Warren Central rallies to beat Murray, claim final spot in Sweet 16 semifinals
Early returns were not promising for No. 5 Warren Central on Friday night. Despite sinking four three-pointers in the first six minutes, Warren finished the first quarter trailing by eight to the hot-shooting No. 23 Murray Tigers. Then the switch flipped, and the Dragons never looked back. Three quarters later, they left Rupp Arena with a 54-48 win and a date in the UK Healthcare Boy’s Sweet 16 semifinals in their back pocket.
Warren Central turned up the defense several notches in the second quarter, holding Murray without a made field goal for nearly seven minutes spanning halftime. They pulled within two just before the break on this bucket from junior guard Omari Glover, who finished with 11 points:
The Dragons picked up right where they left off in the fourth quarter, as sophomore Kade Unseld nailed a corner triple to finally retake the lead. They would go on to make their next three shots as well, capping a 14-0 run that started late in the third quarter. By the time the dust settled, the Tigers found themselves trailing by eight.
Murray did fight back late, cutting the deficit back to two points in the final 30 seconds. But Warren Central made a living at the free throw line, as senior Jaiden Lawrence made four consecutive charity shots to put the game away.
“We made plays when we needed to,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said after the game. “Sometimes you’ve just got to get ’em and calm ’em down. They’re teenagers, they’re emotional.”
It was a typically steadfast performance for the Dragons, who showed great poise in another comeback win on Thursday over second-ranked Male. This time they won in a defensive slugfest, putting the clamps on Murray and star guard Grant Whitaker from the second quarter on. The Tigers made as many shots in that prolific first period (10) as they did the entire rest of the game.
Whitaker did get his licks in, scoring a game-high 23 points on 11-16 from the field. But the Dragons made life hard for him by clogging the passing lanes and fighting hard on the glass. The junior point man finished the game with as many turnovers (2) as assists.
“I was just saying how crazy it is, this dream that you have back in August [of] playing on this UK court,” said Whitaker, who was named to the All-Tournament team. “Obviously we came up short, but just playing with these guys each and every day is what it’s all about.”
For Warren Central, the dream of winning their first state title in 18 years is still very much alive. They’re due to face No. 3 Covington Catholic in a top-five tilt Saturday afternoon — a matchup that almost happened in the state title game four years ago, had the Dragons not lost to Scott County in the semis.
“We’re getting to the finish line,” Unseld said of the semifinal matchup. “[it’s] gonna be a heck of a challenge, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.”
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