Take out the first quarter of the game Monday between University Heights Academy and Bowling Green and it would have been a contest that came down to the wire. Problem was, the Blazers fell behind early in their contest with the Purples and could never quite recover as the Bowling Green took a 63-51 win in the first game of the City of Hopkinsville Toyota Holiday Classic.
The inside-outside combination of Turner Buttry and 6-7 big man Mason Ritter combined to score all 18 of the Purples points in the opening quarter as Bowling Green took an 18-8 lead.
The Blazers’ defense then buckled down a bit and limited the Purples to just nine points in the second quarter. However, struggles from the field kept UHA from chewing into the lead. The teams would journey off to the locker room at the half with Bowling Green still holding a 27-18 lead.
Buttry heated up again in the third quarter, as Bowling Green took the lead out to as many as 19 points. Buttry scored 10 more in the third as the Purples’ lead was at 48-32 when the quarter ended.
Unlike last year’s two meetings between the teams, the Blazers would not Bowling Green run out and hide for the rest of the game. UHA kept battling but could never make that one big run to threaten the Purples over the final minutes.
Turner Buttry lead all scorers in the game with 30 points, including six made 3-pointers. Mason Ritter chipped in with 20 for the Purples.
UHA was led by Gavin Grubbs with 14 points. Matthew Hauret connected on three 3-pointers and hit double figures with 11 total points on the afternoon for the Blazers.
Bowling Green improves to 7-0 with the win.
UHA drops to 2-5 with the loss.
Both teams are back in action Tuesday at the City of Hopkinsville Toyota Holiday Classic.
BGHS — 18 9 21 17 – 65
UHA — 8 10 14 21 – 53
Bowling Green (7-0) – Buttry 30, Ritter 20, Starks 7, Barber 6, Wardlaw 1, Bailey 1
UHA (2-5) – Grubbs 14, Hauret 11, Wallace 7, Thomas 7, Walton 5, Quarles 4, C. Brown 3, J. Brown 2
