when he's open and equally deadly when he is being guarded. The final member is Dee Anderson. I don't know if I have to go on about Anderson very much since I gush about him after every Greenwood game I see. Blah, blah, blah. I've said it all before: Anderson is a great slasher. Anderson is the best player in the region. Anderson should be a Division I college prospect. Yep, I've said it, and I mean it, too.

Anderson finished the night with 26 points, and he didn't back down from Fant's presence in the lane. He took it to him and got the better of the big man on several occassions.

Greenwood outplayed Warren Central in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 19-12. Disney hit some big shots, and, of course, Dee Anderson worked wonders with drives into the paint. Dare I say it? He reminded me of Julius Erving. Hot dang! I've made two Dr. J. comparisons in one game. I'm not qualified to hand out the PhD's in basketball, but I'm doing it for this game.

Warren Central's Shamarcus Wells kept the Dragons in the game. When Greenwood swarmed Fant, Wells got positioned himself low in the lane and got the ball and laid it in with beautiful little one step layups. He went up quick and strong. Wells is one of several players in the Fourth Region not getting the attention they deserve. Heck, I'm guilty of it myself. He's athletic, quick, and absolutely can jump through the roof. He finished Friday's game with 12 points, all of them big.

Late in the game, the Dragons had a 55-48 lead. Greenwood came at them in a late rally, something that is sort of a signature with Blane Embry's teams. Jordan Shanklin traveled with seven seconds left in the game, and Greenwood had an opportunity to win the game. Daniel Turner in-bounded the ball to Disney, but Central pressured "Theme Park" into a turnover.

The Dragons emerge from the swamp with a 55-54 win.

Warren Central is now in the catbird seat in the 14th District. I know Bowling Green has the best record, but the way things play out the rest of the season gives the advantage to the Dragons. Warren Central has played their games at the Purple Palace and Gator Alley, and split those games. Bowling Green has to play at Greenwood and at Warren Central. Greenwood still has to travel to Warren Central.

The Purples put it on Central's court next Friday (January 29th) in a game that is even bigger than they're game at Bowling Green.

Oh, boy! The prospects of big games over the next month just makes me giddy.

OBSERVATIONS

I've Said It Before: I apologize for this rant. I've written about it before. Greenwood's gym is terrible, the worst in the region. When fans enter, they come in almost right on the court. Then, the people selling tickets are about as welcoming as hornets. Then, if a fan goes up the steps, which are long and high, there's no way to get to the lower seats. I hate that place.

Feldhaus in the House: I saw Willie Feldhaus skulking around the Swamp. I'm sure he was thinking, "This place sucks! Don't they know about lobbies in Bowling Green?" I'm also sure Coach Feldhaus was trying to get a glimpse of Warren Central in preparation for the Fourth Region Tournament in March. I wonder if he remembers me giving him a pizza at the tournament a few years ago?

Toppers Not in the House: Hmm? There was no presence from the WKU coaching staff, which is hot after George Fant. They hang around like groupies. Overtime must've had free appetizers last night, so they sent Hal Schmidt. Had to be the appetizers, right? Hopefully, the Hilltoppers were at Diddle learning that a basketball game last for 40 minutes at the college level, and that you have to play all 40 of them.

Bum Rush: The Warren Central students rushed the court last night. C'mon, guys! Your team is the best in the region and is two years off of a six year run as champion. That was a terrible mistake because Greenwood's players have the image of Central students dancing on their court. That kind of stuff is what makes the Gators tick.

Bowling Green 73- Warren Central 70

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I wrote a lot about this game when I got home on Friday night. I re-read it on Saturday morning and decided I didn't like it.

A teacher in high school once assigned me the task of writing a description of a painting by Monet, and I thought then that it was futile to translate a painting into words. Plus, I was looking at a reprint of the painting. Monet, along with many other artists, put a massive amount of emotion into their painting, and color re-prints of them serve them no justice. They only capture part of the feelings the artist put into the work. Then, I was charged with putting that into words. It was the equivalent of writing a book based on a cinematic masterpiece that is an original screenplay.

