The faces changed but the result remained the same for the Warren Central boys’ basketball team, which repeated as Region 4 champions with a 56-52 win over Bowling Green on Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Warren Central managed a repeat despite losing a trio of starters – Jordan Cousin, Skyelar Potter and Micale Mee – that accounted for 70 percent of the team’s offensive production last year.

The Dragons countered that with a little experience – mainly returning senior starters Jamale Barber and Tayshaun Bibb – and seven transfers that helped play a part in a road back to the title filled with some bumps and bruises.

Warren Central coach William Unseld said after the win he knew the team was capable of repeating, but that it was going to take a little time to jell.

“It took us a while to find our rhythm and find a peace with each as far as ‘I know where he is going to be and I know where he is going to be,’ ” Unseld said. “I knew it would take a while and I told them it would. I told them I didn’t even care about our record. We are 20-11 now, but we are going to Rupp Arena.”

Warren Central’s season featured peaks and valleys as the new players tried to mesh with the returning roster. After a 5-1 start, the Dragons lost five out of seven – including the program’s first loss to District 14 rival South Warren.

The Dragons bounced back to win seven of the next eight – including victories over Bowling Green, Taylor County and Collins – but lost three of the final four regular-season games.

Warren Central fought back to beat Greenwood in the District 14 Tournament, but lost to Bowling Green in the championship game. The Dragons held off Glasgow in overtime to open the region tournament, then poured in a season-high 93 points in the semifinals against Logan County to set up Saturday’s championship win.

Unseld said the tough regular-season schedule – which also included John Hardin, Owensboro and Pikeville – would pay dividends in the postseason.

“That prepares you for these moments,” Unseld said. “I tell my kids, ‘I don’t coach for a regular-season record. We can be 0-18, 0-28. Let’s win when it matters most,’ so we scheduled tough to prepare us for this moment.”

Junior guard Kobe Brents, who transferred from Glasgow, said even during the rough stretches the team shared one common goal – win another region title.

“We had work to do, so we got our chemistry and stuff together and we just fought our hearts out and came in here and won this thing,” Brents said.

Junior guard Dre Boyd, an Adair County transfer who had 16 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win, said it may have seemed like the team was out of sync at times, but the team chemistry was there.

“It took a little bit, but really I feel like we’ve been together,” Boyd said. “It’s just at certain times stuff didn’t go right. We just had to get it all together at the same time and I think know we figured (it out).”

Unseld credits Bibb and Barber for their willingness to adapt to new teammates with the team’s success.

“It wouldn’t have worked if they didn’t want it to work, but they wanted to win,” Unseld said. “They were just like, ‘Let’s figure it out.’ They are so unselfish.”

Bibb said it was all part of following in the footsteps of last year’s seniors.

“I knew I had to step up more and be a leader,” Bibb said. “(Be more vocal) and make sure everybody was comfortable with what we were doing. It was just little things like matchups and knowing what we were running. Learning from the guys last year … I knew I had to step up and be more of a vocal leader.”

And ultimately it all came together when it mattered the most, with the Dragons once again headed to Rupp Arena for the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen.

“We all knew that we wanted to do this right here,” Bibb said. “A lot of guys wanted to win region. We all just bought in because of that. We got the job done.”{&end}