LEXINGTON, Ky. Led by a 6-foot-9 jumping jack and a 6-7 strongman, the Owensboro High School boys basketball program is standing tall once again.

The 6-9 Aric Holman posted 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks and the 6-7, 246-pound Justin Miller earned tournament MVP honors after finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as Owensboro whipped Bowling Green 74-58 in Sunday’s final of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.

A crowd of 11,435 saw Owensboro (31-4) — No. 16 in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings — capture its fourth state title but first since 1980. Owensboro is the seventh school in state history to accomplish four state crowns, joining Henry Clay and Lafayette with six apiece and Ashland Blazer, Male, Manual and St. Xavier with four.

“This has been our dream since sixth or seventh grade when we came together and started working together,” senior forward Dylan Sanford said. “We’ve worked our butts off ever since. This is just a crazy, amazing feeling.”

Sanford was the X-factor for the Red Devils on Sunday, hitting 4 of 9 3-point attempts and scoring a season-high 21 points.

GALLERY | Owensboro wins Boys State Championship

But Holman was the game’s most dominant player, altering several more shots than the eight he blocked.

Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill said Holman had triple-doubles in two previous victories against his team this season.

“I kept working the referees trying to get a whistle,” Sherrill said with a laugh. “There probably wasn’t one there, but I was begging for one anyway. We kept going to the rim and going to the rim, but that’s been the difference every time we’ve played them. They have a lot of size in there.”

Terry Taylor had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead the Purples (31-6), who were playing in their first state final. Tucker Sine posted nine points and seven rebounds, and Kyran Jones pitched in eight points and eight boards.

Bowling Green shot just 35.9 percent (23 of 64).

“We showed some immaturity in some spots, and the basket got a little small for us,” Sherrill said. “We picked a bad game to have one of our lower performances for shooting from the field. … I’m still so proud of them. We’re taking home a big ol’ silver ball tonight. That means we accomplished something up here.”

The Red Devils never trailed, jumping to a 13-3 lead and taking a 27-23 advantage at halftime.

They took control in the third quarter, opening with a 16-3 run. Sanford nailed a 3-pointer to start the surge, and Darion Morrow capped it with a jumper at the 3:31 mark for a 43-26 lead.

“I knew I was going to get some shots,” Sanford said. “It was just a matter of us moving the ball, and we did that. We did that all year and played unselfishly.”

The Red Devils took their biggest lead, 59-37, on Holman’s three-point play with 6:12 remaining before Bowling Green made a late run. Taylor’s tip-in pulled the Purples within 61-49 with 3:07 left, but they never got closer.

Owensboro was considered among the top contenders for the state title in the preseason, but Holman said the team received the wake-up call it needed in a 61-55 loss to Apollo in the Ninth District Tournament final.

“We really didn’t go hard, and we were taking it for granted,” he said. “Coach Drake really got into us that next week before regionals, and it really gave us an energy boost.”

Drake became the first person to win Boys Sweet 16 titles as a player and a coach at the same school, as he was a senior on the 1980 championship team.

Drake downplayed his significance as the coach, giving credit to his players.

“I can’t remember the last timeout I called, but I’ll remember this the rest of my life,” he said. “I tell my guys, ‘When you dream, you’ll dream about that last-second shot or cutting them nets down.’ I don’t dream about my coaching ability. I dream about playing.”

Bowling Green 12 11 10 25 – 58 Owensboro 16 11 22 25 – 74

Bowling Green (31-6) – Taylor 16, Sine 9, M. Carothers 7, Ayers 4, Wilson 8, Robinson 2, Jones 8, J. Carothers 2, Riehn 2.

Owensboro (31-4) – Sanford 21, Holman 20, Miller 11, Morrow 6, Harris 14, Fillman 2.

3-point goals – Sine 3; Sanford 4.

Attendance – 11,435.

MVP – Justin Miller (Owensboro).

All-tournament team – Jacoby Harris, Aric Holman (Owensboro); Tucker Sine, Terry Taylor, Kyran Jones (Bowling Green); Hagen Tyler, Jeremiah Bell (Boyle County); Bo Schuh, Cole VonHandorf (Covington Catholic); Parker Adams (Calloway County); Jalen Perry (Ballard); Terrell Gray (Doss); Jaqualis Matlock (Hopkinsville).

Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and followed on Twitter @kyhighs.