In a battle of two BGP top 20 teams, it is the Gators who emerge victorious at home in an incredible game.  Greenwood entered missing their leading scorer and stud Cade Stinnett, and it was Central that came out the sharper team early, leading the entire first half.  Greenwood was usually not far behind, getting strong play from Aaron Brown, but Central did take an 11 point lead at 31-20 midway through the second quarter.  They had a three to go up 14 that did not go, and then from that point on, Greenwood was the better team in almost every facet.  It started with a 7-0 run to close the first half, giving the Gators strong momentum and feeling great about being down just four after struggling much of the night.  The lead stayed between 4-6 points until the Dragons grabbed a 37-31 lead about 4-5 minutes into the quarter.  What followed was an and-1, three, and-1 for the Gators, a 9-0 run giving them their first lead of the night at 40-37.  They would not trail again in regulation, and I don't believe ever by more than 2 points the rest of the night.  But Central did not go away, aided by some missed free throws, and tying the game at 49 all on a pair of Glover free throws with 7.7 seconds left.  Greenwood got off a contested jumper that didn't go, and it was off to OT.  In the first overtime, the two teams traded leads, but the Gators got a Brown basket followed by a three to go up five with just more than a minute left.  They looked good for the win again, but Central got a two followed by a pair of Greenwood free throw misses to get a shot at the tie.  Jaiden Lawrence canned the corner three with just more than 2 seconds left in the period, tying it at 59, and it was off to the second overtime.  After the Dragons drained about a minute off the clock in the second extra session, a missed shot followed by traded turnovers led to an Aaron Brown jumper for the lead, and Greenwood would never trail or be tied again.  They still had to survive some poor choices/play in the close.  It was 66-64 and Greenwood ball when Aaron Brown broke free with Central in pursuit to foul.  He attempted a shot, missed, and Central suddenly had the ball with around 25 seconds left and a chance to tie or lead.  But the Dragons had no timeouts, and in the chaos, turned it over in the frontcourt without getting a shot off.  Greenwood went to the line with 4.4 seconds left and again missed two free throws, but Central had a pass tipped as they tried to get it to a player for a potential game winning shot. 

The crowd noise in the game tonight was DEAFENING.  I've never felt compelled to put in my Airpods at a game before just to block out noise, but tonight did it.  I seriously thought they were going to split my ear drums.  Tip of the cap to the Greenwood crowd for making some very real noise. 

Obviously, this game holds nothing but positives for Greenwood.  It means that realistically they'll either be the 1 seed outright or tied for it at worst.  They will play Warren Central at Central sometime within the next two weeks - I believe there's two dates they are negotiating between.  Win, and it's over, they're the 1 for the first time since district began seeding in 1999.  Lose, and it goes to a three-way tiebreak, assuming Bowling Green doesn't lose to South Warren for the first time ever.  That scenario would give the 1 seed to Warren Central (assuming they hold serve in all games) due to the "winner of the second game" head to head tiebreak.  Or, if Warren Central were to lose to either South or East in one of their other games (they play East twice next week), Greenwood will win it immediately as even if they lose to Central, they'd hold the "winner of the second game" head to head tiebreak with Bowling Green.  That they won this game without Stinnett is a testament to the strength of this team.  They're not just one guy, they are a deep and talented team, and senior-laden.  But put Stinnett back with them... man.  They are justifying their preseason favorite status in a big way.  Spoiler alert, they'll be back to #1 in next week's rankings. 

For Central, it's a missed opportunity.  It was a tough ask to win on the road against a still tough team, but they had to like their chances better with Stinnett sidelined.  It removes any realistic chance they had at clinching the 1 seed for the district outright, and the best they can hope for is a three-way tie.They will look back on this game and see a ridiculous amount of three point attempts as their downfall.  I heard it was over 30 - they hit eight.  They've returned to their roots this year in getting inside, but Greenwood is not an easy team to do that against.  In many ways, the Gators are a mirror image of Central's players.  Long, athletic, good size.  They zoned, they took charges, and they denied the interior passes as much as possible.  They are not bothered by Central's length like some other teams, but Central seemed bothered by theirs, as they were in district last year.  Greenwood may be just a very poor matchup for Central in any arena.  We'll find out in a couple of weeks, but it is worth noting that the only way they might see Greenwood in a district semifinal is if they win that game in a couple of weeks.  They actually might be better off with a loss there, giving Greenwood the 1 and taking on Bowling Green instead.  Of course, then they're likely to have to go through Greenwood in the region final.....

As with the other games in the round robin I'll note the cliche of "the series doesn't begin until the road team wins".  We're five games into the series among Bowling Green, Greenwood, and Warren Central.  No road team has won yet - there's only one more to go.  Stay tuned.

Also, I have to say while as a Dragon fan I prefer Central simply dominating, this is bar none, the most entertaining the 14th District has been in 12 years.  Warren Central and Bowling Green have had many great years back and forth, but it's always more intriguing when you add the third team in.  Not since 2010 has there been as much doubt in my mind as to who was the best team, who would come out on top.  You might even have to go back to 2008, when all four district teams were basically even.  I don't see anyone other than Greenwood, Bowling Green, or Warren Central winning this region, and I can't even say with confidence at all which one of them is going to be left on the sidelines of region.

That’s a strong district with those 3 teams. It’s a shame one of them has to be eliminated from regional play in the district tournament.