Warwick Overcomes Sluggish Start, Runs Past Cocalico As Warriors Advance To Buckskin Classic Championship Game
Written by: Andy Herr on December 11, 2021
In a way, it’s funny. Well, maybe funny isn’t exactly the most apropos word to use, but it certainly was ironic.
For as much promise and anticipation that 2021-22 high school basketball season brings with it, it’s simply impossible to overlook the overarching desire and hope from everyone involved that this year we finally have some sort of semblance of normalcy back in our gyms once again. Student sections, concession stands, masks being more and more optional, attendance numbers that maybe will grow so big in some instances that we’ll need to keep a fire marshal on standby just to be cautious, whatever you consider “normal,” rest assured we’re all pulling in the same direction here for this season to go off without a hitch so it can come across as business as usual. However, don’t fault the two programs facing off with one another in the opening round of the Buckskin Classic Tip-off Tournament this year if they still happen to have some warm and fuzzy memories from last season. Yes, albeit in a very weird and wonky season that it was for everyone from start to finish.
For the Warwick Warriors, last season was set another in the metamorphosis of this ever-improving program where the bullseye was once again squarely placed on the Warriors’ collective shoulders. Truth be told, at this time a year ago, Warwick was the odds on preseason favorite to not only take care of their share of business in the Lancaster-Lebanon Section Two field, but the entire L-L League at large by cutting the nets down on championship Saturday at Manheim Township. However, as we all recall, the situation regarding the postseason -most specifically the league tournament- was one where the goalposts were constantly being moved, sometimes even off the field altogether it would have appeared. Regardless, the decision was settled upon for a section champs only invitation, a decision that kept Warwick out of the league playoff fray given their one-game playoff loss to Lebanon, as the Cedars eventually earned the right to call themselves league champs after ousting Hempfield in yet another thrilling rendition of the L-L title game last February. But aside from that, the Warriors had arguably the best collection of pure, unbridled basketball talent that had been in Lititz for quite some time across the board, headlined of course by the best player that Warwick has produced in a generation, Kai Cipalla. But as is usually the case with graduation, it’s more often a cruel practice than it is a favorable one, such as the case likely felt by this year’s Warwick squad. And yes, while this is certainly a program that has proven itself to have earned a seat at the big boy’s table from now on given their perennial success, the external temperature placed upon the Warriors to equal their success of the last half decade or so have certainly cooled down heading into this particular campaign, again, thanks in large part to roles and responsibilities changing given the fellas that have now gone out the door.
For Cocalico, last year was even better than anyone could’ve probably imagined quite honestly.
Yes, while the Eagles were expected to make some noise last year and likely contend for the top spot in L-L Section Three, it’s hard to imagine that anyone truly envisioned last season taking shape in the manner which it did. For starters, the Eagles earned a clean sweep over Lampeter-Strasburg, a thorn in Cocalico’s side for what had to feel like a great number of years given L-S’ reign of terror exerted upon the division for seasons’ on end. From there, the Eagles did in fact take the Section Three crown by the time they reached the regular season finish line, eventually parlaying that into a District 3-5A playoff berth. And speaking of that run through the district playoffs, rest assured that the stories that will be told years from now will likely be the stuff of legend. First and foremost, Cocalico didn’t even play their opening round game. Nope, thanks to a COVID outbreak at an inopportune time at West York, the Eagles marched into the quarterfinal round totally unimpeded. Then, the Eagles toppled a very sound Hershey Trojans’ squad on the road, upending the #4 seed in the 5A field which helped set up a home date with York Suburban following their upset over previously unbeaten Northern York, 55-41. In that game, it took everything that the Eagles had and then some before a last-second Trey Rios’ triple at the buzzer sent Cocalico into the District 3-5A championship game at Lower Dauphin by virtue of their 43-40 triumph. And while that Lower Dauphin game will forever be painful for those entrenched in the Eagles’ camp -specifically since it ended their season given the truncated state playoff bracket last season despite being a district silver medalist- Cocalico played their absolute best game, muddying up the affair so great in a way in which perhaps only they alone can truly appreciate, save for just one missed defensive assignment that led to the Eagles’ downfall, as Lower Dauphin suddenly found themselves just three games from the state championship following their 24-22 win over Cocalico, thanks in large part to a back-breaking triple splashed in the last 30 seconds by the Falcons’ Tyson Hofsass. And yes, just like their counterparts found at CV on the opening night of this season, graduation was not so generous to the Eagles as well, especially given the loss of their own headliner turned table-setter, Carter Nuneville.
So yeah, while those of us outside of Cocalico and Warwick may want nothing more than to move on past last season like it never even happened in the first place, it’s easy to see as to why they may struggle to embrace your desire just as feverishly as you do. But like it or not, time waits for no man, which is why it was certainly ironic to see the Eagles and Warriors pitted against one another in the opening game of this season given their shared narratives that seemed to be eerily reminiscent of one another.
But on this night, whether it be a new season or not, Warwick was out to prove that there would be no drop off whatsoever.
