On Tuesday, January 23rd, the West Branch Warriors went to Williamsburg to battle the Blue Pirates. The Warriors and Pirates began the game trading blows from the paint, but a 3-pointer from Owen Koleno gave the Warriors the early lead, 7-6. Some Williamsburg free throws and a Koleno layup kept the Warrior lead at two. After a Williamsburg 3-pointer and a few West Branch layups, a Joel Evans put-back put the Warriors up by three. Then, after an Isaac Tiracorda layup and another Evans put-back, the Warriors closed out the first quarter 17-15.
After an Evans layup at the beginning of the second quarter, the Blue Pirates took a 22-19 lead with a 3-pointer and two layups. Following a few Williamsburg points, a Dylan McGonigal three brought the Warriors back to a one-point deficit, 29-28. After a Williamsburg 3-pointer and layup, the Pirates closed out the half with a 34-28 lead.
The Warriors started the second half hot, with a Tiracorda layup followed by a Koleno three, a 2-point jumper from Lukas Colton, and another Koleno three. Then, after a Williamsburg score, Zach McGonigal got a three to go from the corner to make the score 43-39. A layup from Tiracorda and yet another Koleno three put the Warriors’ lead up to seven. After a few Pirate shots, Williamsburg cut the deficit to just two heading into the fourth.
Williamsburg began the fourth quarter with an and-1 to take the lead early. The Pirates started to rally with a three-pointer to go up 56-52, but a quick layup from Tiracorda halted it promptly. A Pirate layup was immediately matched by a Colton 3-pointer to cut the Pirate lead to just one. However, a Williamsburg three gave the home team a 4-point lead once again. After a tough layup by Koleno and a block on the other end, a layup from Tiracorda broke the game even at 61. Then, a fadeaway midrange from Koleno which he followed with a 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 68-63 lead. West Branch then closed the game out, securing a 76-68 win.
Dylan McGonigal commented on the game. “It was a good game. We played a good first quarter and struggled some in the second. After being down 6 at the half, we came out in the third quarter, played well, and got the lead back. We battled our way to the win. It was a great game and we played a great second half altogether.”
Koleno finished the game with 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 3-pointers made. Tiracorda had 12 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds as well. Joel Evans and Dylan McGonigal also had 11 points each.
The Warriors (15-2) are back in action Monday, January 29th, as they travel to take on the Harmony Owls.