Years later, when I was in Washington, D.C., I had the privilege of viewing originals by Claude Monet and many other great painters at the National Gallery of Art. Wow! I didn't have a prayer as a lowly high school student trying to write a description of great painting. The texture and the direction of the brush strokes add a whole new dimension to a masterful painting that cannot be captured by a re-print or the shaky words of a stupid high school boy.

Why have I run out on this tangent? It's a basketball blog, afterall.

Friday night, at the Purple Palace in Bowling Green, this formerly stupid high school boy, who has grown up to be an equally stupid man, saw a masterpiece firsthand. I don't know if what I write here can capture the brush strokes and the emotion that was -- figuratively -- painted on the hardwood canvas of Kentucky's basketball culture.

I knew the game would be good, but I didn't know it would be as good as it was. I didn't want it to end. If they ever build a museum for high school basketball in Kentucky, a perpetual loop of Friday's game between the Dragons and the Purples should be on display, displayed with the same reverence as a piece of art.

Both teams play pedal-to-the-metal basketball. A shot clock would be pointless when these two Fourth Region titans walk out onto the court because they like to run. They like to gun. They both play good defense. They like to win. They aim at championships and not just the one handed out in Diddle Arena in March.

It was the best matchup in the Commonwealth. I scrolled through the KHSAA's website looking for results and didn't see one as exciting as the Purples and the Dragons.

Crosstown rivals: CHECK

Exciting Style: CHECK

College Prospects: CHECK, CHECK, and CHECK

Sweet Sixteen Potential: CHECK and CHECK

Intense Coaching: CHECK, CHECK

Postseason Implications: CHECK

Rabid Fans: CHECK

My family and I got to the game early, knowing that the place would be packed. It does a longtime Kentucky high school basketball fan's heart good to see a packed gymnasium on a Friday night. I was pleased to see that it was literally standing room only in one of the larger gyms in the state. Hundreds of fans lined the catwalks at either end of the Purple Palace to watch this one, and the emotion of the stands ebbed and flowed and shifted and switched just as the action on the court did the same.

The Dragons and the Purples go at one another like caged fighters fighting for their lives. In a way they are. The top seed in the district is coveted and important because the game between the middle seeds will eliminate a good team from the postseason.

Bowling Green opened with a lot of intensity and stretched out a eight or ten point lead on Warren Central. I can't remember. I made no effort to write down any notes because I didn't care too much about the details from this game.

The Dragons, as expected, fought back and tailed the Purples throughout the rest of the contest. Well, Bowling Green did open up a 13 point lead at one point in the second half. That's when George Fant and Jacob King went to work on the Purples. Fant became a beast on the interior with a couple of beautiful lob-to dunks. Warren Central never let Chane Behanan show his abilities because they keyed on him and put him at the foul stripe instead of letting him score from the floor.

In the fourth quarter, Central had the ball out under their own goal. I believe it was Jordan Shanklin who triggered a beautiful alley-oop lob to Fant, who grabbed the ball at its apex with one hand and jammed it through the rim all in one fluid motion. It was a nice play -- big time.

Central definitely keyed on Behanan, but they forgot about D.J. Ray, who is one of the most underrated players in the Fourth Region this season. Ray has got great moves to the basket and does it so smoothly that fans and players don't realize how quickly he is moving. He has a soft touch around the rim and knows how to use the glass to his advantage (a dying art in the sport). Ray pegged 25 points on the Dragons tonight and was the difference in the game. Everyone wants to talk about Behanan and Fant, but Ray played a heroic game tonight and hit some clutch baskets while Warren Central was making their signature late game run at the Purples.

Another unsung hero in this game is Brett Jackson. Jackson is the backup center for the Dragons, and he does a great job on the court because he's a cool headed young man. He made some big plays in the first half and did a good job at defending Behanan.

