Oldham County 55- Bowling Green 48 (KHSAA Sweet 16)

LEXINGTON — The Bowling Green Purples entered the PNC/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen looking to make some noise.
Those hopes were dashed with a 55-48 loss to Oldham County in Thursday’s opening round, but the Purples remained positive following the game, reflecting on their first Region 4 title since 2009 and the program’s second since 1991.
“This is such a great group of kids,” BG coach D.G. Sherrill said. “They’ve really done everything I’ve asked them to do all year long. We weren’t picked to do a lot this year in our region or in the state. We lose a McDonald’s All-American (Chane Behanan, now with Louisville) and we come back and win more games.
“We win a district championship and a region championship and are back here with a chance to make a run in the Sweet 16. I’m just real fortunate to coach the team I coach. There was a lot of class out there.”
The Purples weren’t the preseason pick to win the region – Glasgow was the No. 1 team in the Bowling Green Daily News Area Top 10 – but Bowling Green worked through a 29-7 season that culminated with a 60-47 victory over Warren Central in the Region 4 title game. Bowling Green won 20 of its last 23 games and finished 17-2 against Region 4 opponents.
Bowling Green felt like they had something to prove all season, senior guard Scooter Hollis said
“Losing five starters last year, the fans and polls kind of looked over us,” Hollis said. “We were under the radar. We used that as motivation. It made our wins that much more special.”
There was also motivation from the football team, which won the 5A state title three days before the basketball team’s season opener. Seven members of the football team also were part of the basketball team.
“Most of us came from football so we decided this season we were going to make it about doing whatever we had to do to get here and win a couple of games,” senior Jalen Hunter said. “That didn’t happen, but bringing that winning nature from football to basketball helped us a lot. We played all the way from June to the middle of March. It’s been a really special season.”
Sherrill credited his senior class for much of the Purples’ success.
“They were classy kids to coach and they always brought great effort,” he said. “What they allowed me to do is play a lot of young kids with them. Jestin Wright, a junior, will step up next year and play a lot – so will all of the sophomores (including leading scorer Nacarius Fant).”
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