Bowling Green 61 - Warren Central 57

14th District Semifinal, Warren Central High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky 02-26-08

It was one for the ages. A person could throw every basketball cliche' at this game, and it would stick. A barn burner, a jim-dandy, a battle, a war. I don't even know where to begin.

Warren Central has dominated the Fourth Region for so long, that my children hardly realize that anyone else has ever won the championship. My little boy thought that Tim Riley was the president of the United States. The Dragons had not lost on the Diddle Arena floor in this millennium, and WKU Coach Darrin Horn would love to have a winning streak at Diddle as impressive at Tim Riley's.

THE RUN IS DONE!

The Purples sent the "Monsters of Morgantown Road" out the exits early this season, and for the first time in six years, a new team will carry the Fourth Region banner into Rupp Arena.

It didn't come easy for the Purples. They struggled in the first half with bad shot selection and constant defensive pressure from the Dragons. They were down 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, and Warren Central exploded for 23 second quarter points to take a commanding lead on Bowling Green. Central hit some big shots in the quarter, and Pete Winn hit some long range jumpers. Winn didn't start tonight's game, but wasn't on the bench for long. I don't know why he didn't start.

The Dragons had a 37-26 lead at halftime, and once again post season play in the Fourth Region seemed like the movie "Groundhog Day." All the coaches in the region probably identified with Phil Connors and wanted to punch Ned Ryerson in the nose during each replay.

I don't know what Bowling Green Coach D.G. Sherrill said to his Purple warriors at halftime, but they came out and played the third quarter like they had a barn on fire with a season's worth of hay in it. They moved the ball up the court against Central's press better than any team I've seen move the ball this season. They could get the ball up the full length of the court without it touching hardwood once. Central's players buckled in the face of the ball crossing the court so many times.

Bowling Green exposed Central's Achilles heel. George Fant, who is a fantastic player for a freshman, is not good at defending the post, especially in a transition game.

The Purples emerged on the other side of the third frame with a 47-45 lead, outscoring the Dragons 21-8.

Bowling Green almost coughed this one up in the fourth quarter by missing way too many free throws.

Also, I nearly witnessed one of the great travesties of the basketball season. Central was desperate to hit shots beyond the arc to catch Bowling Green. Pete Winn, who was hot in the second half, looked for a three point shot late in the game, and on one possession he dribbled along the arc and lunged for the basket and hit a shot. One of his feet was about two feet inside of the stripe, but the referee called it a three point basket. If I remember right, that would've tied the ballgame.

The refs finally changed their call. I'm not sure, but I think Coach Riley signaled three from the sideline, and the officials followed suit. I don't know what made them change their minds, but the Bowling Green fans petitioned in the most fervent manner to get them to change it. I might have even heard some swear words from the Purple faithful.

Bowling Green won, 61-57, putting the Warren Central Dragons in a very unfamiliar position for the Fourth Region Tournament at Diddle Arena. They'll be watching it from the stands.

OBSERVATIONS

The Run is Done: Yep! Fourth Region coaches will be checking to see if the legs of the witch really are sticking out from under the house. Maybe D.G. Sherrill and his Purps slip on the ruby slippers and start down the Yellow Brick Road, which runs through Diddle Arena to Rupp Arena.

Don't Live Here No More: D.G. Sherrill took his Purples to Warren Central's gym for a shoot around the other day. He showed him the photographs of Central's state championship team and their runner-up team, and the teams that dominated the Fourth Region. He told them, "Boys, none of those guys play here anymore." I'm willing to bet that what he told them at halftime of Tuesday's semi-final was a lot less subtle.

Upward and Onward: Fans at Tuesday's game at Warren Central were treated to an exhibition by two teams from a Bowling Green Upward league. For a minute or two I thought it maybe was one of the first round games of the Sunbelt Tournament, but I realized that these kids were too good for that. That game was nearly as exciting as the feature.

Snowy Night in Bowling Green: Snow started falling when I went to the game. Things were icy when I came out. I could barely stand up on the asphalt to scrape the ice off my truck's windows.