The Purples held on to win it 73-70.

Bowling Green is in the catbird seat for the top seed in the district, but the Purples still have to play at Greenwood and at Warren Central.

OBSERVATIONS

Band Aid: Someone must've told Bowling Green's band director that there was a football game at the high school because the band showed up. They're a great addition to a great basketball atmosphere.

Toppahs in the House: The Hilltoppers were at the Purple Palace in force last night. The entire coaching staff and I believe all the players were there. I know they're after Fant in a big way, and I'm sure that Behanan is hitting their radar screen, too. Yep! I'd like to see the two local players suiting up for the Hilltoppers. What I'd like more is for Ken McDonald to make note of the style of play he witnessed. It's much more fun to watch teams push the ball up the court instead of walking it up like they're part of a funeral procession.

I've got tickets to WKU's game on Saturday, which is good because I need some sleep. I may stay home and watch video of the Friday's game, much more entertaining.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does: I wonder who was the genius who told the Bowling Green cheerleaders to hold a practice in the main gym immediately following the biggest basketball game in the entire Commonwealth last night. They started unrolling mats and forcing hundreds of people to sides of the court and out the door. Fans from both sides were wanting to talk and visit and recount what they just saw because the game was really something to behold. Sheesh! They could've had their matts already rolled out in the auxiliary gym and hit their practice within seconds of the final buzzer. Here's the dirty secret about cheerleading: Nobody cares! Sure, their parents care. Their coach cares. A few wannabees in the crowd care. Boyfriends pretend to care.

I'm sure I'll catch some flak for that one.

Greenwood 68 - Russellville 63

Russellville High School, Russellville, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

College basketball has it's Bracket Buster, an ESPN engineered conglomeration that hides behind the cloak of teams that might cause trouble in the post season. If the Fourth Region has Bracket Buster matchups, one of them would be Greenwood and Russellville. These are two teams that might not be on people's postseason radar but should be. They will be. Greenwood has to be after tonight's victory at the Panthers' lair in Russellville.

Greenwood frustrates other teams, and they did that well against Russellville tonight. The Gators are patient on the offensive end, and they lull teams into complacency with each possession. They look for the right moment to strike, and they do it with lightning quick efficiency. That lightning strike usually involves Dee Anderson slashing to the basket in perfect control of himself and laying the ball up on the perfect spot of the backboard for a bucket.

Everybody is talking about Chane Behanan, George Fant, and Jordan Shanklin, but I believe that Dee Anderson is the best player in the Fourth Region. That's saying a lot, too, because the Fourth is loaded this season. If Anderson had a deadly shot from the perimeter, college coaches would bum rush each other to get to a Greenwood game this season.

Tonight, Greenwood opened up a narrow lead in the first quarter. Russellville, which is an athletic basketball team, could not rebound on either end of the court, and they could not get their shots to fall. The Gators put up a nice 2-3 zone on them and still could beat Russellville to the boards.

Greenwood clung to a 17-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Russellville was down by more than that late in the quarter, but their defensive pressure forced the Gators to cough up the ball on three consecutive possessions.

Russellville outplayed Greenwood in the second quarter. The Panthers made some great passes and worked their way to the basket on the Gators while knocking down a couple of key three pointers. Readers will have to forgive me for not using any of Russellville's players names. I couldn't find a program tonight, and my programs from last season are long lost after living away from my house for most of last season. The J.J. Elam(?) hit some big shots for the Panthers, and they went to halftime with a 34-32 lead.

I've seen Greenwood enough this season to know that they are never out of a game. It doesn't matter if it is on the road or at home, they will not give up on a game. Cody Stumbo took over for the Gators in the third quarter. He hit two three pointers and scored several points in the paint. Austin Disney also hit a couple of nice jump shots. When the Gators can hit from the perimeter, they become a lethal team because it opens things up for Dee Anderson to work his magic in the paint.

