Lucas Thrift and the Warren boys basketball team suffered a loss in the opening round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAAA championships against Obama Academy 55-50 on Friday night in Pittsburgh. File Photo by Mark Evans

PITTSBURGH — The Warren Dragon boys basketball team lost their PIAA opener Friday evening as they were defeated 55-50 in a narrow battle against Obama Academy. In a game that kept fans on the edge of their seat, the Dragons exchanged baskets with the Eagles all night long, but could not avoid the final blow.

“I thought we played very well defensively in this game as well as most of our playoff games,” reported Warren head coach Jeff Berdine. “This senior group leaves behind a legacy that they got to play five playoff games, including finishing fourth in District 10 4A. This is the last time they wore the Dragon uniform, and they worked their butts off in a state playoff game that went down to the wire.”

Of the 50 points scored Friday evening, all but two were scored by seniors. Lucas Thrift had a tremendous final performance with 23 points, 20 of them in the second half. Jacob McMeans had 13 points on the night that included three 3-pointers. The fearless leader of the Dragons, Logan Crissey, ended his career on 12 points.

Berdine had nothing but praise for his Dragons. Coming in as the 11th seed in District 10 4A, making the District semifinals, and earning a spot in the PIAA playoffs, it is safe to say the Warren Dragons more than met expectations.

“This group of kids are gamers,” added Berdine. “When people show up to watch and the officials throw the ball up, most of the time they have answered that bell, especially in the playoffs this year.”

The Dragons are onto the off season as they will look to fill in the spots for their senior-heavy varsity lineup. They will also transition to a new classification for the 2026-27 year as they move up to 5A.

“It puts us in an interesting spot for what region we will be in as well as what the playoff picture will look like,” concluded Berdine.

The Warren boys finished their 2025-26 campaign with a 15-10 overall record. This was Berdine’s 25th consecutive year as the head coach of the Dragons.