LEXINGTON — One quarter made all the difference in the Boys Sweet Sixteen opener Wednesday afternoon.

East Carter, playing in the tournament for only the second time, came out sizzling and carried a one-point lead into halftime at Rupp Arena.

But quicker Warren Central dominated the third quarter and dashed the Raiders’ upset hopes 55-36.



“Once Central turned up the heat, turned up the pressure in the second half, they made us play a little quicker, a little faster,’’ said East Carter coach Brandon Baker. “They got us out of our comfort zone and we had trouble finding the basket.’’

Warren Central, the 2004 state champion and ‘05 runner-up, seized control with a 22-2 blitz in the last seven minutes of the third period.

The Fourth Region champs got on a roll by hitting their first eight floor shots of the second half, including consecutive 3-pointers from Jordan Shanklin and Jacob King to stretch the lead out to 39-23. Meanwhile, East Carter’s shooting turned ice cold — 1-for-14 in the quarter.

“Defensively is how we won the basketball game,’’ said Warren Central coach Tim Riley, whose team racked up 12 steals and made it difficult for the Raiders to get into their offense. “Even in the first half I thought they were very uncomfortable with us. I don’t think they enjoyed our speed, quickness and us getting up in them.’’

In the pivotal third quarter, Warren Central came up with four takeaways and converted all of them into points.

Baker said The Dragons’ quickness compared favorably with Second Region winner Christian County, a team East Carter beat in the Ashland Invitational Tournament.

“It’s not just the pressure, but the way they recover so quickly,’’ Baker said of Warren Central. “They constantly force you to make basketball decisions. If you lapse at all, they take advantage of that.’’

East Carter (23-6) came out blazing in its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1986.

The Raiders hit six of their first seven shots, capped by a Dylan Genung 3-pointer to make it 13-4.

“I wasn’t really surprised,’’ Baker said. “(Tuesday) in practice I thought we had that positive energy. I felt like we did a good job balancing the excitement coming through our school and community with our mental focus.’’

Unfortunately for East Carter, Warren Central answered with a 12-0 run to go ahead for the first time.

“When got the lead, we were excited to start out the game like that,’’ said East Carter guard Kyle Bair said. “I guess it kind of got to our head a little bit. They kind of turned the defense on us.’’

Tyler Clay’s 3-pointer put the Raiders in front 21-19 with 1:29 left in the second quarter, but the second half belonged to Warren Central.

Senior guard Troy Halcomb, MVP of the Fourth Region Tournament, provided the spark by scoring all nine of his points in the third quarter. He made a tough shot from the baseline to start the Dragons’ decisive surge.

Just prior to that, East Carter missed two free throws and a runout layup attempt while holding a one-point lead.

“We got off to a rough start in the third quarter, but if we made those two free throws and made that layup we maintain the momentum so to speak,’’ Baker said. “That may have energized us a little bit, and who knows how it would have played out? You have to credit Warren Central. They are a very good team. The turned the pressure up and made it tough for us.’’

The Dragons (23-8) won six consecutive region titles before missing out on the State Tournament the past two seasons.

“It got to be that our players thought it was their right, put on the jersey and you’re going to get to go to the State Tournament,’’ Riley said. “To go two years without going was hard on our kids. I think we have worked harder this year than any year since I’ve been here.’’

The Dragons played like a hungry team in their return to Rupp Arena. They shot 55 percent from the field and the defense held East Carter to 18 percent in the second half.

Standout post players Colt Barnhill of East Carter and George Fant of Warren Central mostly neutralized each other.

Shanklin led the Dragons with 16 points and guard Shamarcus Wells scored 11.

Barnhill had eight points and nine rebounds for East Carter. Six of his points came in the Raiders’ opening spurt.

ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.