By Jason Martin:
After a long hiatus from in-game competition due to the winter weather, Warren Central entered their semifinal matchup with Warren East as the top seed, due to a coin toss win over Bowling Green. Coach Unseld’s club came into the contest 20-7 overall and 7-1 in district play. The Raiders, 11-14, wanted to keep the momentum that gave them an impressive win Monday night in the play-in game against Greenwood.
Early, Central had the advantage but East fought them hard and kept it within arms length. Following a technical foul call against Mackenzie Strange, they lost sight of the Dragons. Warren Central forced 13 first half turnovers and Jared Savage had a double double at the intermission with 14 points and 11 rebounds. His teammate, Tracy Hampton, had a game high sixteen points. Three steals and three layups in the final 30 seconds put the Dragons up 52-28 at the break.
In the second half, after what William Unseld called a “lapse in discipline”, Warren Central took advantage. Eleven Dragons scored in the game, led by Tracy Hampton’s 23 off the bench. The Dragons advance to the District 14 Championship game to play the winner of tomorrow night’s semifinal between Bowling Green and South Warren.
If there were worries of rust, they were unfounded. This was the most dominant offensive effort of the season, matching efficiency with execution. The Dragons peaked at the right moment.
FINAL: WC 96, WE 58 (Hampton 23, Caldwell/Savage 17 / Gaines 16)
