Instant Classics – Undefeated? No Problem. Palmyra Takes Down the Undefeated LL Giant Warwick for their First Loss of the Season
Written by: David Bray on December 24, 2024
Editor’s Note: For the games that I believe are worthy to talk about, I will be doing an Instant Classics series showcasing the games of the year for both the Keystone Division and the LL games I will be attending. I hope you enjoy the series and let me know if you would like to see more!
For the only Keystone game of the night, Palmyra needed to show out against a Lancaster-Lebanon League opponent before their Cedar Crest Tournament on the weekend. Palmyra at 2-4 had some close losses versus tough opponents, like a two-possession game against 6-1 Ephrata and losses by 12 to undefeated Milton Hershey and one-loss Mechanicsburg. Warwick came into the game 8-0, including 3 victories in section play for the league and winning by more than 9 points every game. Now both teams are looking for a win as an early Christmas present before the next portion of the season begins.
As the game tipped off, the student section of Warwick was dressed in pink and rowdy to start the game. The game was relatively close through the first half of the game, with Palmyra breaking out to a two-point lead to end the first as guard Alex Dorta led the team with 6 points. Ya’Majesty Washington helped keep the Warriors in the game with 5 points of his own, despite Brody Clausen falling into foul trouble early with 2 fouls in the first. Dorta led the team down the court every time, leading the offense into its sets through the first half, which opened up opportunities for Braydon Bown to shoot from outside the arc, and with the highest 3-point shooting percentage on the team, he made those open shots count. With opportunities from range, Micah Warner in the paint had more shots open up in the paint, and with assists from Dorta, the lead began to open up for the Cougars. At the half, Dorta and Bown led the scoring with 9 points each, with Bown shooting 3/6 from three to begin the game. Washington continued to push Warwick into the game with 9 points of his own and keeping the lead only to 5 points.
Braydon Bown walks away after shooting a three-pointer from the corner to give him 15 points on the night.
After halftime, the pace of the game sped up, with Palmyra and Warwick both pushing the tempo of the game. Palmyra exploded out of the halftime break, adding 16 points to their total and expanding the lead to 12 points. Dorta scored 8 points in the quarter, pushing the floor and finding lanes to go to the basket. Warner continued to crash the glass pulling down rebound after rebound and getting layups or trips to the free-throw line. For Warwick in the third quarter, shots weren’t falling as much as they would like, with short jumpers and open threes not hitting the mark as the lead became double digits.
Alex Dorta gets fouled on a tough layup on three Warwick defenders.
The first three quarters felt super quick, but the fourth quarter might have been just as long. Warwick began crawling back from being down 15 points to start the fourth with a 1-2-2 press halting the Palmyra offense and giving them a chance to come back from the defect. As time began winding down, the lead began to shrink, with Warwick making more three-pointers and getting more opportunities to score. Washington brought his scoring total to 15 points, followed by Parker Horst with 10 points. Recent 1000-point scorer Caleb Johnsen was seemingly shut down as he only tallied 6 points on the night, with his scoring beginning in the 3rd quarter. Warwick began to hit three-pointers, pulling the game to 6 points with a minute remaining. With Braydon Bown and Aidan Willard fouling out, Palmyra had begun rotating their 6 key players in and out with foul trouble looming over the team as time continued to expire. As the fans held their breath, and with Cameron Scott heading to the free throw line to make it a three-possession game, the game had become closer than both teams would’ve liked. As Scott sank both free throws and Warwick missed their next few shot attempts, a pass from Warner to a wide-open Dorta finished the game off as 3-4 Palmyra downed Warwick for their first loss of the season, bringing them to 8-1 on the season.
Braydon Bown watches his three-pointer from the corner in the fourth quarter.
A few fans, including myself, believed that this was the best game that Palmyra had played all season, with the showcase of good shot selection, great press-breaking ability, and team chemistry being at an all-time high playing key roles in the victory. Alex Dorta finished the game with 20 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds, giving the Cougars the spark they needed to push past the LL giant of Warwick. Braydon Bown ended the game with 15 points and 4 rebounds on 5 for 11 shooting from three-pointer. Micah Warner had his best game of the season with a season-best 14 points and 11 rebounds, giving himself a double-double to cap off a great performance. Palmyra last night showed how strong the Mid-Penn Keystone division is, with another huge victory to show for it against the leader in Section 2 for the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Palmyra, after having a rocky start to their season, is shaping up to be a solid contender for the 5A and the Keystone Division. With the playoff expanding due to there being 32 teams in 5A, a few more key wins could place Palmyra in contention for a playoff berth, with 16 teams playing in the playoffs and 9 teams getting state championship berths. Palmyra will go on the road to play Cedar Crest next, another LL League team that is second in Section 1 and 4th in the 6A power rankings. Warwick will host their holiday tournament and will face off against Lancaster Catholic in the opening round. Warwick will play either Dallastown or Penn Manor based on the results of the previous two games.
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