The Place To Be: There was a huge crowd at Warren Central tonight, and the atmosphere was electric. It may have been icy outside, but it was about 90 degrees in the gym. I was near the top of the gym, and I was ready to start coming out of some clothes. Finally, people opened the windows at the top of the gym. The cool air felt good.

Two Funny Things: During the fourth quarter of the Bowling Green-Warren Central girls game, a school janitor walked up the sidelines with a big nasty plunger. He got about three quarters of the way up the court, and the referee ran over him. Both guys were alright, but it definitely should have been a charging call.

Also, my group of family and friends had a big pile of coats on the floor in front of one of the bleachers. A little boy sitting beside me starting digging through our coats, which were mixed with his family's. I asked him, "did you lose something." He said that he did, so I started pulling coats back for him. Finally, he found an end of a hot dog lying on top of my parka. "Oh, here it is," the kid exclaimed. Then, he popped it in his mouth. You know, a hot dog tastes a lot better after it has been grunged into some stranger's coat and rolled around on the floor of a bleacher.

Happy Hoopsmas!

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.

Warren Central 85 - Franklin-Simpson 58

Warren Central High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky - 01-29-08

Something was trying to keep me from seeing Tuesday’s game between Franklin-Simpson and Warren Central. I had to work in Frankfort today, and one pesky problem after another cropped up during the weekday. On the trip home, I got caught up for over an hour on I-65 when some truck driver decided to turn a section of guardrail into modern art. That made me late getting back to the Rockfield Metropolitan Area.

After eating supper with my family, I was going to dash out the door and head for the Dragon’s lair on Morgantown Road. We were clearing the table when a line of thunderstorms sped through Warren County knocking out power to our house and apparently most of the southern end of the county. The wind blew a big hickory tree over on my garage. Somehow, it didn’t damage the building, but there is tree all over the backyard. There wasn’t anything I could do about the tree tonight.

I get a little antsy when there’s high winds because my property has 45 oak, hickory, and sassafras trees on it. One oak tree towers over the house. The thing is huge. It makes me nervous.

From our hill, which overlooks Bowling Green, I could see that the lights were still on in the city. So, I jumped in my truck and headed for Warren Central High School’s gym.

I got there at the end of the first quarter, and Franklin-Simpson had a 13-11 lead on the Dragons. I was sure I was in for a classic high school tilt between two very proud basketball programs.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats ran into a squall line that had the same ferocity as the one that rumbled through Bowling Green just an hour or so prior to the game. Franklin-Simpson failed to defend the perimeter, and the Warren Central storm starting raining treys on the Wildcats like an out-of-control super cell. I expected to see storm chasers flying into the gym with Doppler radars, IMAX cameras, and crazy electronic gadgets to measure what kind of storm could produce a thunderclap of three pointers like few have seen in these parts since the big hail storm in 1998.

Hail stones the size of basketballs and every one of them went through the net on Warren Centrals first half goal.

Warren Central hit five three pointers in-a-row, a lay-up, and another three-point shot. The furious run left Franklin-Simpson absolutely punch drunk.

That’s the cumulative effect of Warren Central’s press. They never stop pressing, and they never stop being aggressive. They are the most aggressive basketball team I've seen this season. Franklin-Simpson likes to attack the basket, but Central attacks everything. Central Coach Tim Riley uses the press the way it's supposed to be used: he uses it continuously. It's not a gimmick with Riley and not intended to spring a few steals or motivate his team. He uses the press the way the U.S. Air Force uses "shock and awe." The press is designed to wear down an opponent and to frustrate them. Warren Central does it masterfully.

The second quarter was a disaster for Franklin-Simpson. County Judge/Executive Jim Townsend should consider writing a letter to Governor Steve Beshear declaring the second quarter of Tuesday's game a disaster area. The governor's office would respond with one saying, "quit playing zone when Warren Central's shooters could throw a BB into a soda straw."

Warren Central outscored the Wildcats 31-12 in the second and took a commanding 42-25 lead to the break.

