Beloit, OH- With tournament brackets released, it's the final stretch of the Girls Basketball regular season and the West Branch Warriors are clicking. With another Eastern Buckeye Conference crown already secured thanks to an undefeated run in conference play, the Warriors turned their sights towards the tournament with a very good Warren JFK squad visiting.
The game started out with a bit of a Heavyweight fight feel, with both offenses kind of going through a feeling out process for much of the opening frame. The Warriors were able to pull ahead thanks to three triples, a trend that would continue as the night wore on.
The hosts extended their 13-4 lead to a halftime score of 31-14, as the three-point barrage continued with 4 in the quarter. It was Warren JFK star Junior Gianna Pompelia trying to will the Eagles along as she accounted for 10 of the teams 14 1st half tallies.
The 3rd quarter followed suited for how the night went for both squads, as the Warriors grew their lead to a 43-20 score to head into the final frame. The balanced attack remained for the Warriors as Head Coach Walt DeShields rotated his team in and out almost at a substitution pace that is seen in hockey. The fresh legs helped catapult the advantage out of reach.
Following an early 4th quarter triple that included an 'And 1' for Audrey Eaton, both coaches emptied their benches. On the night, it was Pompelia leading all scorers with 16. The Warriors filled the score book with Ellie Tucker, Carter Shepherd and Mati Hawk each scoring 8. They were followed by Eaton with 7, Tallie Muniz with 6 and Alli Kanagy and Presley Egli with 5 apiece.
The victory moves the Warriors to 18-2 on the year while the defeat drops the Eagles to 13-6. The 21-point outing was a season low for the Eagles, who entered the night with a previous scoring low of 43. West Branch travels to Girard on Saturday before wrapping up the regular season with a home game against Howland on Monday. The Warriors host Cleveland East Tech in the opening round of the OHSAA Girls Tournament on February 15.