Joe Imel/Daily NewsWarren Central senior George Fant (center) goes up for a basket Wednesday against South Warren’s Cody Stumbo (left) and Josh Bartley during the District 14 Tournament at Bowling Green High School. — Click here for more photos from the 14th District tournament.

Warren Central started off on fire Wednesday night, and unfortunately for South Warren, it never cooled off.

Jordan Shanklin scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half and the Dragons (22-7) scorched SWHS 61-33 in the semifinals of the District 14 Tournament at Bowling Green.

Central clinches a spot in next week’s Region 4 Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena and a spot in Friday’s championship contest against host BGHS at 6 p.m.

The Dragons never trailed, opening a 14-3 lead in the first quarter and holding a 20-point advantage by halftime. Shanklin had 10 in each of the first two quarters and was 3 of 4 from behind the arc.

“When (Shanklin) has his big games, we go way up,” WCHS coach Tim Riley said. “He’s a tremendous player, and I hate to say this, but he’s a five-year varsity player, so it’s hard sometimes to just maintain that high energy. But he had a great game tonight. To me, he and (Christian County senior Anthony) Hickey are the best two points guards in the state.”

The Spartans (19-9), hoping for what would have been a monumental upset in the school’s first year of existence, were never able to get on track.

“All the credit goes to them,” SWHS coach Derrick Clubb said. “They were really good tonight. We would have loved to have played better, but last time I looked I believe they were eighth in the state. You win 19 games and you draw the eighth-ranked team in the state – there’s not a lot of districts that that happens.”

George Fant yielded to Shanklin’s performance, scoring 13 points, grabbing six rebounds and four assists. Frankly, Central didn’t really need the 6-foot-7-inch Western Kentucky signee on this night.

The Dragons went up 5-0 on a Shanklin 3 from the left corner after a Fant kick-out. Another Shanklin 3 from the top of the key made it 10-2 and two straight Shanklin pull-up jumpers from the top of the lane made it 14-3.

South got it to 16-9 at the start of the second, but WCHS responded with an 8-2 run that ended with a Shanklin steal and outlet to Fant, who hit a turnaround fade at 24-11.

Shanklin pushed it to 29-15 with an and-1 bucket while falling out of bounds and landing hard on his back. Fant made it 32-17 with an offensive rebound, spin and 360, right-handed jam.

Central led 39-19 at the half and 53-27 after three. It allowed SWHS, one of the better free-throw shooting teams in the state, to attempt four shots from the line.

— Click here for photos from the 14th District tournament.

Riley said that was part of the game plan while also trying to wear down South’s starters.

“They got four guys with some experience, and after that, they have no experience,” Riley said. “(Fant) played the one with no experience and laid him in the lane. Now, you can just get up in ’em and over-play them and if they do go by you – they run into 6-7 guy (Fant) waiting on them. That’s tough.”

South Warren’s Cody Stumbo scored 22 of his team’s 33 points and pulled down nine rebounds. The senior left the court in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation by SWHS fans and received hugs from his teammates – including one from former teammate and current Bowling Green player Austin Disney – before resting his head on the railing of the stands behind the bench.

“I’ve got a great group of kids that have started a basketball tradition out there that I hope the younger kids will carry on,” Clubb added. “(Stumbo) and Lane (Embry) and Daniel (Turner) and Caleb (Holloway) – I can’t say enough about them. I hate that it ends this way, but they really played well.”

SWHS 7 12 8 6 – 33WCHS 16 23 14 8 – 61

SWHS – Stumbo 20, Bartley 4, Holloway 4, Easley 3, Embry 2.

WCHS – Shanklin 23, Fant 13, Barber 7, Halsel 5, Maresca 5, Johnson 4, Smith 4.