It took the Warren Dragons about one quarter to shake off the jitters.
Then it was off to the races.
The Lady Dragons broke open a tight game with a 19-2 scoring run in the second quarter en route to an easy 68-25 victory over Youngsville in the opening round of the Warren County Tip-off Tournament Friday at Warren Area High School.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Allen Seybert
Get on the floor
Youngsville’s Katie Chuzie, left, and Warren’s Kristie Reynolds battle for a loose ball during a girls basketball game at the Warren County Tip-off Tournament Friday at Warren Area High School.
The victory puts the Dragons in Saturday's championship game. Warren will play Eisenhower - a 46-30 winner over Sheffield - at 7 p.m. Youngsville and Sheffield will meet in a 4 p.m. consolation game.
"As a team, we did everything we needed to do," said Warren coach Lisa Ruhlman. "The girls certainly showed some jitters early on. They've been pretty anxious to get out there and play a game. After we settled down, we ran some nice offensive sets and scored some easy points. I was also pleased with our effort on the boards."
The pesky Eagles kept things close early and the contest was tied 6-6 with nearly two minutes to play in the first. However, the Dragons closed the first stanza on a 5-0 run and the momentum carried into the second as Warren built a 30-8 halftime lead.
The second half was more of the same with the Dragons holding a commanding 38-17 edge.
A balanced Dragons scoring attack featured three players in double figures. Jaimie Eaton had a game-high 17 points and Sabrina Anderson and Emily Sherman each finished with 14 points. Sherman added 13 rebounds for a double-double as well as five steals. Eaton dished out five assists.
The Lady Eagles got a team best eight points from senior forward Lindsay Lyon. Freshman Kennedy Cratty started her varsity career by scoring six points.
YOUNGSVILLE (25): Kennedy Cratty 3 0-0 6, Amber Fox 2 0-0 5, Karissa Cratty 0 0-0 0, Katie Gustafson 1 2-4 4, Cierra Ohl 0 0-0 0, Jorie Clark 1 0-0 2, Lindsay Lyon 3 2-6 8, Katie Chuzie 0 0-0 0, Totals: 10 4-10 25
WARREN (68): Sabrina Anderson 7 0-3 14, Jaimie Eaton 7 1-3 17, Kristie Reynolds 2 2-2 6, Kristin Hultquist 3 1-2 7, Emily Sherman 5 4-4 14, Taylor Mineweaser 2 4-4 8, Nerissa McIntyre 0 0-0 0, Meghan Loutzenhiser 0 0-0 0, Sam Bevevino 0 0-0 0, Alexa Bupp 0 0-0 0, Brittni Merenick 1 0-0 2, Totals: 27 12-18 68
Youngsville 6 2 9 8 - 25
Warren 11 19 22 16 - 68
3-pointers: Y- Fox; W- Eaton 2
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Eisenhower 46, Sheffield 30
The coach calling the shots and many of the players on the roster have changed for the Eisenhower Lady Knights.
One thing that remains the same - Eisenhower's stifling defense.
Ike spotted Sheffield a 5-0 lead in Friday's opening round game at the Warren County Tip-off Tournament before putting the clamps down and cruising to a 46-30 victory over the Wolverines Friday at Warren Area High School.
Up next for the Knights will be the Warren Dragons in Saturday's 7 p.m. championship game. Sheffield will entertain Youngsville in the 4 p.m. consolation contest.
"We were nervous before the game and played like it early on," said first-year coach Mike Logue. "One thing we do is play tough defense. We are going to come at you and play a hard man-to-man defense. That defense allowed us to get a couple steals and easy lay-ups and that let us build a lead in the first half."
Freshman Kristen Williams was one of the new faces for the Knights and she led the team in scoring in her first varsity game. Williams had 10 points and teammates Dakota Williams - also a freshman - and Lyssa Knapp scored eight points apiece. Halie VanOrd chipped in with six of her own.
Sheffield's Ashley Davidson got to the free throw line 10 times and led the Wolverines with 10 points. Juli Ely added eight markers and Jennifer Isenberg finished with five markers.
EISENHOWER (46): Kristen Williams 2 5-9 10, Haylie Birt 1 1-3 3, Dakota Williams 4 0-0 8, Lyssa Knapp 4 0-0 8, Alyssa Peterson 0 0-0 0, Kearsten Maine 0 2-2 2, Holly Chapman 1 0-0 2, Halie VanOrd 2 2-4 6, Danielle Bradish 0 0-0 0, Kari Santo 0 0-0 0, Chelsea Parmenter 0 1-2 1, Kourtney Knapp 0 0-0 0, Bailey Burch 0 0-0 0, Totals: 16 13-26 46
SHEFFIELD (30): Hannah Vile 2 0-0 4, Ashley Davidson 2 6-10 10, Abby Labesky 0 1-2 1, Alicia Labesky 0 0-0 0, Sara Hoden 1 0-0 2, Juli Ely 3 2-6 8, Jennifer Isenberg 2 1-2 5, Hanna Fitch 0 0-0 0, Anna Baldensperger 0 0-0 0, Sam Pollock 0 0-0 0, Jade Moore 0 0-0 0, Marlea Sprandle 0 0-0 0, Totals: 10 10-20 30
Eisenhower 13 16 13 4 - 46
Sheffield 8 7 7 8 - 30
3-pointers: E- K. Williams; S- None.