Wildcats rally over Warriors
In the Warren County Elementary Tournament finals Monday night, the Warriors and Wildcats lived up to their names as the two teams battled it out for the championship.
The Warriors jumped out to an early lead, but the Wildcats clawed their way back in the final period to edge Centertown 43-41 for the title.
Dibrell’s Zackery Green open the game with back-to-back 3’s, but after that Centertown controlled the boards and the court. Tyler Keaton drove the lane at will and when the lane was closed dished it off to Hank Tittsworth as the two combined for 16 of the Warriors’ 18 points in the opening period. Dibrell found itself down 18-10 by the quarter’s end.
In the second, Dibrell had trouble with Centertown’s defense as the Wildcats hit for just four points with baskets from Ryan Daniel and Green. Kendal Wooten went to work for the Warriors and Keaton kept Dibrell’s defense back on its heels as Centertown built a 26-14 lead at the half.
Dibrell came out in the third period by putting more pressure on the ball. The Warriors had problems getting the ball in the paint and as a result had nine points in the period. Dibrell went on an eight-point run at the two-minute mark with Green, Justin Wanamaker and Justin Dupree as the Wildcats pulled within seven (35-28) by the end of the third quarter.
In the final period Centertown’s offense went cold. The Warriors put three points on the board in the first two minutes of play, and then had nothing to show for their efforts over the next three minutes.
Dibrell found itself slowly closing the gap. Dupree hit a two to open the period then the Wildcats used the foul line to make it a 38-35 game. Wanamaker made it a 38-37 game with two minutes left on the clock, wrapping up a 9-3 run, and Dupree gave Dibrell the lead with a jumper from the paint with 39 ticks left in the game.
Centertown turned the ball over giving it back to Dibrell as the Wildcats’ Green hit a couple of free throws with 13 seconds left. Dupree added a two-point basket with eight seconds left to make it a 43-38 game, then Keaton sank a 3 at the buzzer for Centertown, but it was too late.
For the Wildcats, Green led with 15 points, Dupree hit for 12, Daniels had nine, Wanamaker added four, Derek Mikkola had two and Taylor Barrett hit for one point. For the Warriors, Keaton led with 19 points, Tittsworth had 12, Green added six and Wooten hit for four points.