4th Region Tournament Notes/Musings

[DragonFire]

Less of a formal article, rather than a stream of consciousness notes as we stand three days prior to the semifinals of the 4th Region tournament:

 

-With Greenwood's exit last night against Clinton County, they now have exited in the quarterfinals of the region tournament in each of their only two appearances since they won the region in 2008. Those exits in 2013 & 2017 are the only times since 2009 that the 14th District has not placed two teams into the semifinals.

 

-In all, this is just the third time in the last 13 years that the 14th District didn't have both representatives advance to the region semifinals, and just the fourth since 2002.

 

-The last four times a 14th District team was eliminated in the region quarterfinals, a 16th District team eliminated them (Monroe County over Bowling Green in 2004, Russell County over Warren Central in 2009, Russell County over Greenwood in 2013, Clinton County over Greenwood in 2017).

 

-Not to continue too much on that particular game - the only even borderline competitive game in the quarters as the only one with a margin under 10 points (barely) - but it eliminated what would have been one of the best narratives of the region tournament. It was the last game of suspension for seniors Dawson Crump and Chris Agro, the two leading scorers on the team prior to suspension. Had they advanced, they would have been in play for the semifinals and beyond. Crump had one of his best games in what ultimately was the final game of his career, a 79-71 OT loss to Bowling Green where he dropped 38 points. Only five of Bowling Green's 31 games against Kentucky teams have ended in a loss or a margin of victory of under 10 points. Greenwood had two of those five games, Franklin-Simpson one of the others. The idea of Bowling Green going through both at full strength was intriguing, but not to be.

 

-With Greenwood's exit, Franklin-Simpson is generally seen as the only obstacle left in Bowling Green's path, with apologies to Russellville and Clinton County. The Purples have not played Clinton County this year, but have won their last five meetings with the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Bowling Green drug Russellville by 19 in late February and has won 13 in a row against the Panthers. BG would be a heavy favorite over either. While Franklin-Simpson did lose by 13 at BG, they did fall by just 3 points to the Purples in their January meeting in Franklin, a game the Wildcats famously led by 13 with just over 4 minutes left. Franklin has proven they CAN play with Bowling Green, now to see if they can do it at Diddle.

 

-Bowling Green has not lost at Diddle Arena since 2011, hasn't lost a region semifinal anywhere since 2001, and has made the region finals of the last nine region tournaments they participated in.

 

-Bowling Green hasn't lost a region tournament game to a team from outside the 14th District since 2004 - 22 straight wins.

 

-Bowling Green hasn't lost to a 13th District team in the region tournament that wasn't Russellville since 1984 - the state champion Logan County Cougars.

 

-Bowling Green is 21-7 in postseason play against Franklin-Simpson, but 8-1 against them in the region tournament. That lone loss was in the 1971 region finals. The Purples have won seven straight against them at the region tournament, including four wins under Coach Sherrill.

 

-Franklin-Simpson is in the semifinals for the first time since 2009. The team that eliminated them in 2009? Bowling Green, in the region finals.

 

-Franklin-Simpson is seeking just their second region final appearance since they won the region in 1992. It would be just their fourth since 1980, when they ended a run of six region final appearances in 12 seasons.

 

-Bowling Green is seeking their fourth straight region final appearance as well as a fourth straight region title.

 

-Russellville is seeking their first region final appearance since 2001, when they ended a run of four straight appearances in the title game - three of which led to titles. Russellville has lost in their last five trips to the region semifinals.

 

-Russellville's 2001 title remains the last one won by a team outside the 14th District.

 

-Clinton County's only region final appearance came 57 years ago, in 1960, against Metcalfe County (winning their only region title). It was played at Bowling Green High School. They've lost in their last six region semifinal appearances.

 

-Neither Clinton County, nor their forerunner Albany (same school, different name) have ever won a region semifinal game at Diddle Arena.

 

 

A lot of random trivia honestly, but things that interest me that I really just wanted to get out there. Ultimately, I think Bowling Green wins by around 10 against Franklin. The Purples have hit on all cylinders down the stretch, as they almost always do. That their win over Barren County in the quarterfinals felt like a close-ish game - won by just 17 points - speaks volumes. The overtime win over Greenwood that objectively they really should have lost is the only game Bowling Green has not won by double digits since their January 23rd comeback against Franklin. They've won their three postseason games by an average of just over 35 points per game. And they just win at Diddle Arena, and they especially win at Diddle Arena when it's not against a team in the 14th District. Franklin has been dominating teams too, also having not played a single digit game since University Heights on February 4th, but there is a mental aspect they have to overcome that I'm not certain they will. They were very lackluster outside of the third quarter against Russell County, a team they should've annihilated immediately. Perhaps they were looking ahead.

