Bowling Green Purples advance to semifinals with 80-74 OT win over Ashland Blazer

LEXINGTON, Ky. – On Friday, the Bowling Green boys’ basketball team took the court with Ashland Blazer in the quarterfinals of the KHSAA Sweet 16 Tournament.

The Purples and the Tomcats met earlier in the season when BG took the win 61-55, but getting another win this time in the state tournament would not be as easy.

Ashland Blazer came out blazing in the first half of the regulation, shooting 55.6% from beyond the arc and holding a lead through the first two quarters.

Bowling Green struggled to get things going from its own three-point line, until senior Luke Idlett sunk a triple before halftime and the Purples offense slowly started to come alive.

By the end of the 4th quarter, BG had held a lead for just 20 seconds, but it was enough to tie up the game at 67 and send this matchup into overtime for the second consecutive extra minutes game for the Purples.

“We were all just trying to stay composed, stay together and not get shaken up by the lead they had,” senior Deuce Bailey said. “We just wanted to stay together and then if we stay together and keep our composure, we can keep chipping back at the lead and get back on top.”

“We did have some low phases, but I was just telling my guys that the game’s not over till the clock hits 0:00,” senior Kadyn Carpenter said. “Once we were all locked in and when it hit 0:00, we got the great outcome.”

And a great outcome this proved to be for Bowling Green, who outscored Ashland Blazer 13-7 in overtime to take the final victory in a score of 80-74.

Luke Idlett had an outstanding offensive outing for the Purples, notching 26 points and going a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. Deuce Bailey and Kadyn Carpenter followed right behind Idlett with a respective 18 points and 17 points.

Postgame, head coach DG Sherrill spoke on how meaningful it is to this group of seniors to advance to the final day of the season.

“Our guys, they stayed in the fight, and they stayed committed,” Sherill said. “They know their character and you can’t measure ‘hard.’ They didn’t quit and they haven’t quit. It’s been three weeks now. They just haven’t quit. We’ve had like a month off between games and so it’s hard to keep up, but they just didn’t quit, and I think that shows their character in their heart.”

The Purples will meet South Oldam in the semifinals on Saturday, March 29, at 11 a.m. ET inside Rupp Arena.