Franklin-Simpson continued to take atrocious shots in the second half, and the Dragons continued to grind them with a 2-2-1, no frills, press. Franklin-Simpson pressed the Dragons, as well. Any team that decides to play that type of defense against Warren Central better be prepared to play it with great intensity. They also make danged sure that they get back on defense because Central is going to attack the basket with the intensity of a west Kentucky thunderstorm.

The Dragons led 61-41 at the end of the third.

I don't have much to say about the fourth quarter. It was played because the rules say that it must be played. Late in the quarter, Coach Riley cleared his bench, and the reserves came out shooting and attacking the baskets. He has those kids programmed to play one way: all out.

Final: Warren Central wins by 27, 85-58.

OBSERVATIONS

Not Fair: An official called a charge on Rayco Bryant tonight that was clearly a blocking call. Bryant is a big player, and the ref might have taken that into account when he knocked the Central player to the court. "Sir Rayco" is going to have that happen to him. It reminds me of when Clarence Martin played at WKU. Referees whistled him for a lot of fouls that he didn't commit. Players sometimes ran into Martin and fell down. Then, an official would call "Big C" for the foul. Baby Bark...I mean Baby Shaq better get used to that.

What's That Sound: Warren Central has the best P.A. system Pick and Roll has ever heard. It is clear and crisp, and the announcer does an excellent job, too. He'll even comment on the action, but he is not overbearing. When Al Thompson shot a free throw that rounded the rim, he said, "made it around the turn and down the chute." I like that. It gets a "Three Thumbs Up" from Pick and Roll.

Shoot Out for Pizza: At halftime of Warren Central's games fans can pay a buck and take three point shot to win a free pizza. I love it.

In the Dark: I had to write this post in the dark. No names. No stats. It's all from memory. It's starting to get cold in the house, too. Battery powered laptops are great things.

Warren East @ Warren Central 12-07-07

There's a great big question hanging over the Fourth Region this basketball season: can the Warren Central Dragons hoist the regional championship trophy for the seventh time in as many years? It pops up in nearly every discussion, and it seems to monopolize the thoughts of every basketball fan in the Fourth. Every other team in the Region is tired of Warren Central storming through games like a loose herd of wild buffalo (thank you, Billy Jo Shaver), and they are ready to do something about it.

Throughout the football season the Warren East Raiders assumed the role of Rodney Dangerfield. They got no respect. Friday night, Russell Malone's basketball squad -- replenished after the football team's heart breaker loss to Lone Oak a week before -- didn't come into the "Dragon's Lair" tugging at their ties, fidgeting, and cracking "I don't get no respect." Instead, they took the court and matched Warren Central's usual intensity with their own brand of in-your-face, don't back down basketball.

East opened with a quick 10-4 lead on Central, and they seemed unfazed by the Dragon's constant full court press, which is a trademark of Coach Tim Riley's lasting success. East's guard #23 Jordan Ellis followed the quick start with a missed dunk, but he got the ball back, stepped out and nailed a three point goal. After a Central miss, he came back down the floor and hit another three point goal. The score was 16-7 in the Raider's favor.

I knew it was going to be a wild ride. I looked for a sign cautioning pregnant women and people with heart conditions not to board.

The Dragon's weren't going to let a cross-county rival come into the Lair and bloody their noses, so Tim Riley cranked the knob of his team's press all the way to 11 and came back after East. Central runs the press so well that I love to watch them. A coach at a major state university within site of Warren Central tries to use a full court press to snare turnovers and only uses it on occasion. Tim Riley, however, uses the press the way it should be used. He uses it constantly, and he intends it to wear teams down instead of popping a turnover every now-and-then. It reminds me of when Denny Crum had his great teams at Louisville, and they ground teams down with constant pressure.

With the press a Tim Riley coached team is never out of the game.

At the end of the first quarter the Raiders led 22-16, but the momentum had shifted back to the home team. Both teams had large crowds in the stands, and they had the gym rocking. The mood in the bleachers matched the mood on the hardwood. Forget Billy Jo Shaver songs, someone needed to que up The Troggs. "Wild thing, you make everything groovy."

