WATERFORD, Pa. – It wasn’t always pretty, but the Warren Lady Dragons showed their depth and conditioning with a 66-50 win over Fort LeBoeuf in the Region 6 opener for both teams.

Warren (10-0 overall, 1-0 Region 6) led 42-30 at the half, and staved off a 7-0 LeBoeuf (5-4, 0-1) run to start the second and pick up the win.

“Early on it was kind of ugly just trying to get into the swing, and we went back and forth,” Warren coach Lisa LaVan said. “We knew they were going to make a run coming out (of the half), but we just pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed. We were in better shape, they just ran out of gas.”

A competitive first quarter saw Warren take a 17-12 lead into the second. The Dragons began to pull away and outscored the Bison 25-18 in the period for the 12-point halftime lead. The Bison hit a pair of 3-pointers as part of the 7-0 run to start the third, but the Dragons weathered the storm and had a 55-43 advantage going into the final eight minutes.

“I knew Fort LeBoeuf was going to be in the mix (for the Region 6 title),” LaVan said. “It was one of those games where I felt we were the better team, but that doesn’t matter sometimes on the road.”

Emma Ruhlman had a double-double with a career-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. Margo Loutzenhiser led the offensive attack with 24 points and dished out six assists. Riley Childress added six points, six steals and five assists, despite getting into some early foul trouble.

“I can’t say enough about Riley and how hard she works at the point,” LaVan said. “They try to rattle her cage as a freshman and nothing phases her. She picked up a couple (fouls) early and had to sit a bit, but she’ll learn from that.”

Taylor Childress added five steals and three points and Teagan Paris chipped in six with Alanna Hultberg dropping five.

“Our bench did a phenomenal job,” LaVan said. “We had to dig deep sooner than we wanted. They know their number will be called and they take pride in the bench having a good game. It’s a healthy competitiveness.”

While the win keeps Warren undefeated at 10-0, LaVan said the Dragons continue to focus on getting better every day.

“Ten wins is good to have at this point in the year,” she said. “But we really don’t even talk about it. Our goal is just to get better every day we step in the gym. With our youthfulness as a team, we’re still trying to gel. We’re nowhere near our peak.”

Warren gets a day off before welcoming General McLane to the Joseph A. Massa gymnasium Wednesday. The Lancers (7-2, 0-1) are coming off a 41-36 loss to Harbor Creek (10-0, 1-0), but will provide another challenge for the Dragons.

“It’s a grueling region for sure,” LaVan said. “But those games against Panama (NY), McDowell and Erie have really prepared us. Every team in District 10 sees 10-0 and our bullseye keeps getting bigger.”

Warren won the junior varsity contest, 36-31. Katie Madigan led the Dragons with 15 points, while Halee Mineweaser added 11 and Teagan Paris had 10.

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Warren (66)

T. Childress 1-0-0-3, Hultberg 2-1-1-5, Madigan 0-0-0-0, R. Childress 2-2-4-6, Stuart 1-0-0-2, Ruhlman 9-1-2-20, Loutzenhiser 9-3-4-24, Matson 0-0-0-0, Paris 3-0-0-6, Team 27-7-11-66

Fort LeBoeuf (50)

Bennett 6-1-4-14, L. Proctor 6-2-4-14, Young 2-0-0-5, Kucenski 1-1-2-4, McCall 3-2-2-9, K. Proctor 2-0-0-4, Team 20-6-12-50

By quarters

Warren 17 25 13 11 – 66

Fort LeBoeuf 12 18 13 7 – 50

3-point FGs: Warren (5)-Loutzenhiser 3, T. Childress, Ruhlman. Fort LeBoeuf (4)-Bennett, Young, Kucenski, McCall.

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WCCS 36, ERIE FIRST 17

ERIE – The Warren County Christian School girls moved to 2-0 on the season with a 36-17 win at Erie First Monday.

Delaney Nizzi led the Lady Lions with nine points and had five steals. Kiara Baker and Shelby Kuzminski each added eight points and Baker led the team with eight rebounds. Cammie Crouse and McKenna Phelps had five points apiece with Crouse grabbing six rebounds and Phelps dishing out five assists.

WCCS hosts Christian Life Academy for its home opener today.

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WCCS (36)

Phelps 1-1-0-0-5, Nizzi 2-0-8-5-9, Baker 4-0-0-0-8, S. Kuzminski 2-0-8-4-8, Crouse 2-0-2-1-5, H. Kuzminski 0-0-3-1-1, Team11-1-21-11- 36

Erie (17)

Poole 4-2-9-2-12, Lamany 4-0-6-1-5, Team 8-2-16-3- 17

By quarters

WCCS 14 6 8 8 – 36

Erie First 6 2 7 2 – 17

3-point FGs: WCCS (1)-Phelps. Erie First (2)-Poole.