Warren’s Lucas Thrift scores in close on his way to a game-high 28 points to lead the Dragons to a 69-57 victory over Corry on Tuesday night. Photo by Mark Evans

The Warren boys basketball team continued its home hot streak on Tuesday when it downed Corry 69-57.

“It is always a good rivalry with Corry, so I expect their best,” stated Dragon head coach Jeff Berdine.

And it was the Beavers’ best that would be a tough matchup for the hosts.

The first quarter saw Corry strike first followed by a quick home-team retaliation. A 5-0 Beaver run paired with three Dragon turnovers in three possessions saw Corry take a 15-14 first-quarter lead. The first eight minutes met Coach Berdine’s expectations as it was an aggressive first quarter from the dueling teams that featured a combined nine fouls. Lucas Thrift had a huge quarter, scoring 12 points for the Dragons.

Warren picked it up in the second quarter as it outscored the Beavers 21-9 in a balanced effort from Jacob McMeans, Logan Crissey, Thrift, and a nice old school three-point play from Bradey Chase. Crissey got into some foul trouble, leaving the ball handling up to junior Landon Wood. This was not a tall order for Wood as he ran a tight ship and had some nice passes to help close out the half with Warren leading 35-24.

The third quarter featured a back and forth effort from both teams, with Tage Wyman and McMeans knocking down a few 3-pointers to help the Dragons extend the lead to 14 with just one quarter to play. David Manning got the scoring started, but the Beavers weren’t going down without a fight. They would go on a nice run to get within 7, but that was as close as they would get. Warren fought through numerous full-court presses and would hold on for the Region 5 win.

Berdine added, “We have not played well against pressure this year, so I was more worried about their ability to get us in the up-and-down floor game. I always stress an inside-out approach on offense, and I felt the kids did a good job, especially in the first half. We had to be the more physical team (tonight). This is always one of the top four keys for us to win.”

Thrift led the Dragons with 28 points. Also in double digits were McMeans with 13 and Crissey with 12. Tage Wyman chipped in 7 points in the win. Kamdyn Moon had 15 points for the Beavers.

The Warren junior varsity squad picked up a 41-28 win. Bradey Chase had a nice performance with 14 points for the Dragons.

Warren looks to stay hot on Friday when it hosts the Fort LeBoeuf Bisons at Warren Area High School. Junior varsity tips off at 6 p.m. with varsity to follow at 7:15 p.m.