Warren locks New Lexington down behind Frazee’s team-high 17
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VINCENT -- Playing its third game in the span of four days, the Warren girls basketball team could have easily used that as an excuse for getting caught flat-footed at the outset of Monday's game with New Lexington.
Instead, the Warriors changed its defensive approach on the fly, locked down on its 2-3 zone and had plenty left in the tank after defeating the Panthers, 58-49.
Behind four layups from Aubri Spicer, New Lexington made its first five shots from the floor and built a 10-2 lead which left Warren playing catchup throughout the first quarter.
Alex Frazee's 3-pointer in the final minute of the period kick-started Warren's momentum swing which resulted in the Warriors pitching a 14-0 shutout in the second quarter.
The Warriors extended their lead to as many as 12 points in the second half and fought off a charge by the Panthers while improving to 7-1 and handing New Lexington its first loss (6-1).
"We are thankful for a break," Warren coach Brad Venham said after his girls went 2-1 over a four-day stretch which included a win over Williamstown Friday at the Fenton Shootout and a nine-point loss to Sheridan on Saturday. "We will enjoy this win for the rest of the night then get right back at it for practice Tuesday.
"This game was what I call a B, B and G -- a bounce back game. They played so hard Saturday against Sheridan."
"I'm super proud of the way they played. We played the tough the whole way. Then to come back here tonight and play just as talented of a team -- New Lexington is a great team. Aubri Spicer is just an animal."
While Spicer's damage came primarily on drives to the basket as part of her 22 points, Warren received a team-high 17 points and across the board solid performance from senior Alex Frazee, who accounted for 11 points in the second half as well as several one-handed, across the lane laser-type passes to teammates who converted into points.
"We are definitely tired after this stretch," Frazee said. "We're off to a great start and every single one of us are trying to work hard for each other, and not just for ourselves.
"How much we have grown in these last couple of games is just insane. I think we are just going to continue to keep growing."
After maintaining an 18-10 lead late into the first quarter, New Lexington could not buy a basket from outside 5 feet. A majority of the Panthers' shot selection in the second quarter originated from the perimeter and nothing fell.
Warren, meanwhile, created havoc on defense -- forcing six New Lexington turnovers in the second quarter. Defense led to offense with Mackenzie James-McGuire and Sophie Cochran shouldering the scoring load for the Warriors. James-McGuire scored seven of her 15 points during the eight minutes leading into the break, while Cochran contributed four of her 12 points.
"All season, we have talked about putting together four complete quarters -- I told the girls when we do that, we are going to be something to deal with," Venham said. "The girls ran the zone very well. Of course, that's what they ran for the majority of the last couple of years under (former Warren girls coach Amy Way). She has done a fantastic job of laying that groundwork.
"I think that helped us slow them down a little bit, too. And we took care of the ball when we needed to."
The last of three made 3-pointers by Frazee gave Warren its largest lead at 32-22 near the five-minute mark of the third quarter. Warren's ballhandling experienced a series of bumps in the road as New Lexington scored points off four consecutive Warrior possessions which resulted in turnovers. Makenzy McCoy, who pitched in 10 points off the New Lexington bench, knocked down a 3-pointer to reduce the Warren lead to 40-37 with 2:25 remaining in the period.
Warren managed an answer each time the Panthers scored into the early stages of the fourth quarter. Still within shouting distance down 49-44, New Lexington felt the wrath of Frazee -- not necessarily with her scoring, but with her awareness of teammates on the floor. During a three-minute stretch, she assisted on four Warren buckets and scored one of her own as the advantage escalated to 55-44.
"Special is an understatement when talking about Alex," Venham said. "If I could find a way to keep her, I would. She is like an extension of the coaching staff on the floor. She is so smart and versatile. Knows when to make the pass and where to make it. Every once in a while, she is human and will make a turnover or two."
Raylan Shotwell gave Warren a shot in the arm off the bench with seven points and her mere presence on the floor in the 2-3 zone.
"In addition to Alex, the others stepped up tonight," Venham said. "Raylan did a fantastic job. Kind of barked at her a little bit. Didn't need her to be spectacular. Just needed her to be solid and she did that. Olivia Bird also gave us a spark and had a bucket along with some big rebounds.
In the final two minutes and New Lexington needing to foul, Warren exhausted valuable time off the clock. In back-to-back possessions, the Warriors took a combined minute and a half to preserve the win.
"Working the ball around, that's something we work on in practice and something we got from women's coach Kole Vivian at Marietta College," Venham said. "We go three on three, no dribbles and can only throw bounce passes. You have to get to 10 passes. Every time the defense gets it then we have a consequence.
"They have become really good at that drill. Helped us against Williamstown at the end. They are starting to understand time and score."
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com