It fought from start to finish, but the South Warren boys’ basketball team couldn’t overcome an athletic West Creek (Tenn.) team on Wednesday in the Meijer Holiday Classic at Bowling Green High School, falling 75-62 to snap a five-game winning streak.
The Spartans (7-5 overall) faced multiple deficits throughout the day – and many by double digits – but kept fighting back. It was in the fourth quarter that the Coyotes (5-10) we’re able to pull away.
Tyler Martin led South Warren with 18 points while Daniel Moore scored 13 and Colin Moore added 10. West Creek had three different players score in double figures – led by Shawn Stone’s 19 points – making for an all-around offensive game.
West Creek – an athletic, versatile, lengthy team – presented South Warren with a major test.
The Coyotes jumped out to an 8-4 lead at the 5:49 mark of the first quarter after back-to-back three pointers by Javeun Edwards, who finished with 16 points.
Trailing by 11 at 34-23 with 5:13 remaining in the second, Austin Howard knocked down a three from the right corner to bring South Warren to within 45-36 with 1:14 left in the quarter. Another surge by the Spartans had them down by just 47-41 at halftime.
West Creek used a pair of deep balls from Tyree Bailey and Edwards to build a 59-43 advantage just before the three-minute mark of the third quarter. The Coyotes later took a 60-49 lead into the fourth.
Up 11 entering the final period, the Coyotes matched their largest lead of 16 at 69-53 with 3:55 left and were able to use that to hold off South Warren.
The Spartans will now play the Monroe County-Madison Southern loser at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday in the loser’s bracket of the Meijer Holiday Classic.
Senior writer Tyler Mansfield can be reached at mansfield.sportingtimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @_TylerMansfield.
