Warriors beat Cadets on road for third straight triumph
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BEVERLY -- After an 0-2 start to the season, the Warren Warriors have won three straight games, including back-to-back victories over Washington County foes in hostile environments.
Tuesday night, Warren went into Beverly and earned a hard fought, 41-34 win over Fort Frye. The Warriors led by just three points at halftime, but gained some cushion in the third quarter and held on in the fourth.
The Warriors had some issues offensively -- they were 14 for 38 (36.8%) from the floor and 0 for 8 from 3 -- which allowed the Cadets (1-3) to hang around late.
"We've got to close the door," said Warren head coach Blane Maddox. "We had them, then missed a few layups and didn't execute the halfcourt when we had the lead. We're kind of new at that. We're going to work on game situations the next couple days and try to close that door a little bit tighter next time."
A 3-pointer by Zach Huffman and a basket by Owen Brown, who led Fort Frye with 11 points and six rebounds, gave the Cadets a 7-5 lead late in the first. Trent Dowler answered with a three-point play and Brayden Sallee, who produced 13 points and nine boards, hit a jumper to put the Warriors up 10-7 after a quarter.
Brown's layup and Dawson Layton's 3 put Fort Frye back up front, 12-11, and another triple by Huffman gave the Cadets their largest lead of the game at 16-13 with 1:37 left in the half. Trent Taylor, who scored a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals and three blocks, hit a pair of free throws to get Warren within one. Dennis Pettey tied it with a foul shot before Sallee turned a steal into a transition dunk to put Warren on top for good.
The Warriors led 20-17 at halftime.
Back-to-back baskets by Taylor to open the third put Warren up 24-17, but Braxton Brown got a layup for the Cadets before Casey Brooker went 2 for 2 at the charity stripe to make it a three-point game. Pettey then assisted Taylor on a pair of layups, and Sallee had a basket to stretch Warren's lead to nine, 30-21. Colton Eddy's jumper in the final seconds of the third made it 34-24.
"We went two on the side with Trent and Dennis, and got a good two-man action game going," said Maddox, whose Warriors play host to Logan Friday. "Used Sallee as a little bit of a decoy. They really were putting the focus on him. Came through with a couple big buckets right there."
Both teams struggled offensively in the final period. Brown's 3-pointer at the 2:50 mark got Fort Frye within seven, but the Cadets could get no closer.
Fort Frye finished 12 for 33 (36.4%) from the floor.
"They made shots and we didn't in that third quarter," said Fort Frye head Eric Henniger, whose Cadets committed 17 turnovers and were outrebounded 31-22. "We had a lot of careless turnovers in situations. It's just something we've got to work on. It's growing pains right now. We've got to find a way to make shots."
Braxton Brown scored seven points for the Cadets while Huffman and Layton added six apiece. Fort Frye welcomes Trinity Christian at 2 p.m. Saturday.
"I thought our defense was solid all night long, but you've got to make buckets, no matter who you play," Henniger said. "If you don't make buckets, you're not going to win. I think that's the bottom line. We've got to do a better job rebounding on the defensive end."