As is typically the case, the first quarter of the first game is typically a grab-bag of sorts in terms of teams finding momentum one way or the other. Case in point, Warwick seeing their early lead grow to a 6-3 advantage following a bucket inside by 6’2 freshman, Caleb Johnson, just moments after checking into the contest. However, the Warriors’ momentum was halted just as quickly following a 3-ball knocked down by Cocalico marksman, Trey Rios, making it a 6-6 affair with 3:30 left to play in the opening stanza. From there, Warwick returned a volley of their own following an impromptu 6-0 salvo, capped off by a Carter Horst run-out in transition, forcing Cocalico to call a timeout and regroup with 2:10 now left to play in the period while staring up at a 12-6 deficit. To their credit though, the Eagles took the Warriors’ punch in stride and just as quickly retaliated with a flurry of their own, highlighted by an old-fashioned three-point play courtesy of junior forward, Tyler Hambright, erasing the Warriors’ cushion down to a 14-12 count just 40 seconds later, before the first quarter clock eventually expired with Warwick holding serve at 15-12.
In the early portions of the second quarter however, Tate Landis decided to take matters into his own hands.
Largely kept in check throughout the first frame, the future York College Spartan wasted little time in helping his squad push a pesky Cocalico team away once and for all. While assuredly ignited by way of his traditional three-point play near the six-minute marked which upped the Warriors’ lead to a half dozen at 20-14, a pair of takes to the rack by the 5’11 senior guard gave Warwick their biggest lead of the evening, 24-14, before getting his name in the assist column as well with a nice give to Caleb Johnson in transition, an exchange which made it a 29-14 Warriors’ lead, forcing Cocalico to call yet another timeout to try and halt the Warwick snowball with 3:05 left to play in the opening half. And while a timely and much-needed triple was nailed by Cocalico’s Josh Hostetter on the Eagles’ ensuing offensive trip following the timeout, Warwick was able to carry the 31-19 lead with them into the intermission, thanks in large to a dominating display of second-chance opportunities, deflections, and leak-outs in transition throughout the first sixteen minutes of play.
In the third quarter, Warwick only continued to flex their muscle on their Section Three foes.
In fact, it truly got started almost immediately. Right out of the chute, the Warriors blitzed Cocalico to the tune of a 5-0 run, all of which came courtesy of 6’0 senior guard, Avery Sapp, an exchange which put the Eagles even further behind the 8-ball. From there, the same theme exhibited in the first half in terms of Warwick run-outs in transition was on display yet again as a Tate Landis bucket in transition made it a a 43-21 Warwick affair, leading to yet another Cocalico timeout with 5:46 left in the third frame.
And truth be told, the Eagles’ offense seemed to be stuck in the mud for much of the third quarter. In fact, Cocalico’s first points of the stanza came via a pair of free throws sunk by senior, Nick Spangler, at the 3:19 mark of the quarter. As far the Eagles’ first field goal was concerned, that would come at the 1:20 mark following a second-chance opportunity cashed in by way of sophomore forward, Owen Weaver, a bucket which made it a 50-25 contest in favor of the white-clad bunch from Lititz by that point in time. But as was clearly the case by then, Warwick was well on their way to starting off the year 1-0 as they carried the 55-25 advantage with them into the final period, the last Warriors’ bucket of the quarter came off, you guessed it, points in transition, as a Trevor Evans bucket on a fast break carried Warwick into the final eight minutes with the gargantuan advantage.
Yet while the eventual outcome of the game was well in hand by that point in time, the fourth quarter nonetheless still offered up the opportunity for other players to cash in on their newfound opportunity of playing at the varsity level. Case in point, a steal and subsequent finish capped off by Cocalico sophomore, Luke Main, for the well-deserved dose of return fire back to their counterparts in terms of transition points on the evening. On the Warriors’ side, they too would make good on their chances late in Friday night’s lid-lifter, a feat best exemplified with a strong take to the tin via the exploits of sophomore guard, Cody Ryan, helping to seal the deal down the stretch for Warwick.
And once the final buzzer of the evening rang out, there was little doubt as to what had taken place throughout the vast majority of the last 32 minutes of play given Warwick’s commanding and decisive 62-38 victory at the hands of Cocalico on opening night.
Granted, even though Warwick ended up winning rather handedly, it’s not as if it was a flawless performance by any means. Something best explained by the Warriors’ head coach following the contest.
“Sometimes we didn’t make the easy pass. I think we have to do a better job of making the right play,” Warwick head coach Chris Christensen said just a few minutes following his team’s 24-point triumph. “I thought in the second half offensively we didn’t do a great job of crashing the offensive glass. We were all just kind of just standing around the three-point line, one shot and done. I have to watch (the film), but those were probably the two things that stuck out.”
Regardless, making next-day adjustments after winning by nearly 30 points is most assuredly easier to do, especially with a championship hanging in the balance waiting for you just 24 hours later. And yes, Warwick also seems to understand that a championship is at stake, albeit in the infancy of the season, being called a champion at any point during the season isn’t something to take lightly.
“It’s a nonleague game (against Conestoga Valley), but it matters. It definitely matters. Because of the fact that is a tip-off tournament championship, it’s a little more than just a standard nonleague game,” said Christensen. “They all matter. They all matter in 6A basketball. You gotta come every night and get wins any way you can get them. We know they’re good and we gotta bring it the whole time.”
NEXT UP: As mentioned, following their win over Cocalico in the opening round, Warwick draws a Section Two foe, Conestoga Valley, in the championship of the Buckskin Classic at 7:30pm on Saturday night following the Buckskins’ dizzying, up-and-down 76-65 victory over Bermudian Springs in their opening round contest to help set the stage for the Saturday title fight.
For Cocalico, it’s incumbent upon the Eagles on righting the ship to try and avoid an 0-2 start to the campaign as they draw the aforementioned Bermudian Springs Eagles in the consolation affair with tip off set for 6pm in that one.
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