Both teams battled hard in the third quarter, and they went to the break tied at 51.

This is the first time I've seen Russellville play this season, and I know that they played a tough game against rival Logan County on Monday night. So, I don't know if it is a season long thing or just one night, but the Panthers had a lot of trouble shooting the ball tonight. The ball just wouldn't drop for them. They even had some good looks at the basket.

Greenwood took control of the game, and Russellville had to play catch-up ball late in the fourth quarter. Blane Embry's teams are very good at making it difficult for teams to take the lead away from them late in a game. Russellville didn't help themselves because they waited a long time before they started fouling Gator players. When they did foul them, Greenwood hit their foul shots. Daniel Turner made some big free throws down the stretch and had one very nice move to the basket that resulted in a lay-in.

Greenwood crawls out of the Panthers' den with a 68-63 win. Oh yeah, the final really should've been 68-60. A Russellville player threw up a last second shot. The ball was still in his hand when the buzzer sounded, but the official counted the bucket, which was a three pointer.

Greenwood runs its record out to 14-4 and 4-3 in the region. They're in second place right behind the Bowling Green Purples. Russellville drops to 10-4 and 3-2 in the Fourth.

OBSERVATIONS

Man of Steel?: George Kennedy has returned to Kentucky. The star of the great movie Steel, which was filmed in Lexington and, I think, features scenes in Rupp Arena, is now playing for the Russellville Panthers. I think that's what the PA guy said.

No Kige in the House: I looked for Kige Ramsey at the game, figuring he'd prime up his camera for another installment of YouTube Sports. Wait! What am I thinking? Kige couldn't pull away from watching the Cats. Hmm. UofK played the Gators and his beloved Panthers also played the Gators. I don't want Blane Embry, D.G. Sherrill, Tim Riley or any other Fourth Region coach stealing plays from Kige.

Finally!: I finally got to hear a pep band tonight. Russellville's band played some Journey, Ozzy Osborne, and even some J. Geils Band. Loved it. Those snooty schools in Warren County should learn from them.

No Roys for the Pick and Roll: I got back from Frankfort too late to catch the bandwagon Greenwood fans I know heading for Roy's Barbecue in Russellville. That will give me an excuse to head back to R-ville for a game.

Bowling Green 56 - Greenwood 53 (OT)

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

If Bowling Green Coach D.G. Sherrill changed his phone number, Blane Embry would find it. If he changed his social security number, Coach Embry would know how to work the system to come up with it. If Coach Sherrill changed his cell phone number, Embry could scan the airwaves and latch onto it and pull it from the sky.

You see Blane Embry always has Sherrill's number.

This year's Greenwood Gators seem to defy all basketball logic. They have two scorers -- Dee Anderson and Austin Disney -- but they have two guards who absolutely will not shoot the ball. I've seen them three times this year, and I'm not sure if Lane Embry and Daniel Turner CAN shoot the ball because I never see them take shots. Embry is a great ballhandler and great a cracking the full court press, and Turner can make some impressive spin moves to the basket.

Somehow, the Gators have managed to run out to a 13-4 start this season against some pretty stout competition.

For anyone who has seen the Bowling Green Purples play this season, it's easy to understand why they stand at 15-1 after last night's contest with Greenwood. Chane Behanan has made his presence felt in the Fourth Region and making himself known throughout the Commonwealth. He's gaining the attention of some fine Division I college basketball programs like Cincinnati, West Virginia, and WKU.

A lot of Division I college basketball coaches have D.G. Sherrill's number but in a totally different manner than does Blane Embry.

The Purples are not a one man show, however. Tommy Boyce is a solid point guard and is quick and knows how to use his speed to spider his way through other team's presses. D.J. Ray is a good shooter and has smooth moves to the basket. Mike Geegan and Tyson Halcomb round out a solid starting five. Scooter Hollis will prove to be one of the best athletes in the region by the time he's finished at Bowling Green High, and he is well on his way to proving it this season.

