Hot-shooting Warriors make statement in Section 2
Written by: TJ Eck on January 17, 2024
When everything is clicking, Warwick is a dangerous team.
Everything was clicking for the Warriors Wednesday night.
“I don’t think anyone has ever shot that well, together,” said Warwick senior guard Carter Horst.
Horst and company knocked down six three-pointers in the first quarter, made 14 triples in the game, and ran away with a 73-51 road win over Manheim Central in front of a packed house at Doe Run Elementary School.
The Barons scored the first four points of the game before the Warwick onslaught began. Warwick connected on its first five three-point attempts of the night and built a 23-15 lead after the first quarter.
“Warwick was well-prepared and they shell-shocked us,” said Manheim Central head coach Charlie Fisher.
The second quarter saw the Warriors extend their lead. Sophomore forward Ya’Majesty Washington threw down a dunk in transition to make it a 31-17 lead for the visitors. A few possessions later senior guard Tyree Hughes drained one of his three three-pointers on the night and Warwick went into the locker room with a 20-point advantage, 42-22.
“When the shots are going in like that, it makes the coaching part easy,” said Warwick head coach Chris Christensen.
When the second half began, the Warriors kept the pedal to the metal. Washington showed off his elite athleticism and well-rounded game by grabbing a rebound, dishing to Horst who then passed back to Washington, he proceeded to nail one of his four triples on the night to put Warwick in front, 48-24.
Washington, a six-foot-three forward with immense upside, finished the night with 16 points, four rebounds, and one block.
“He’s a hooper,” said Christensen. “He lives for the game. He continues to work…tonight was nice for him to have a coming out night and do a good job.”
Leading the way for the Warriors was Horst. The York College-bound guard made three shots from beyond the arc but what fired up his teammates and the Warwick faithful in the crowd the most was an old-fashioned three-point play late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 29 points.
“Our offense is great,” said Horst. “When we’re on a good night, it’s gonna be hard to beat us.”
Horst finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds. Junior forward Caleb Johnsen added 10 points for Warwick.
The victory was a crucial one for the Warriors. They improve to 6-0 in Lancaster-Lebanon League play and now have victories over Manheim Central and Ephrata, the two teams behind them in the standings.
The win over the Barons is even sweeter considering Warwick lost twice to Manheim Central last season.
“Last year hurt a lot, losing twice to them,” said Christensen. “Our guys let it build up for a year and got themselves ready and really wanted to come out on fire tonight.”
Junior guard Mason Rodgers paced the Barons Wednesday night with 18 points. Sophomore guard Chase Book added six points while senior forward Aaron Enterline scored five points and grabbed five rebounds.
Manheim Central now faces an uphill battle when it comes to winning Section 2 and qualifying for the L-L League playoffs. The Barons are 12-2 overall but both losses have come in league play.
“Our biggest thing is we got Elizabethtown on Friday,” said Fisher. “We have to beat ETown. We gotta make sure we are going back to doing what we do well.”
Warwick improves to 9-5 overall. The Warriors have won five straight and are looking like a team that can challenge for the L-L League title. A run at the Class AAAAA District 3 title and beyond is also in play for the squad from Lititz.
“We just talked about, you’re halfway (through the schedule),” said Christensen. “You’re not done and if you get complacent that’s when bad things can happen. We just gotta get ourselves ready to go…for next week.”
Horst added: “I know that we started off the season rough but we are on a roll so it should put the fear back into teams.”
Carter Horst – Player of the Game
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