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

After winning the opening tip, the Raiders stepped on the gas early and were leading 12-0 before the Warriors could even blink. A post jump shot from Joel Evans broke the ice for West Branch. A late three-pointer from Easton Emigh made the score 14-5 to end the first quarter.

The Raiders didn’t let up in the second quarter, scoring the first 7 points of the frame. It was Evans again with a floater to halt the Raider run. Owen Koleno and Emigh then tallied 2 points each for the Warriors. A few Koleno buckets cut the deficit down to 8 as they headed into the half.

Opening up the second half, Koleno cut the lead down to 5 with a three-pointer. Koleno scored a few more times for the Warriors, but the Raiders started to run away with the game, finishing the third quarter with a score of 52-38.

The fourth quarter consisted of a few buckets from both teams, and then the Raiders just played keep-away until time expired. The final score was 66-49, as the Raiders handed West Branch 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 that 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 5 starters — the whole team plays a part in the team’s success,” said sophomore guard Kaleb Kio.

The Warriors (19-4) are back in action in the district playoffs on Tuesday, February 18, to battle the Penns Manor Comets.