Bowling Green and Greenwood just don't matchup in my mind. Thankfully, they don't play the game on paper. It's played on hardwood, and that is why tough-minded teams like the Gators and crafty coaches like Blane Embry can surprise and scare teams like the Purples.

There's no stupid RPI to psych-out teams in high school. Thank God.

Greenwood and Bowling Green went after each other just the way I'd expect them to last night. The Gators played a high energy defense and a quick but mindful offensive attack in the half court. They stayed with the Purples, but Bowling Green used their athletic ability to pull away from Greenwood, and they went to the lockerroom at halftime with a 30-22 lead. Greenwood played gutsy, but was over-matched at times.

In the third quarter Bowling Green opened up a 15 point lead on the Gators, and I figured the mighty Purples were going to cruise through the rest of the game. Maybe they did to, which is a stupid and dangerous thing to do with a crosstown rival such as Greenwood because I've only seen them give up once. That's when Paducah Tilghman man handled them in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen.

Late in the third quarter the Gators scratched their way back into the contest through patience and the hot shooting of Austin Disney. Also, Lane Embry did a masterful job of cracking Bowling Green's press. At times, the Purples seemed to be trying to hand the game to the Gators through sloppy and careless play.

Fans must remember that both of these teams are young. Dee Anderson is the only senior in the starting five for Greenwood (I hope I'm right about that), and Bowling Green only has three seniors on its entire squad.

Greenwood closed the gap and took the lead in the fourth quarter. Bowling Green looked and acted defeated. The Purples showed a lot of poise, though. They didn't give up. They went toe-to-toe with Greenwood and wrestled the lead back from the big lizards.

It was tied at the end of regulation. Greenwood had a shot at winning it, but Daniel Turner missed a key free throw that would've given the Gators a one point lead with just seven seconds left. Bowling Green couldn't get the ball down the court to get the basket.

The lead changed hands throughout the overtime. Dee Anderson was fouled shooting a three pointer and could've tied the game to send it into another overtime. He missed all three.

There's a certain amount of irony here. I don't have any stats, but Bowling Green must have missed at least 15 free throws throughout the ballgame. Greenwood was pretty good at the line. They missed the foul shots when they really mattered, and Bowling Green's players showed some poise at the stripe late in the game, especially Behanan and Boyce. They're solid late in a game.

Bowling Green took victory and put it in the jaws of defeat and then finally snatched it out of the mouth of the Gators.

OBSERVATIONS

Tied to the Whipping Post: I'm not a coach, and I don't pretend to be. I'm just an interested fan who loves basketball, especially at the high school level. I'm still trying to figure out why Bowling Green didn't post Chane Behanan up on the much smaller lineup of Greenwood. The kid has All American talent and should be able to put someone like Cody Stumbo and Connor Raymer on the school bus and drive them all over the basketball world.

Can This Be True?: Dee Anderson was scoreless in the second half of the game? That's my tally, but I was keeping track of things in my head because in all the bother of suiting up like a danged Inuit to go to the game I figured out that I left pen and paper at home when I hit Rockingham Avenue.

Disney World: The Gators don't have to win the Super Bowl to go to Disney World. They're there every time they take the court. Austin Disney is a solid player. They should call him "Theme Park" or "The Magic Kingdom." Do I dare mention that the offbeat people in Austin, Texas, vow to "Keep Austin Weird"? "I" before "e" except after "c." Isn't THAT weird?

Band on the Run: Kudos to the Bowling Green Band for keeping their record perfect this season. I've yet to see them. I wonder if they know that there are sports other than football. It's really pathetic. It's O.K. I've heard their pep band at basketball games, and they play like and look like they have the enthusiasm of a bunch of banditos being led before a firing squad. The Purples have a great arena, a great girls team, a good boys team, and, yet, no pep band.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed: The top seed in the 14th District seems very small, but it will grow to be very large and important. If the number one seed doesn't play a depleted Warren East squad in the first round, I'll kiss the flagpole in front of the new South Warren High School on the next freezing night after the tournament.

