Warwick displays depth in critical Section 2 win over Ephrata
Written by: TJ Eck on January 12, 2024
Mason Burr provided the spark.
“I’m just always ready to go,” said Burr. “I like to tell myself I want to be bringing the energy right away, as soon as I am in.”
Burr came off the bench and scored 10 points to help Warwick earn a Lancaster-Lebanon League road win over Ephrata, 63-46, Friday night in a matchup of the top two teams in Section 2.
“Mason does a great job,” said Warwick head coach Chris Christensen. “We really rely on him defensively to slow people down…and then every once in a while he will give you a nice burst like that where he puts the ball in the hoop.”
But it wasn’t just Burr, who scored seven of his points in the first half. With a few Warwick starters in foul trouble, the Warriors’ bench played some major minutes. Non-starters Amani Cooper, Cody Ryan, Parker Horst, and Burr combined to score 21 points and grab six rebounds against the Mounts.
“Our depth and our experience (that) we’re gaining (with) lots of guys playing is benefitting us now,” said Christensen.
Burr added: “Everyone brought it. We didn’t really let up at all. Starters brought it right away, the guys off the bench brought some energy as well. Just all-around a great team effort.”
With a deep roster at their disposal, the Warriors came out with a strong defensive effort. Warwick played suffocating defense in the half-court and frustrated the Mountaineers in the first half.
The Warriors held Ephrata standout guard Marqus Hardin scoreless through the first two quarters and led 32-20 at halftime.
“(Hardin) is a good player,” said Christensen. “He draws lots of attention that we have to give to him because of how hard he plays and how hard he attacks the basket. Mason (Burr) and Carter (Horst) did a good job kind of rotating off and on, just trying to make things difficult for him.”
Hardin, who averages 14.6 points per game, scored all 12 of his points in the second half Friday night as the Mounts did their best to stage a comeback.
Ephrata pulled within nine in the third quarter. That’s when Warwick’s Caleb Johnsen scored back-to-back buckets to stretch the lead back to 13.
In the fourth quarter, the Mounts clawed their way to within seven, 51-44, when Warwick responded with a 12-0 run that essentially iced the game.
“It was just good for us to come in and play tough and they made some good runs and we answered them,” said Christensen. “It was good to see.”
Johnsen led the way for Warwick with a game-high 19 points. Trevor Evans added eight points for the Warriors while Carter Horst scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Hardin led the Mounts in scoring. Grayson Shellhammer and Cayden Landis chipped in seven points apiece. Ephrata drops to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in league play. Next up is a road game at Twin Valley Saturday.
Friday night’s victory was the fourth straight for the Warriors, who are now alone in first place in Section 2 of the L-L League. Warwick improves to 8-5 overall with a 5-0 league mark. A road trip to Manheim Central on Wednesday (Jan. 17) is next on the schedule.
“There’s a long season to go, a lot of games left,” said Burr. “There’s no reason to let up now. We just gotta keep doing what we’re doing.”
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