Warren East hosted Warren Central in a match up of Region 14 cross-town rivals. The Raiders came in perched atop the region’s standings at a record of 10-2 but faltered against the 8th place Dragons.
The Warren Central press, led by Head Coach William Unseld, stifled Raider point guard Brandon Walker leaving him gassed in the early going. The athleticism of guards Rondell Green and Robert Edwards smothered Walker and Mason Lee, causing back court turnovers all evening.
Not one, not two, but three Warren East front court members found themselves saddled with foul trouble as Marquise Jones, DIllon Whitney, and Dylan Cosby all tallied two fouls in the first half leaving the Raiders out-manned against a powerful Central front line.
The duo of forwards, Chris Porter-Bunton and Byron Carver, totaled 27 points for the Dragons. They were part of a balanced offensive attack that saw eight players score six or more points.
East cut a 12 point half-time deficit down to 3 in the middle of the third period after a 5-0 run from Aaron Strange. After an East timeout, Central stole the in bounds pass for an easy lay-in. The next time down the court Brandon Walker fouled Jared Savage on a three-point attempt and Savage and Company never looked back en route to an 80-58 runaway victory.
Aaron Strange led all scorers with 15 and Jaylin Barnett hit double digits in his first game back from a knee injury.
East travels to Barren County Tuesday night.
Strange- 15
Walker- 10
Barnett- 10
Lee- 8
Whitney- 5