Greenwood 54 - Russell County 51

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I made a terrible assumption at the start of the season. I assumed that Greenwood would be down this year and not a contender for the Fourth Region crown. All season I've said that teams like Bowling Green, Warren Central, Russellville, and Franklin-Simpson would control the region and that maybe a team like Glasgow could surprise those teams.

I'm starting to think that Greenwood is a contender. I'm just starting to, but I'm still kind of a skeptic.

There's a certainty about Greenwood every season: fans know what they're going to get with a Blane Embry basketball team. They are going to play good defense and make few mistakes on the offensive end. They never give up, either. Under Embry's tenure, that's what anyone can expect from the Gators from year-to-year.

The same thing can be said about the Willie Feldhaus's Russell County Lakers. Good defense? Yep! Protect the ball? Yep! Never give up? You betcha!

I always like these two teams because they are tough, so when I saw that they were hooking up in Gator Alley tonight I couldn't miss the opportunity to see them play, although the night was more suited for a polar bear instead of a Kentucky hayseed such as myself.

Coach Feldhaus had his team ready to play. Greenwood seemed flat in the first quarter. At first both teams couldn't have thrown a stone and hit the ground, but Russell County inched out to a narrow first quarter lead. Veteran players like Robbie Bell and Zach Carney led the way for the Lakers, and they did a good job of shutting down Greenwood's two key players, Dee Anderson and Austin Disney.

At the half, Russell County had a 30-21 lead and seemed to be in control of the game.

Greenwood outplayed Russell County throughout most of the second half, although the Lakers moved out to a nine point lead early in the fourth quarter. Greenwood outscored them by three points in the third quarter, narrowing the score to 38-31. Again, Anderson, who is one of the best players in the region, was instrumental in the Gators' gradual comeback in the second half. He is superb at getting to the basket on the dribble. He's good at putting the ball up in traffic and at drawing fouls.

Anderson has been one of my favorite players in the region since I first noticed him playing as a freshman. I wish he didn't mess with football because an injury cost him his sophomore year. I look at him as sort of a three year senior because of that lost year. I know he played, but he didn't play much and didn't play to his potential for a long time.

Greenwood played flat for a large portion of the game, but they finally made some big baskets down the stretch. I think Russell County started playing not to lose. I call it the prevent offense. They tried to stall the ball and run out the clock, but I think it backfired on them. They made some bad turnovers and didn't get many good looks at the basket down the stretch.

Greenwood pulled it out in the end and won 54-51.

OBSERVATIONS

Dee and Disney: Greenwood has to good players, Dee Anderson and Austin Disney. I don't see how they've picked up 13 victories. Disney is a good perimeter shooter, and as I've already stated, Anderson is a good slash and drive player (possibly the best in the Fourth). From there, though the Gators really drop off. Two of their guards are never shoot the ball. The Gators have always made me eat crow, so I might be up for a big steaming portion of it in March, but I don't see how they can contend with their lineup. I could be wrong.

Hack-a-Shag: Dee Anderson is sporting a new doo. He's always had close cropped hair, but now he's got a sort of dread-lock look. Anderson sort of struggles at the free throw line, so Russell County fouled him when they could catch him. Instead of "Hack-a-Shaq" it was Hack-a-Shag, referring to Anderson's hair. He looks good and plays better.

Lookout for the Lakers: Russell County has a lot of veteran players, and their loss tonight was just their second of the season. It's tough to play on the road in the region, so I still think they're pretty good. They always pop up at the end of the season and shock teams in March. Just ask Tim Riley and his Warren Central Dragons. They'll be at Diddle. Coach Feldhaus, I'm sure would like to have tonight's game back. It kind of got away from them.

