By Jason Martin:
Warren Central welcomed in the Lady Spartans of South Warren for the teams’ second meeting of the season. The first clash, won by Joe Hood’s Lady Dragon club, was the only loss in the last ten games for Blane Embry’s South Warren squad. Everyone expected the Lady Spartans to enter the game with revenge on their minds and that certainly appeared to be the case for Amaya Lasley, who scored 16 points in the first half, leading the black and silver to a five point advantage, 27-22, at halftime.
It was a fairly even game in the first half, with South Warren turning up their level of play late. The third quarter saw Warren Central get within one and play back and forth until the Lady Spartans opened up the offense, scoring the last seven of the quarter, and led 40-32 going into the fourth. Warren Central certainly had plenty of opportunities, but shot below 30% for the evening and just couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 56-46. LaShae Halsel had 10 to lead the Lady Dragons. Both games have been hard fought and it would be nice to see these two teams meet in a rubber match in the postseason.
FINAL: SW 56, WC 46 (Lasley 19, Halsel 10)
Last Tuesday, Warren Central won an easy, never-in-doubt district game against South Warren 75-43 on the road at SWHS. South Warren played without Michael Hicks and Brandon Stacker, but both were in uniform and starting for Jeffrey Breeze’s team in the rematch. As a result, South Warren was able to keep things a bit closer. Hicks had three from beyond the arc in the first half, helping to keep the Spartans within shouting distance, but Warren Central’s defense and transition offense had them up 31-20 with Kobe Caldwell and Jared Savage combining for 19 points.
In the second half, Warren Central’s Kobe Caldwell simply took over the basketball game. He would finish with a game high 23 points, Jared Savage would complement with 12, and the Dragons would close strong, winning by 17, 68-51.
FINAL WC 68, SW 51 (Caldwell 23, Savage 12)
