The Lakers got off to an early lead and would not relinquish that for the duration of the game. The Dragons faced a tough full-court press that forced turnovers, leading to Mercyhurst Preps buckets. Warren was down 17-8 after the first quarter and 29-19 at the half.

The second half would be closer in the scoring department, as the Lakers scored 29 points to the Dragons’ 24. Mercyhurst Prep would play consistent, clean basketball en route to the victory. Leading the scoring for the Dragons was Logan Crissey with 13. Allen Eaton had 10, Tage Wyman 6, Bradey Chase 5, Colin Zdarko 4, David Manning 3, and Lucas Thrift 2. The Lakers had a strong 19-point performance by Jake DiBello-Millimaci, followed by 12 from Trent Bengel.

“I think Mercyhurst did a good job speeding us up,” Warren head coach Jeff Berdine said. “We did not get a fast break 3-on-2 or 2-on-1 bucket until about 32 seconds left in the third quarter, so their goal to make us play faster worked. We did not make them pay with converting those opportunities into points. Twenty-two turnovers simply won’t get it done. Nobody circles the wagons like the Dragons. December is our learning time, and region play is waiting for us come January.”

Warren is back in action this weekend as it plays in the Olean Christmas Tournament.

Dragons’ Lucas Thrift (1) is defended by Chase Dadeeherty (0) and Trent Beneel. Photo by Mark Evans

VINE SHINES FOR KNIGHTS

WATTSBURG — Eisenhower had five players in double figures, led by freshman Kymani Vine’s 22 points, en route to an 81-28 non-conference victory over Seneca.

The Knights outscored the Bobcats 27-4 in the first quarter and the second quarter saw Vine score 11 of his team’s 20 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to extend their lead to 47-16 at the half.

In the third quarter, Eisenhower outscored Seneca 18-3, highlighted by 3-pointers from Austin Hanson, Liam Hanson, Paul Mandeville and Derek Guiher.

Also scoring in double figures for the Knights, who made 13 treys as a team, were freshman Paul Mandeville with 15 and Austin Hanson with13.

“It was good to see our guys jump out to an early lead,” Eisenhower head coach Ryan Mangini said. “We shot well and were strong on the boards. I’m proud of the effort, but there are some things to work on if we want to get where we want to be at the end of the season.”

In the junior varsity game, the Knights defeated the Bobcats 53-46.

Paul Mandeville led Eisenhower with 20 points.