Warwick overcomes slow start, defeats LMHS in L-L League quarterfinals
Warwick overcomes slow start, defeats LMHS in L-L League quarterfinals
Written by: TJ Eck on February 12, 2024
The first few minutes of Monday night’s Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff quarterfinal were not good for Warwick.
“I just don’t think we were completely locked in,” said Warwick head coach Chris Christensen.
The Warriors committed a few early turnovers and trailed Lancaster Mennonite, 5-2, when Christensen called a timeout and loudly voiced his displeasure with his team. Warwick responded to the constructive criticism and earned a 62-55 postseason win in Lititz.
“I think we just kind of needed a little boost of energy,” said Warwick senior guard Carter Horst.
After the slow start, Warwick stepped up the intensity on both ends of the floor. The Warriors held the Blazers to just 10 points throughout the rest of the first half and built an 11-point lead prior to halftime.
Amanie Cooper provided the energy off the bench Monday night to help Warwick earn a @LLhoops quarterfinal win.
Providing a major spark for Warwick was Amanie Cooper. The junior forward came off the bench and scored seven points in the second quarter. He finished the night with nine points and three rebounds while also playing strong defense and factoring in on multiple loose balls.
“I had a feeling that I had to go in there and bring the energy, get everybody else moving,” said Cooper.
Christensen added: “He was fantastic. Especially the last couple days in practice, getting here early, putting in time. (He is) self-motivated, not coach-motivated is always good. So I give him a ton of credit.”
Warwick extended its lead in the third quarter thanks to the play of Horst. He knocked down back-to-back three-pointers while scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points in the third frame. He also tallied five rebounds.
“First half, I obviously wasn’t knocking down my shots,” said Horst. “I was getting pretty angry with myself but I kinda just stayed strong mentally and came out and just played my game and just let the ball fly.”
“He’s always gonna stick with it,” said Christensen. “Just the leadership on the floor and keeping the guys together is what we need out of him.”
Despite a double-digit deficit after three quarters of play, Lancaster Mennonite didn’t quit. The Blazers scored 40 points in the second half and hung around thanks to some poor free throw shooting by the Warriors. Warwick made seven foul shots in the fourth quarter to help ice the game but finished just 13-of-26 (50.0%) from the line Monday night.
Horst led the way for Warwick offensively while junior forward Caleb Johnsen added 17 points and five boards. Sophomore forward Ya’Majesty Washington scored 11 points and hauled in seven rebounds for the victors.
Senior guard Myles Halverson paced LMHS with 14 points while sophomore point guard Chase Hurst logged 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The Blazers are eliminated from the L-L League playoffs and now shift their focus to the PIAA District 3 Class AA tournament.
Warwick advances to the semifinals of the league playoffs where they will meet Penn Manor Wednesday night at Conestoga Valley High School. It’s a rematch of the championship game of the Warwick Holiday Tournament that the Comets won, 68-59, on December 30.
“We’re gonna try and just make it a good game,” said Horst. “I know we’re excited and I know they’re probably excited too so I am really excited to get to that game.”
Cooper added: “We just gotta go in there and do better than what we did last time. Be the better team that night. Work hard. Leave it all on the floor.”
