On Saturday, February 8, the Raiders of Brookville High School traveled to Morrisdale to take on the West Branch Warriors.

After winning the opening tip, the Raiders came out strong, jumping to a 12-0 lead before the Warriors could even blink. A post-jump shot from Joel Evans finally broke the ice for West Branch. A late three-pointer from Easton Emigh made the score 14-5 at the end of the first quarter.

The Raiders did not let up in the second quarter, scoring the first seven points of the frame. Evans halted the run with a floater, followed by two points each from Owen Koleno and Emigh. A few buckets from Koleno cut the deficit to eight as the teams headed into halftime.

To open the second half, Koleno drained a three-pointer to bring the Warriors within five. He continued to score, but the Raiders began pulling away. They closed the third quarter with a 52-38 lead.

The fourth quarter saw a few buckets from both teams before the Raiders shifted into keep-away mode until the final buzzer. The Raiders secured a 66-49 victory, handing West Branch just their third loss of the season.

“I think we’ve played very well this season. It feels like we have all the pieces for a deep run in the postseason. Our momentum has dipped recently, but I believe we will get hot and stay hot when it matters most. I’m only a sophomore, but day in and day out at practice, it feels like there aren’t just five starters—the whole team plays a part in our success,” said sophomore guard Kaleb Kio.

The Warriors (19-4) will be back in action for the district playoffs on Saturday, February 22, when they take on the Colts of Northern Cambria.