Warren Central breezes by South Warren during intra-county showdown, securing 84-53 victory
The Warren Central Dragons (8-7) defeated the South Warren Spartans (9-9) by a score of 84-53 in a pretty straightforward manner on Friday night in western Kentucky. The Dragons graduated most of their state championship squad from last season, but aren’t left without talent.
The Dragons put their depth on display with most of their guys getting minutes. The biggest contributing factor to their victory, though, was their ball movement and defensive pressure. Scoring 32 points in the third quarter was helpful, too.
Senior WKU commit Kade Unseld suffered a knee injury early last fall and has been on restricted minutes this season. Friday night was his first game with the cap at 24 minutes (it was previously 16 minutes), and his contributions were valuable for the Dragons, to say the least.
“We’re a lot better with a Division I basketball player on the floor, and it’s hard to replace that,” head coach William Unseld said after the game. “Not only can he shoot it and score, he can also pass it… that’s been great having him on the floor.”
First Half
Warren Central had the upper hand from the get-go. The Dragons’ defense was solid enough to hold the Spartans to just four points in the first quarter, having gone on a 13-0 streak before South Warren put a few on the board.
The Spartans got some shots to fall in the second quarter and were able to bring it to 26-20 with the Dragons leading, the closest point differential in the game, largely due to contributions from juniors Bryce Button and Griffin Rardin.
But, seniors Drevin Bratton and Elijah Starks kept coming back with answers which allowed the Dragons to close the first half with a 33-22 lead.
Second Half
The third quarter is when the Dragons started rolling. After Coach Unseld preached about taking open shots in the locker room, it was lights out. Senior Cadin Hammer added 14 points in the third quarter alone. Kade Unseld got a piece of the pie, too, nailing three triples in a row.
After ending the third ahead 65-40, the Dragons had more than enough wiggle room to get their offense moving, often finding Drevin Bratton under the rim. With four players tallying points in double digits, it’s safe to say the Dragons shared the wealth.
When it was all said and done, the Dragons finished on top 84-53. After starting the season 1-5, Warren Central has won seven of its last nine (including two wins against South Warren). I think it’s safe to say they’re back in their groove.
“They played hard,” Coach Unseld said. “That’s been an emphasis of ours for the last couple days is playing faster and playing harder, and they did a good job at doing that.”
The Dragons look forward to playing Elizabethtown (14-6) on Saturday afternoon in the Wes Strader Schoolboy Shootout.
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