Warren Central upsets No. 7 Bowling Green, will defend Sweet 16 title at Rupp Arena

The Warren Central Dragons pulled off a huge upset against the No. 7 ranked Bowling Green Purples in a 64-57 overtime win on Tuesday night. Against the odds, Warren Central claims the 4th Region title and advances to the KHSAA Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.

The Dragons will now look to defend its 2023 state championship next week at Rupp Arena.

Once you make it to postseason play, previous struggles or triumphs must be left in the past, because anything can happen in March. The Dragons just proved this right. After going 16-11 on the season, Warren Central has peaked at just the right time.

“[Going to Rupp] never gets old, but I told the kids if we win this one, this’ll be the best one yet,” head coach William Unseld said after the game. “Everything was against us… I told them I don’t know if we can beat [Bowling Green] multiple times, but if you get me to Diddle, I promise you I’ll give you a shot to win it.”

The regional championship game was the fourth time Bowling Green and Warren Central have met this season. Bowling Green won all three, including the 14th District championship earlier this month. Both teams know one another very well, and the Dragons played on their defensive strengths by out-rebounding the Purples and keeping the ball away from MJ Wardlow and Deuce Bailey as much as possible.

There were no easy buckets in this one, but WKU commit Kade Unseld sure made it seem like there were after going 6-7 from 3-point range and 7-11 from the field, totaling 26 points and seven boards.

“Kade said ‘Dad, I’m gonna win it,'” head coach William Unseld said after the game. “He made plays, those back-to-back threes were huge… That’s just what he does, he’s a winner.”

Warren Central pulls off the UPSET!!!!! The Dragons will advance to the Sweet 16!!! @DubCHoops pic.twitter.com/k5CkGQVKXH

— Piper McCoun (@PiperMcCounKSR) March 13, 2024

First Half

Upon tipoff, both teams were off to the races. Jace Wardlow played a huge part in keeping the Dragons at bay, keeping Bowling Green’s offense on their feet and disrupting Warren Central’s defensive efforts. The teams went back and forth until a seven-point scoring run separated the Purples 21-14 at the end of the first quarter.

It was more of the same in the second quarter. Bowling Green kept a decent lead throughout, but Cadin Hammer and Elijah Starks got good looks to keep up the pace. Starks powered through multiple defenders to close the score gap to 27-23 with Bowling Green leading, but the Purples used big man Mason Ritter and Wardlow to give them a 31-23 lead.

The Dragons held the ball for a while on their last possession before the half and got a nearly wide-open look for Hammer at the buzzer to close out the first half at 31-26 with Bowling Green ahead.

Cadin Hammer with the buzzer beater for @DubCHoops!!

The first half closes with Bowling Green leading Warren Central 31-26. pic.twitter.com/RVqFuamg5x

— Piper McCoun (@PiperMcCounKSR) March 12, 2024

Second Half

Bowling Green kept their lead for the entirety of the third quarter. Bailey, Ritter, and MJ Wardlow kept momentum on the Purples side. A blocking foul on Unseld allowed MJ Wardlow to knock down two free throws to end the third quarter ahead at 45-37.

Something sparked for the Dragons in the fourth though. Kade Unseld knocked down a three to open the fourth, which gave Warren Central complete control and momentum. They were able to hold the Purples to just three points in the fourth quarter.

Dreving Bratton tied it up at 46 with an open look under the bucket, and two-pointers for the Purples and the Dragons closed out the fourth at 48-48 with overtime on the horizon.

Kade Unseld scored back-to-back threes to put the Dragons ahead 54-51 in the extra period, but what really sealed their fate was rebounds off free throws. Bratton went to the line on a few different occasions for the Dragons and missed, but Warren Central recovered the ball and was able to capitalize on those second-chance opportunities.

When it was all said and done, the Dragons battled in overtime to take the 4th Region title in a 64-57 win. Warren Central looks ahead to play Harlan County on Thursday, March 21 in the first round of the KHSAA Sweet 16 state tournament.