Two traditional state football powers met Tuesday night on the hardwood as Warren Central traveled to Cathedral. Warren Central would make the trip without starting point guard Bishop Smith, who was out due to an illness.
It looked early on like it would be a long night for the Warriors sans Smith, as Cathedral jumped out to a 16-2 lead right from the tip. Senior wing
Eron Gordon missed his first three pointer, but followed by hitting his next three straight.
Jordan Walker also added a three of his own as junior point guard
Tra Landers was able to pick apart the Warren Central defense. Paul Minor came off the bench to stem the bleeding for Warren Central by maneuvering inside for a layup and hitting a pair of baseline jumpers.
Warren was able to keep the momentum going early on in the second quarter, cutting the initial deficit to seven at 22-15. From there, however, it was all Cathedral until the halftime horn. Freshman guard
James Franklin provided a spark off the bench, and
Jordan Walker and
Eron Gordon each found their way to the rim for dunks as the Irish ended the quarter on. 15-6 run to take a 16 point lead into the locker room.
Each team traded buckets in the third as Cathedral couldn't extend their lead and Warren could not put a substantial dent into it. The good news for Warren is that junior wing
Mack Smith, who was quiet in the first half, came alive with nine points in the quarter. The Warriors were also to draw fouls on Cathedral, putting Warren Central in the bonus at the end of the third.
Warren continued to chip away into the last period, as
Mack Smith and Trequan Spivey attacked the basket and forced turnovers on the defensive end. Spivey used his frame to score through contact and get to the free throw line. He was hard pressed to convert on his opportunities, going just 3/6 from the stripe in the second half. Sophomore guard Myles Arnold came off the bench to score 12 points, including a pair of three pointers and two layups to keep the game within striking distance. The Warriors could get no closer than seven, but continued to battle to the end. Eron Gordon and
Jordan Walker combined to close the game out from the line as Warren fouled to extend the game.
Warren Central 8 13 19 27 - 67
Cathedral 17 20 15 23 - 75
Warren Central:
Mack Smith 19 pts (7/13 FGs, 4/5 FTs); Trequan Spivey 15 pts, 6 rbs; Myles Arnold 12 pts; Paul Minor 8 pts; King Tyler 6 pts;
David Bell 5 pts;
Dean Tate 2 pts