 

Whichever one comes out of that game, I just can't see the winner on the other side having a shot. Russellville's closest result against the pair was their 19 point loss to Bowling Green. Franklin beat them by 20+ each time. Franklin also played Clinton County and beat them by 20. Franklin-Simpson's loss to Owensboro Catholic - a very solid team - is the only one by either Bowling Green or Franklin to an in-state team that isn't in the BluegrassPreps top 20. It just really seems like the Monday night semifinal is the real region final. If the Purples blow it out, you could argue that the real region final was when the Purples fielded a team. Either Russellville or Clinton County would have some nice narratives if they made the finals. For Russellville it's a chance to put Phil Todd back into a region final, just like their last one 16 years ago. For Clinton County it would be the culmination of a 57 year drought of not making the finals. Both solid accomplishments.

 

But Bowling Green is going to win.

[MentschTrachtGottLacht]

I hate the long delay between quarters and semis, but I get it.

 

I hate that Franklin-Simpson and Bowling Green are playing in the semis.

 

I'd love to see F-S get over the hump against the Purples, if only for my own sanity after their last game melt-down, but agree with you completely that Bowing Green will be winning the 4th Region (again).

[sweet16]

I hate the long delay between quarters and semis, but I get it.

 

I hate that Franklin-Simpson and Bowling Green are playing in the semis.

 

I'd love to see F-S get over the hump against the Purples, if only for my own sanity after their last game melt-down, but agree with you completely that Bowing Green will be winning the 4th Region (again).

 

Why is there the gap?

 

I noticed the girls played on Sunday as well.

[DragonFire]

The gap is there because of the girls tournament. Ever since the move to where the boys' Sweet 16 come after the girls' most years, the region tournament here has been pretty standardized when both play at the same venue. Girls play first two days, followed by boys, then girls semifinals, girls finals, day off, boys semifinals, boys finals. This has been slightly complicated in recent years by the schedule now taking place in the final week of the regular season for WKU. I think the C-USA always has it set up for the men and women to play on the same night, with one on the road and one at home. So it's guaranteed most years that WKU will have need of Diddle Arena on Thursday and Saturday. So the girls have been bumped up to Sunday/Monday, boys to Tuesday/Wednesday, Thursday off, girls semis on Friday, Saturday off, Girls finals on Sunday, boys semis on Monday, boys finals on Tuesday.

 

It wouldn't work anymore due to the need for Diddle for WKU, but one year (2009), they played all the region quarterfinals on Saturday after a week off. I, as a fan of the games, loved it. Coaches and players despised it.

 

I really miss the old schedule from 2006 and before, when the guys would do what the girls do now (or did before the C-USA stuff). Monday-Tuesday-Friday-Saturday. Sweet 16 would begin the following Wednesday. I've never understood what happened to force the guys to go after.

[sweet16]

The gap is there because of the girls tournament. Ever since the move to where the boys' Sweet 16 come after the girls' most years, the region tournament here has been pretty standardized when both play at the same venue. Girls play first two days, followed by boys, then girls semifinals, girls finals, day off, boys semifinals, boys finals. This has been slightly complicated in recent years by the schedule now taking place in the final week of the regular season for WKU. I think the C-USA always has it set up for the men and women to play on the same night, with one on the road and one at home. So it's guaranteed most years that WKU will have need of Diddle Arena on Thursday and Saturday. So the girls have been bumped up to Sunday/Monday, boys to Tuesday/Wednesday, Thursday off, girls semis on Friday, Saturday off, Girls finals on Sunday, boys semis on Monday, boys finals on Tuesday.

 

It wouldn't work anymore due to the need for Diddle for WKU, but one year (2009), they played all the region quarterfinals on Saturday after a week off. I, as a fan of the games, loved it. Coaches and players despised it.

 

I really miss the old schedule from 2006 and before, when the guys would do what the girls do now (or did before the C-USA stuff). Monday-Tuesday-Friday-Saturday. Sweet 16 would begin the following Wednesday. I've never understood what happened to force the guys to go after.

 

KHSAA is thinking about moving the boys ahead of the girls to avoid the NCAA tournament 1st round.

[DragonFire]

I really hope they do. I miss the old style a lot. We used to go out and celebrate every year after the region finals, and now with that being on a Tuesday night, it's a rarity that anyone will do that.

[Jim Schue]

KHSAA is thinking about moving the boys ahead of the girls to avoid the NCAA tournament 1st round.

 

That's not ideal if they play at the same time as the SEC tourney. That takes a lot of fans away from Rupp Arena.

[Jim Schue]

Consider me on board with Franklin, just because I've got lots of good buddies from there and went to see a few games at their place back in my days at Western. Saw a few 4th Region tourneys as well.

[sweet16]

That's not ideal if they play at the same time as the SEC tourney. That takes a lot of fans away from Rupp Arena.

 

Week before the girls . Girls stay the same week. Cut a week from the season

[mwthrasher]

Go Clinton County!