The Warrior Basketball team hosted a state playoff game for the first time on Saturday, March 11th, against Cambridge Springs. The team has played well all season and didn’t let up as they beat the number three seed from District 10. The game will be the second time in school history that the boys’ basketball team made it to the PIAA quarterfinals.
In the first quarter, the Warriors started slowly, only outscoring their opponent 7-5. In the second quarter, they dominated Cambridge Springs 21-8. The Warriors took a lead of 28-13 at the half. They went on a 12-0 run to start the third quarter and eventually beat the Blue Devils with a score of 67-39.
The Warriors had a solid showing on the defensive side by outrebounding their opponent 35-23 and causing Cambridge Springs to have 17 turnovers in the game. The leading scorer Owen Koleno finished the game with 19 points, and Zach McGonigal followed him with 14. Isaac Tiracorda recorded ten points, and Kyle Kolesar had 11 points and ten rebounds. Joel Evans followed with seven rebounds. Four Warriors finished the game in double digits.
Junior Zach McGonigal says, “After our tough loss against United we opened up the game ready to go. Our defense was excellent all game only allowing them to have 13 points in the first half. We came out strong to start the second half and forced them to call a timeout only 40 seconds into the third quarter. This win is another thing accomplished for our goals we set for this season.”
The Warrior Basketball team will advance to the Sweet 16 round of playoffs and play on March 15th against WPIAL Champion Aliquippa at Armstrong High School at 6:00 p.m. Fans must purchase tickets for all PIAA matches online. Make sure to wear your West Branch gear and come out and support the Warrior Basketball team as they look to advance to the elite eight.