I guess the game was too entertaining. Maybe the crowd was too loud. The officials turned the second quarter into a zebra fest. Perhaps they decided they wanted to be part of the show or they got tired of running up and down the court so much. They started whistling every touch, every hand check, and then if two players touched the ball at the same time, they knew there had to be a foul.

It was awful. They turned a wide open basketball game into a free throw shooting contest. The officials blew so many whistles that I thought I was in Havana and Fidel Castro had died.

The Warren East crowd thought they were getting the short end of the stick on the calls, but I must point out that several of their players were on the football field the week before. It's hard to make the transition from the turf to the maple wood in just seven days. I remember one year when traditional football powerhouse Mayfield played their first basketball game. They committed 37 fouls in a 32 minute basketball game. Warren East may have had the same problem in Friday's game.

Central's press and pressure was the other story for the second quarter. They climbed back into the game and had the lead at halftime, 35-34. The highlight of the quarter for the Raiders was DeAngelo Kirk's 23 foot three pointer that kept his team's momentum going.

At the half, I thought that Warren East had made their statement. They are a for real team in the 14th District and in the Fourth Region, but I thought that they could never match Central in the second half. East's hot shooting guard, Ellis, was saddled with four fouls, and a whole raft of them had three fouls after the officials decided to be part of the show.

A point down, Warren East opened the second half with a flurry and took a 45-37 lead on their hosts. Of course, Central came back with two huge plays by freshman George Fant, but everyone started to catch a sniff of upset in the air, including Russell Malone. He was after his players to keep up their intensity, and he even signaled to the throng of Raider supporters in the stands to clap and cheer. He knew his team had a shot at upending the six-in-row Fourth Region champs.

At the end of the third quarter, Central's Stephen Irvin committed a boneheaded move. Right in front of a whistle happy official, who was part of a crew handing out technical fouls like party favors, he slammed the ball down and let it bounce way up in the air. The official proudly signaled "T" and East got to end the quarter with two made free throws, making the score 55-49 in favor of the visitors.

Central wasn't going to go away, however. They never do. They can amp up their press at anytime and turn any team's legs to spaghetti -- over-cooked spaghetti. With 4:33 left in the game, the Dragons had a 59-56 lead over East, and it felt like the momentum had shifted to the home team's bench. East had lost two of its starters to foul trouble, and I no longer sniffed the scent of upset.

I was wrong, though. East wasn't backing down, and they regained the lead on a huge three pointer with 3:45 left.

With time running out and the score knotted at 68-68, freshman George Fant got the ball on the baseline with no one around him. He jumped up and put the ball on the rim, and it rolled off into the hands of a Raider rebounder. The "Wild Thing" game was headed for overtime.

Warren East did it. They took control of the extra period and prevailed 81-75. Throughout the game the Warren Central students chanted "WE CAN'T HEAR YOU" whenever their team got the lead. As the clock ran out on the overtime the East faithful answered with their own "WE CAN'T HEAR YOU."

I'm willing to bet that the Fourth Region heard the Raiders. Is Central's run over or will Tim Riley put together another team that will prevail at Diddle Arena in March? I think the Fourth Region is ripe for the picking this season. Central is not out of it, but there are several other teams who have a shot at punching their ticket to Rupp Arena this season.

OBSERVATIONS

Fant of Heart: Don't bet on it. George Fant is going to be a very good basketball player. It's a given that he is well coached, and he seems to respond to his coaching. He's got good hands and a soft shot. As he matures, he should become more aggressive about taking the ball to the rack. He'll be fun to watch develop this season and the next three.

Hometown Proud?: Throughout the game, Warren Central's PA announcer reported the score of Bowling Green's bid to be 5A football state champs. Fans from both sides of the court cheered loudly at the news of Highland's domination of the Purples. I hear that Bowling Green is going to change their name to the "Bills."

Two Games in Two Nights: I made it to the Bowling Green-UHA game on Thursday and the East-Central game on Friday. That won't happen very often because the Pick and Roll budget is in the tens of dollars and it's rolling stock is a fourteen year old pickup truck.