After dropping the District 14 championship game to Bowling Green, Warren Central’s reward was a matchup with District 16 champion Russell County in the opening round of the Region 4 Tournament, which begins Wednesday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The pairings were determined during a draw Saturday at South Warren immediately following the District 14 title game.

Warren Central (21-8) and Russell County (16-9) will meet at 6 p.m. Friday in a rematch of the 2013 Region 4 championship game, won by Warren Central. It is the fifth time since 2007 the teams have met in the region tournament, with the Dragons 3-1 in those meetings.

The two teams did not face each other in the regular season.

Russell County has won eight straight games under first-year coach John Tinsley, who coached at Glasgow last season.

“Every game is going to be tough,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “Tinsley is an excellent coach. They have some talented guys. We have to get better and fight a little more. We’ve been here a few times, so we know we are going to get a tough game no matter who it is.”

The winner will face the winner of Monroe County (27-3) and Russellville (13-12).

The Falcons won District 15 and are 18-0 against region opponents, including a 62-53 win over the Dragons in December.

It will be the first meeting this season between the two schools.

“Russellville is a top-notch team as well or they wouldn’t be in this position,” Monroe County coach Steve Kirkpatrick said. “We’re going to go at them and figure out what they have done. We’ve not played Bowling Green, Logan County or Russellville this year. We have to keep building off what we are doing and keep getting better.

“When it comes tournament time … you are going to face good competition.”

The tournament begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday with District 13 champion Logan County (19-8), looking for its first Region 4 Tournament win since 1998, facing District 15 runner-up Barren County (21-8).

The Trojans beat Logan County 79-55 in Barren County on Jan. 27.

Wednesday’s second game will feature District 14 champion Bowling Green (25-5) facing District 16 runner-up Clinton County (18-11).

The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Keifer Dalton. It will be the first time the two schools have met since Bowling Green won in the 2010 region semifinals 61-41. The Purples are 10-1 all-time against Clinton County, but BG coach D.G. Sherrill said his team cannot overlook the Bulldogs.

“There is not a good draw in this thing,” Sherrill said. “They have a really good guard. He is a senior and is not going to go home quietly. They have a big kid inside. They are extremely well-coached. We are liable to see all kinds of crazy defenses. We haven’t seen them. We haven’t played them, so it is a very unfamiliar opponent.”

The semifinals are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. March 9, with the championship at 6 p.m. March 10.

— Follow prep sports reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter at twitter.com/mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.