An Early Welcome: The Pennyrile Pick and Roll looks forward to seeing games at South Warren High School next season. The Trojans? I know that "Warhawks" was one their choices for mascot, and it was the one I was pulling for as a nod to the old Westport Warhawks in Louisville when I was a kid. I was supposed to go to Westport but went to Male High instead. Also, I figured that the new high school would choose colors that were at least somewhat different from Warren Central's. Blue and silver? I thought they'd go with orange in their colors somewhere and be different from all the other schools in the region. I wonder which district they'll end up in. South Warren Warhawks would've been cool. Trojans? Not so much.

Bowling Green 65 - University Heights Academy 56

Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I never learn. No matter how many high school basketball games I attend I still step into the gym with a lot of preconceived notions about the two teams taking the court. At last night's University Heights visit to Bowling Green, a game Coach Randy "Real" McCoy schedules every other year so he can make Christmas returns at the Greenwood Mall, I figured that it would be a track meet game with a lot of possessions and a lot of fast break points. It's sort of the same thing that the Kentucky basketball universe expected out of Kentucky and Louisville yesterday.

Nearly the same thing happened. It was ugly. Bowling Green jumped out to a quick lead and seemed as if they might pound the Blazers, but UHA got hot late in the first quarter and made a run on the Purples that put them right back in the game.

Thankfully, these high school players didn't resort to the foolishness that the Cats and the Cards did yesterday. There were no technicals. No forearm shivvers.

I don't have a count on the turnovers that Bowling Green and UHA committed last night, but I could've filled a tally sheet very quickly. Both theams are quick and explosive, but neither of them could take care of the ball last night. I kept waiting for my friend Eddie to insist that the ball was over-inflated, but I think I've made too much fun of him for saying that before. Maybe officials filled the ball with helium.

I'm still searching for something positive to say about this game, but I keep going back to it being just plane, mudfence u-g-l-y. It was almost as ugly as these Pennyrile Pick and Roll staffers.

University Heights did a good job at neutralizing Chane Behanan in the first half. I don't have any stats on the game, but he couldn't have had more than five or six points in the first two quarters. He was out-of-synch and never established an inside game on a much smaller Blazer front line. Behanan finished the game with 15 points. He had two fouls early in the half and spent a long time on the bench.

UHA made a good run at Bowling Green in the second half by using their guards to break from the basket all along the perimeter. Blazer guard Matt McGowan broke down the Purple defense with quick moves into the lane (he got away with two obvious walks, though), and he either scored or dished the ball to someone in better position. [James] Tiberius [Kirk] Smith and David Vance were able to put in 14 and 12 points apiece in the game.

UHA is a good team but young. They don't have the size that they usually have, but they have some good athletes. They are 7-7 right now, and I don't see them being a threat to win the second region this season.

Bowling Green has some problems but not enough to make other Fourth Region teams to think that the Purples won't compete for the championship. Last night they had trouble with guards penetrating their the top of their defense, which resulted in Behanan getting into foul trouble during the first half as their last line of defense. The Purples have got to move their feet on defense or they can expect Dee Anderson to speed past them on his way to lay-ins and about 20 points later in the week. They cannot be matadors.

The Purples also have trouble handling the ball. Behanan and DJ Ray both dribble right into trouble. It seems like they pick the biggest pack of defenders on the court and dribble the ball right into the middle of them. They have no patience. They need to pass the ball more instead of thinking about going coast-to-coast so much.

Bowling Green took control in the fourth quarter and won 65-56.

OBSERVATIONS

One Man Band?: Here's something that Fourth Region teams need to think about. Bowling Green is still a good team when Behanan is on the bench. They are a lot smaller, but the Purples exhibit great speed when the big guy is on the bench. BG played well when Behanan was pine riding with foul trouble.

