CRANBERRY — The Warren girls basketball team found themselves in the championship game of the annual Cranberry Holiday Tournament after defeating Oil City on Monday.

They faced off with tournament host Cranberry on Tuesday evening, but were defeated 44-27 by the Berries.

The Dragons held tough with Cranberry in the first half and were down just three points heading into the third quarter.

Unfortunately for the Dragons, Emma Roell would have to exit the game due to injury, leaving the Dragons in a tough spot. The Berries would take advantage of the Roell injury as well as some Peyton Wotorson foul trouble to outscore Warren by 14 points in the second half, en route to the victory.

“The younger kids definitely stepped up tonight, but we just had a hard time getting the ball through the hoop,” Warren head coach Jenny Phillips said. “Peyton Hagg played great underneath, and Lily Richards hit the boards hard tonight. I am super proud of them and the others who played tonight. We may not have won, but as we can get people off the bench and more experience, they get better, which makes our team better.”

Hagg led the Dragons in scoring with 12 points, followed by Wotorson with 8. Darien Wenner chipped in 18 points for the Berries.

“Playing in this tournament gave us the opportunity to play teams that we normally don’t have on our schedule. It was two days full of basketball that allowed the girls to not only play, but watch other teams and learn as well,” Phillips said. “As we approach region play, we need to start refining how we want to push forward on both offensive and defensive ends. We have to find the best chemistry on both ends of the floor, and make sure we’re doing the little things we need to do that can be the difference between a win and a loss.

The Dragons are back on the court next Tuesday when they travel to Corry for a 7:15 p.m. varsity slate.

DRAGONS DOWN OIL CITY

The Warren girls basketball team earned a first-round victory in the Cranberry Holiday Tournament as they defeated Oil City 41-32 on Monday.

Led by an outstanding 26-point performance from senior Peyton Wotorson that included three 3-pointers, the Dragons advanced to the final against host Cranberry. Emma Roell had a solid game with 11 points, and Molly and Lily Richards each chipped in a bucket in the win.

In junior varsity action, the Dragons fell to the Oilers 29-16. Ava Wymer led the Warren scoring with 6 points followed by 4 from Abby Roell.