TAMPA, Fla. — Why did the Warren girls basketball team travel over 1,100 miles to play in a basketball tournament?

“Six of the top 10 teams in the country are here,” said head coach Lisa LaVan.

That’s why.

In Game 1 of the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational — billed as “one of the nation’s top high school girls basketball tournaments” held in Pasco County, Florida, the Lady Dragons suffered their first defeat of the season, 62-58, to Seffner Christian. Seffner Christian (11-2) is the fourth-ranked 3A team in Florida.

“It was amazing. So much fun,” said LaVan, whose Dragons are 5-1 overall. “The girls played incredibly well.”

While LaVan’s Dragons have two seniors both going on to play Division II college basketball, playing at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex in Wesley Chapel, Florida — with eight courts in one facility similar to an AAU tournament feel — was a new atmosphere to most of the players.

Seffner led 17-11 after one quarter and Warren senior Emma Ruhlman, who has a vast amount of travel basketball experience, scored 8 of those 11 points.

Ruhlman added 6 more points in an 11-7 Warren second quarter and the Dragons trailed 24-22 at halftime.

Ruhlman finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

When Seffner started focusing on Ruhlman, Warren’s other senior, Riley Childress, took over the second half. She scored 18 of her team-high 21 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers.

Seffner junior guard Nini Davenport matched her with 11 fourth-quarter points, including three 3’s of her own, to hold on for the win. She had six 3-pointers in the game.

Davenport ended with 24 points and Milahnie Perry added 15 (10 in the second half).

Childress and Emma Ruhlman combined for 41 of Warren’s 58 points. Sammie Ruhlman had 5 second-half points and Halle Kuzminski added 4 in the second half. Childress had six assists for the game.

WARREN (58)

SRuhlman 2 0-0 5, Kuzminski 2 0-0 4, Farr 1 0-0 3, Childress 8 2-4 21, Stuart 0 0-0 0, Madigan 1 0-0 2, ERuhlman 10 0-0 20, GRuhlman 1 0-0 3. Totals 25 2-4 58.

SEFFNER CHRISTIAN (62)

Perry 6 2-2 15, Hikel 3 0-0 6, Grimsich 0 0-0 0, Hastings 2 0-0 4, Scott 1 0-0 2, Eller 0 0-0 0, Davenport 8 2-3 24, Couzens 2 0-0 4, Carreno 3 0-0 7. Totals 25 4-5 62.

3-pointers: SRuhlman, Farr, Childress 3, GRuhlman, Perry, Davenport 6, Carreno.

Warren 11 11 16 19 — 58

Seffner Christian 17 7 19 19 — 62