Now It's Getting Serious: Now, teams settle into playing teams within the region and the season starts to count. Every game is big. Every game is important. For the 14th District, the top seed is golden this season. No offense to the fine folks at Warren East, but the Raiders aren't going to put up much of a fight this year. The team that pulls the top seed will have an almost automatic spot in the regional tournament. The two-three seeds are perilous. No one wants those two spots. I love it.

Blinding Ray: DJ Ray is one of the best in the region at getting to the basket. He is deceptive. He doesn't look quick, but no one seems capable of getting in front of him. I enjoy watching him play.

Tis the Season: Starry nights. Frigid air. Those things can only mean one thing: It's basketball season. Until college football can put together a tournament to choose a champ, I have little respect for it (I am a life long Crimson Tide fan). I still think that Kentucky high school basketball has the perfect format for choosing a champ. I love it.

Bowling Green 64 - Christian Brothers (TN) 59

Auxillary Gym, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

I'm getting too old to sit on bleachers for consecutive games. My back is aching tonight. I had another tough decision in the night cap at the Citizens First Bank Classic. Franklin-Simpson took on Mason County in the big gym while Bowling Green took on Christian Brothers High School from Memphis, Tennessee.

Everybody made some really bad assumptions about this team from Memphis. Because they are named Christian Brothers, everyone assumed that they were a religious academy with a weak team. Nothing could be farther from the truth. These guys had some good size and several good basketball players, and they gave the Purples everything they had.

Christian Brothers took an early lead on Bowling Green, and finished the first quarter with an 11-9 lead. The Purples fought back and had a 30-24 lead at halftime.

These two teams were a lot of fun to watch tonight because both like to push the ball up the court and attack the basket. A kid named Booher for Christian Brothers really caught my eye. I apologize for not having his first name because I never bought a program, and I couldn't hear his name when he went to the foul stripe. The kid is a good player and is unafraid to take the ball to the hoop. He had an impressive driving dunk in the second half with a couple of Purples in hot pursuit.

Bowling Green played sloppy during long stretches of the game. I find it amazing how some teams that press a lot hate to face pressure. You'd think they'd be used to it from practice, but sometimes it doesn't translate. The Purples don't like to be pressed, and they start playing frantically to get the ball up the court. They make bad passes compounded by bad decisions. I think they spend too much time looking for Behanan, and they need to relax and push the ball up the court and not worry where their star is.

DJ Ray does a good job with this, and he handles the ball well for a lanky guy. Ray has a quick move to the basket and has learned to take advantage of defenses sagging on Behanan. He's a good, smart ballplayer. Plus, Bowling Green is a young team this year. Ray along with Tommy Boyce and Joey "Gotta Getta" Gorman are the only seniors. They lost seven from last year's team.

I don't have the stats, but Chane Behanan was effective tonight. I understand he had a miserable game against Franklin-Simpson last week. What impressed me is that Behanan had a lot of blocked shots against Christian Brothers tonight. That's good defense.

Bowling Green grew a 13 point lead in the second half, but Christian Brothers came back and made it a game late, led by the Booher kid. He's a tough ballplayer, and I think he caught everyone's attention tonight. Late in the game, Brothers' point guard let DJ Ray get around him, which resulted in them picking up a foul in the paint. Booher didn't hesitate to let the point guard know that it was his job to keep players from slashing into the paint. That's good stuff.

Bowling Green hung on to win 64-59. The Purples are now 5-1 with a loss to Franklin-Simpson.

OBSERVATIONS

Fant-ing Spell: I saw George Fant at the Bowling Green game. He sat with the Kindred brothers from Metcalfe County. That's a lot of big fellows sitting in the bleachers. I can't wait for him and Behanan to go head-to-head this season...and next season.

Royals and Wildcats: I missed a good game between Mason County and Franklin-Simpson. The final was 52-50 with Mason County prevailing. That's a tough loss for the Wildcats. I think it's great that Bowling Green has two gyms and can have simultaneous games, but I always sense that I'm missing something big in whatever gym I'm not in. I was hoping for a Fourth Region sweep tonight.