LEXINGTON – Warren Central boys’ basketball coach William Unseld fought back tears after Saturday’s 70-52 loss to Scott County in the semifinals of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena.

Unseld’s tears weren’t because the season ended, but more because the loss meant the end of a senior class that meant so much to him. Saturday’s loss was the final high school game for Jamale Barber, Tayshaun Bibb, Tre Pillow, Kris Horn and Jerrius Borden.

Unseld said he specifically told Bibb and Barber, who have been on the varsity team since their freshmen season, not to be sad. He told them to be proud of how they ended their careers. After losing in the opening round of the District 14 Tournament as sophomores, Barber and Bibb were starters for teams that made it to the state semifinals in back-to-back seasons. Pillow and Borden also played in both Sweet Sixteen tournaments, while Horn returned to Warren Central his senior year to be a key contributor.

“They’ve done something that nobody thought they could do,” Unseld said. “They came through Warren Central at a time when people thought Warren Central basketball was over and we’ve been to back-to-back final fours. So I told them that you guys left a heckuva legacy.”

That legacy was cemented with a postseason that began with the Dragons needing a 19-1 game-ending run to avoid another loss to Greenwood in the opening round of the district tournament. While Warren Central fell short in the district championship to Bowling Green, the Dragons would still get the chance to repeat as Region 4 champions.

Warren Central survived in overtime against Glasgow before rolling past Logan County in the semifinals. That set up a rematch with the Purples, where the Dragons prevailed 56-52 to win back-to-back region titles for the first time since 2010-11.

Warren Central opened the Sweet Sixteen by wearing down Mayfield. The Dragons overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit to beat Madisonville-North Hopkins in the quarterfinals.

Like last season, the run ended with a loss to eventual state runner-up Scott County in the semifinals, but for Unseld it didn’t take away from how much this class meant on and off the floor.

“Off the floor they are special,” Unseld said. “They are special young men. They have bright futures and I am not talking about athletics. It’s unbelievable what they have done for our school. It’s bigger than basketball. It’s what they have done for our school. The spirit and pride that they have instilled into the program and into our school has been unbelievable. They probably don’t understand right now what they meant to it, but they will as time goes on.”

The players were also appreciative of what Unseld did for them. Horn said Unseld taught them all to be better men. Barber said his coach taught him more than basketball.

“(He) taught us how to carry ourselves on and off the court,” Barber said. “We just love the program and we are glad we got back to the final four. A lot of teams don’t get this opportunity. To end my season this way, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”