Bowling Green slides past Ashland 80-74 in overtime, advances to Sweet 16 Semifinals

After beating a 31-4 Calloway County team by 17 earlier in the week, the No. 22 Ashland Blazer Tomcats had trouble doing the same to the No. 24 Bowling Green Purples on Friday. Despite proving themselves on Wednesday, the Tomcats were unable to come out on top to advance to the Semifinals of the UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16.

Bowling Green defeated Ashland in overtime, 80-74. It sure wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win.

Ashland came out to a roaring start, specifically because senior Tyson Lalonde scored 14 points in the first quarter alone. The Tomcats were shooting 53% from the field on 8-15, including five three-pointers. Four of those came from a perfect Lalonde. The fifth three-pointer came from Zander Carter, a Liberty commit who turned down an offer to play at Overtime Elite last year.

As for the Purples, Bowling Green only attempted one three-pointer for the entire first quarter. At the end of the first, Ashland led by eight points and quickly extended the lead going into the half.

Bowling Green’s Kadyn Carpenter was the only reason the Purples were really able to compete for the first half. He led his team with 12 points at the end of the half and contributed to the 5-0 run to cut Ashland’s lead to only four.

Bowling Green’s Luke Idlett opened up the second half with a pair of free throws, but Ashland answered right back with a three by Preston Hoskins. Soon after, Zander Carter drained another and put Ashland up by six.

After shooting less than 50% during the first half, the Purples stepped up big time in the third quarter. Bowling Green shot 9-11 (82%) from the field and 5-9 from the free throw line. As for the Tomcats, the team shot 9-13 from the field in the third, with five of those shots coming from Carter. Going into the final eight minutes, Ashland led by five.

Luke Idlett hit a crucial three with seven minutes to go, tying the game at 57. Despite Ashland having a consistent lead for the majority of the game, the second-half Purples were picking up momentum. The Tomcats and Purples were trading baskets back and forth, but it wasn’t until Bowling Green’s Deuce Bailey grabbed Carter’s jersey that Ashland found some kind of breakthrough. Up six with four minutes go to, each play was more important than the last.

Like clockwork, Idlett hit another three-pointer, cutting the Tomcats’ lead back down to three. It was another three minutes before either team hit a field goal, a scoop and score by Bowling Green’s Idlett. At this point, the game was basically a defensive battle. There was less than a minute to go, and with no shot clock, the Purples were forced to foul. Ashland’s Carter hit both free throws at the 30-second mark, and Bowling Green called a timeout.

All the Tomcats needed here was a stop. Deuce Bailey hit a layup to tie the game with 15 seconds to go, and the Tomcats were unable to convert on the next possession. The Elite Eight battle was going to overtime.

While Ashland won the OT tip-off, the Tomcats couldn’t hit a shot on either of their first two possessions. However, neither could the Purples. In the four-minute overtime, neither team scored until Ashland’s Elijah Neel was fouled in the paint and hit a free throw to go up one. With less than two minutes to go, the Purples slowly walked the ball down the court. Ashland’s Preston Hoskins fouled Braylon Banks on a made layup. Banks made the foul shot and the Purples took their first lead since they were up 6-5 in the first quarter. Ashland couldn’t convert, and Bowling Green made yet another layup. Down by four, the Tomcats had gone completely cold, and there were only 44 seconds left.

Luke Idlett had come in clutch all game and hit a pair of free throws to give the Purples a six-point lead. Another couple of free throws from Bowling Green deadlocked the game, and the Tomcats couldn’t come back. The Purples continue to dance.

The No. 14 Bowling Green Purples will play the winner of No. 12 South Oldham versus No. 17 Jeffersontown at 11:00 a.m. EST for a shot in the championship game.