The Bowling Green girls’ basketball team is back in the Region 4 championship game after a 72-39 victory over Logan County on Friday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Bowling Green had three players score in double figures and held Logan County to 27.3 percent shooting to cruise into the championship game for the fifth time in six years and the seventh time in nine years.

“It just kind of alludes to the tradition that was built way before I got here and the girls being able to come in and adapt to my coaching style and me adapt to their playing style,” Bowling Green coach Calvin Head said. “It was a rocky road in the beginning, but they weathered the storm and kept fighting. For us to continue that tradition was one of (the) goals that I wanted to do when I got hired.”

Bowling Green took control with a 13-0 run in the first quarter that gave the Lady Purples a 15-4 advantage.

Logan County struggled to find the basket in the first half – shooting 6-for-27 from the field with 10 turnovers. A more than five-minute drought without a field goal for the Lady Cougars that stretched from late in the first quarter to almost half of the second quarter helped Bowling Green push the margin to 27-7.

The Lady Purples led by as many as 22 in the half, going into the break with a 37-16 lead.

Bowling Green continued to pull away in the second half, with Keyozden Jones’ 3-pointer late in the third quarter making the score 61-26 to start the KHSAA-mandated running clock the rest of the way.

“This is a very good moment for our program and all the girls involved,” Head said. “In this region specifically and coming out of the 14th district, to be able to reach the region finals is a daunting task when you look at it in the beginning of the year. I am very proud of this group that we’ve got. They’ve overcome a lot of obstacles and injuries throughout the season.”

Keely Moore led Bowling Green with 23 points. T’Alla Brown added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Taylor Ragland finished with 10 points.

“Being put out in the first round last year, to come back and play hard and win (it’s a blessing),” Brown said.

Kennedy Nichols finished with 14 points for Logan County.

“I thought my girls played hard,” Logan County coach Finley Baird said. “Most of the game, they gave it all they had. I thought we came out and our shooting was a little off. We were cold in the first half. We shot 21 percent, so you can’t win many ballgames when you shoot that from the field.”

Paige and Peyton Vanzant, who combined for 42 points in Monday’s opening round win over Metcalfe County, were held to 10 points total.

“The girls were probably tired of hearing their names,” Head said. “We knew after watching them play Metcalfe County and after watching some film … that they are tough and they are going to be around for a while. We did an excellent job of leveling them off and making it tough for them.”

Despite the loss, Baird said her young team made a lot of strides this season.

“I told them in the locker room that we would be back,” Baird said. “There’s no reason that we shouldn’t be, because our five starters will be back. We started three sophomores and two juniors … so I told the ladies to just work harder, be more determined and get it done.”

Bowling Green will face either South Warren or Glasgow at 6 p.m. Saturday.

LCHS 6 10 11 12 – 39

BGHS 18 19 24 11 – 72

LC – Nichols 14, Pe. Vanzant 6, Hale 5, Borders 5, Pa. Vanzant 4, White 2, Garrett 2, Alvis 1.

BG – Morrow 23, Brown 18, Ragland 10, Jones 6, Whitson 5, K. Gray 3, Martin 2, Owens 2, Gurley 2, J. Patterson 1.{&end}