After a cathartic victory over Franklin-Simpson in the 13th District championship on Friday put an end to a 13-game losing streak to the Wildcats, the Todd County Central boys’ basketball team struggled to get going in a 66-41 loss to Bowling Green on Tuesday in the 4th-Region tournament.
The Rebels’ season ended in the region quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 19-12 record. Bowling Green improved to 25-8 and advanced to face Barren County in Monday’s semifinal.
Preston Rager scored the Rebels’ first five points, but they only managed two over the final 6:40 of the first quarter. Braylon Banks knocked down a pair of free throws with one second left to put the Purples in front 16-7.
Bowling Green used a 10-2 run at the start of the second frame to blow the game open. Gavin Lightning scored on a three-point play and a three-pointer to take a 26-9 advantage and force a Todd Central timeout with 4:09 left in the first half.
Jamison Glass scored in the lane to cut the margin to 14 with just over two minutes played in the third, but the Rebels didn’t score again in the quarter. Bowling Green’s Mason Ritter dropped six straight to stretch the lead to 20, and the Purples were up 49-24 with a quarter to play.
Rager made the most of his last eight minutes in a Rebel uniform, knocking down three three-pointers to finish with a game-high 16 points. Glass reached double figures with ten to go with six rebounds and four blocked shots.
Todd Central shot 33% from the field, five of 19 from behind the arc, and was outrebounded by seven. The Rebels lost the battle in the paint 32-12 and were outscored 11-0 in transition.
Bowling Green was 26-46 for 56% and shot a blistering six of 13 from three-point land. Duece Bailey scored 13, and Ritter tallied 13 points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots. Banks had 11, and Lightning scored 11 and collected seven rebounds.
Bowling Green 16 20 13 17 — 66
Todd Central 7 11 6 17 — 41
Bowling Green (25-8) — Bailey 13, Ritter 13, Banks 11, Lightning 11, Wardlow 9, Griffin 3, Idlett 3, Starks 3
Todd Central (19-12) — Rager 16, Glass 10, Strader 6, Whitlock 5, Foster 4
