It will be District 14 vs. District 15 in the opening round of the Region 4 Boys’ Basketball Tournament, with Warren Central drawing Barren County and Bowling Green facing Glasgow.

Warren Central (23-6), the three-time region champion, will face Barren County (19-12) at 6:30 p.m. on March 10 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Dragons beat Barren County 72-49 on Jan. 7 at Barren County and have won five straight overall in the series. It’s the first meeting in the region tournament between the two schools since 2022.

“It’s always different, tournament time,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “(Barren County coach Warren Cunningham) is one of the best coaches in the region. I have a lot of respect for him. We will have to get some stuff together over the next nine days and just play basketball and see what happens.”

Monday’s second game will feature Clinton County (28-2) facing Logan County at 8 p.m. on March 10. This is the first meeting between the two schools since 2019 and the first-ever meeting in the region tournament.

Bowling Green (25-6) will face Glasgow (5-22) at 8 p.m. on March 22. The Purples beat Glasgow 70-38 on Dec. 13. BG has won 12 straight in the series, with Glasgow’s last win in 2008. This will be the first meeting in the region tournament since 2016.

“They are a lot different team than when we played them,” Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill said. “They’ve got back an all-region player who is really good in Martin. They already had good guard play. We will re-educate ourselves about them over the next few days and try to get our team prepared.”

The fourth first-round game will feature Franklin-Simpson (11-13) facing Russell County (17-11) at 6:30 p.m. on March 11. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 2018 region tournament.

The semifinals are scheduled for March 17 at 6:30 and 8 p.m., with the championship game scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 19.

The tournament will begin later and be spread out over a longer time period this season due to the KHSAAA Boys’ Sweet 16 not beginning until March 26. There is a one-week gap this year between the Girls’ Sweet 16 and the Boys’ Sweet 16 with Rupp Arena hosting opening-round games in the Men’s NCAA Tournament.

“The fear now is flattening out, losing whatever rhythm you have,” Sherrill said. “It’s like you are starting the season all over again. Now it is the pace of what you do and how you prepare.

“You have to manage the layoff time correctly, make sure you don’t flatten out and keep them motivated by finding ways to keep them engaged for this length of time.”

The Dragons are hopeful the extra time will allow players to heal, although Armani Byrd — who missed Friday’s District 14 championship game with a knee injury — is not expected to play.

“It’s been one of the weirdest years for us injury-wise,” Unseld said. “It’s always felt like when we get one back, we lose one. We still are going to have to strap them up and play. We are going to prepare like he’s not playing. If he is fortunate to play that is a bonus, but we are going to prepare like he can’t.”