Bradford was able to capitalize on Dragon foul trouble en route to the victory. A slow start for the Dragons would put them 13-2 after the first quarter. The girls would rally in the second quarter, out scoring the Owls 13-7 led by a 6-point affair from Peyton Hagg, despite three personal fouls each from seniors Emma Roell and Peyton Wotorson.

“With Peyton and Emma in foul trouble, I really had to rely on my younger ballhandlers to control the offensive pace of the game,” Warren head coach Jenny Phillips stated. “The younger girls really rely on our senior leaders and it’s hard to have them both out of the game.”

Seven points from Bradford’s Haley Keane would extend the Owl lead 28-18 with just one quarter remaining. The Dragons scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, but could not catch the Owls as they soared off to the 9-point victory.

“Tori (Solberg) really stepped up as a leader today, helping the younger ones as much as she could on the floor,” added Phillips. “We just have to continue working to build confidence with our younger group. It’s tough to be on the losing end of close games. While we have 5 seniors, I still have a young team, and my experienced players need to lead the team in tough situations and have trust in the 5 on the floor. Region games start this week and this will certainly be a test to see how ready we are and if we’ve learned from all the diversity and challenges we’ve faced so far.”

Peyton Wotorson puts up a shot for the Lady Dragons. Photo by Mark Evans

Peyton Wotorson led the Dragon scoring with 9 points, with Peyton Hagg adding in 7, and Ava Wymer chipping in five. Haley Keane was the only double-digit scorer in the game with 16 points for the Owls.

In junior varsity play, the Dragons defeated the Owls 22-14. Molly Richards was the leading scorer for the Dragons with 8 points, with Lily Richards scoring 4.

The Lady Dragons are back on the court Monday as they travel to Erie High to take on the Royals for a 6 p.m. varsity only game.

Warren’s Payton Hagg rips away the ball from a Bradford player during Saturday’s girls basketball game. Photo by Mark Evans