BG’s ‘Energy Bus’ drives past Todd County Central
Published 10:51 am Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Bowling Green’s Amaya Brown (21) is defended by Todd Central’s Daymea Garrett (12) during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green junior Aniyah Smith (32) is defended by Todd County players during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green Lady Purples head coach Calvin Head claps after a Bowling Green basket during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green senior JaTyiah Miley (20) is defended by Todd Central’s Alexis Taylor (24) during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Todd County’s Alexis Taylor (24) is defended by Bowling Green sophomore Shayna Pratt (2) and Bowling Green senior Katy Smiley (10) at the basket during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green sophomore Emma Macy (12) drives to the basket during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green junior Kori Ware (40) congratulates Bowling Green sophomore Maddie Davenport (24) during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green sophomore Maddie Davenport (24) is defended by Todd Central’s Jordyn Shemwell (10) during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Bowling Green senior Katy Smiley (10) is defended by Todd Central’s JaMya Kay (2) during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
Todd Central head coach Nick Suttle watches his team during the Girls Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena on Monday, March 3.
“The Energy Bus” is still in service.
A self-help book from Jon Gordon read by Bowling Green girls’ basketball team assistant coach Chloe Head-Elam has become a theme for the Lady Purples with six players wearing yellow vests during pregame warmups to emphasize the importance of positive energy and team play.
Bowling Green needed a total team effort in Monday’s Region 4 Tournament opener, surviving a late push to hold on for a 37-35 win against Todd County Central in a rematch of last year’s region final. The Lady Rebels made a furious fourth-quarter charge and had a shot to win as time expired, but the five-time defending regional champion was able to survive and move on to Tuesday’s semifinal against Metcalfe County.
“We’ve got six kids that we call bus monitors,” BG coach Calvin Head said. “They have a job out there on the court. We want all of our kids on the energy bus and we’ve got some bus monitors that do the dirty work for us. They did a really, really good job – all six of them – in their own ways tonight helping impact winning.”
Todd County Central (15-14) held a slim 9-8 advantage after one quarter, but a pair of 3-pointers from Maddie Davenport during an 8-2 spurt to open the second gave Bowling Green (13-16) a lead it would not relinquish.
Bowling Green’s lead was 18-14 at halftime and increased to 29-20 after a free throw from Katie Smiley late in the third quarter.
A free throw to end the quarter and a 3 by Todd’s Daymea Garrett to open the fourth trimmed the deficit to 29-24. Bowling Green got the advantage back up to 34-26 after a layup from Kaydence Burton, but Todd County scored six straight to get within two with 1:45 left.
Two Smiley free throws with 30 seconds remaining made it a two-possession game, but the Lady Rebels answered with a 3 from Garrett to make the score 36-35.
Emma Macy split a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds left, giving Todd County Central one final shot. Todd County’s leading scorer Alexis Taylor got the ball just inside midcourt and turned a fired a potential game-winner, but the shot was short and to the left and bounced out of bounds as time expired.
“She’s a great player taking that shot,” Todd County coach Nick Suttle said. “She got herself squared up for it.
“ … The girls wanted this bad. They put in the work in the offseason for these big moments here and they are not scared of these moments. As you could tell tonight, they wanted it and they’ve got (the) heart of lions.”
Taylor led the Lady Rebels with 17 points, while JaMya Kay added eight points and nine rebounds. BG held Todd County to 20.5% shooting on the night.
“We are excited to be advancing to tomorrow night,” Head said. “We knew that was going to be tough. We talked about it before we got on the bus to come here, how hard it was going to be. I am looking here, Alexis had herself a night, but I thought we weathered the storm and when it got tough there at the end I thought they kept their composure and executed and got the ball in the right hands and didn’t turn it over.”
Davenport led the Lady Purples with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Smiley added eight points.
“Toward the end of our schedule we had some tough opponents, but that was done on purpose to help us be prepared for whatever was thrown our way,” Smiley said. “Each team we played had something that we needed (to play) against or work on guarding. It really helps and pays off in the end.”
TCCHS 9 5 7 14 – 35
BGHS 8 10 11 8 – 37
TC – Taylor 17, Kay 8, Garrett 6, Shemwell 4.
BG – Davenport 12, Smiley 8, Brown 6, Ware 4, Macy 3, Hall 2, Burton 2.
