On Thursday, March 2nd, the Warrior Basketball team took a tough loss in the PIAA District 6 Championship, falling short 70-42. The Warriors traveled to Mount Aloysius College to face off in the championship game. The game was the first time the Boys’ Basketball team has been in the District Finals since 2019, and they have never won the championship.
United started the first quarter hot and got the lead quickly by going up 16-6 with just over two minutes left. The Warriors battled back and closed the gap to 16-12, ending the first quarter. In the second quarter, United expanded the lead to 33-22. The Warriors had too many turnovers and fewer scoring opportunities to level out the score.
Late in the third quarter, United sunk a three-pointer, putting them ahead of the Warriors by 30 points. During the fourth quarter, the only West Branch senior, Kyle Kolesar, scored his first basket of the night. By this point, the Warriors were down too far to come back. United did not allow the Warriors to score more than 12 points in any of the four quarters.
The Warriors’ leading scorer for the night was sophomore Owen Koleno, who had 19 points on the night. Sophomore Joel Evans contributed 14 points to the 42-point team total. Owen Koleno said, “It was a great experience and fun to play at that type of setting. We would have liked a better outcome, but not many people get to play in a District Championship, so you have to have fun and enjoy the opportunity. Hopefully, we get back there.”
However, the Warriors are not done with the season, as they earned a bid to the State Playoffs. The Warriors will play in the first round of states on Saturday, March 11th, at 4:00 p.m. at West Branch. The Warriors will face off against Cambridge Springs.
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