Tuesday night marked the opening night of the 2017 Marion County Tournament. One of the most intriguing match-ups in the first round pitted a gritty Lawrence Central team against the undefeated Warriors of Warren Central. Behind the shooting of senior guard Mack Smith and some timely baskets down the stretch, Warren Central advanced to the quarterfinals.

 

Warren Central began their season 9-0, and the play of their guards has been a major reason why. That was evident early on as Warren has several players contribute to a strong first quarter. Playing through Trequan Spivey in the post, who was matched up against the 5'6 Daveon Bell, Warren Central made the extra pass when help arrived and was able to knock down perimeter shots. "If Bell guarded anyone other Dean Tate, we thought we might have an advantage and get him in foul trouble hopefully", said Warren Central coach Criss Byers. Dean Tate and Mack Smith both canned three-point attempts, then Tate was able to capitalize when fouled shooting a three and made all three free throw attempts.

 

 

Lawrence Central used their size advantage against the smaller Warriors, as they crashed the offensive glass early on, leading to a pair of putbacks by Eric Easter to give LC a 9-8 lead midway through the quarter. "They just out-toughed us. They play as hard as anyone we play," said Byers. Warren would reassert themselves, though, ending the period on a 9-2 run.

 

 

The Bears quickly erased that deficit with a 9-1 run of their own behind the play of Easter and Wesley Jordan. The duo combined for seven points in the quarter. They could not gain any ground, however, as Warren Central responded each time. Mack Smith was able to score six straight, all on finishes through contact at the rim, as the score remained tied entering halftime.

 

 

Lawrence Central repeated their first half strategy of hitting the offensive glass and it continued to pay off for them. Wesley Jordan and Eric Easter routinely got their team second shot opportunities. KJ Davis would have seven for LC in the third, but the Warriors were able to stretch out a lead thanks to the play of their backcourt. Mack Smith began to heat up towards the end of the quarter, as he hit a pair of threes, the second after a crossover to shake a defender and a driving bucket. Spivey and Tate would combined for eight points of their own in the period, and that would give the Warriors an eight point lead entering the fourth.

 

 

Warren could not stretch their lead any further due to the second chance opportunities from Lawrence Central. The gap was five points as Warren Central got their biggest shot of the night from an unlikely source. With the momentum on the side of the Bears, Dean Tate drove toward the hoop from the wing. As the defense collapsed, he was able to find sophomore David Bell. Bell, who does his best work on the gridiron, stepped into an 18 footer and buried it, giving Warren a seven seven-point with 2:41 left and eliminating any momentum that Lawrence Central had.

 

 

From there, it turned into a free throw practice for the Warriors, as Tate, Spivey, and Smith closed out the game from the stripe as Warren Central ran their record to 10-0. "The kids have done everything we've asked them to on and off the court", said Byers. "They had some success this summer and they saw that they could carry it over to this season, and they have so far."

 

 

Warren Central advances to take on Lawrence North on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Marion County Tourney.

 

Warren Central 17 11 25 14 - 67
Lawrence Central 11 17 17 13 - 58

Warren Central: Mack Smith 27 points (8/10 FGs, 3/4 3Ps, 8/8 FTs), 7 rebs; Trequan Spivey 13 points (5/9 FGs, 3/4 FTs); Dean Tate 10 points (1/1 3Ps, 7/7 FTs), 3 asts; Paul Minor 6 points (3/5 FGs); David Bell 5 points; Ki-ng Tyler 3 points; Allante Harper 1 point

Lawrence Central: Eric Easter 16 points; KJ Davis 13 points (4/8 FGs, 3/5 3Ps, 2/3 FTs); Daveon Bell 10 points (3/12 FGs, 1/6 3Ps, 3/4 FTs); Wesley Jordan 8 points (3/10 FGs, 2/6 FTs), 11 rebs; D'Andre Davis 7 points; Gary Gillard 2 points; Jaden Terry 2 points