Warrior boys defeat Warden, 48-45

MATTAWA -- Overall, last week was tough for Wahluke boys basketball, but the Warriors registered a 48-45 victory over Warden.

Warden's Cougars were doing well with a record of 3-1 when they arrived in Mattawa on Tuesday. But that loss was to the Warriors earlier this season.

This was Warden's chance for payback, and the game started out just the way the Cougars wanted. The end of the first quarter had Warden leading 18-11 and the Warriors struggling to find the basket.

Warden held the lead at the half, 26-19, and showed no sign of letting up.

But the Warriors came out firing in the third quarter and outscored Warden 20-9, taking a 39-35 lead into the final quarter. The fourth quarter was close to the end, but pressure defense by the Warriors was too much for the Cougars to handle.

The Warriors were led by the 17 points of Colin Ahmann. Nathan Buck added 14 points.

On Friday, the Warriors played their first league game of the season at Royal. They started slow again, trailing 16-4 at the end of the first quarter, and could not come all the way back in the 58-53 loss.

"The boys needed to up the pressure and hit a few buckets to get back in the game," coach Jeff Ahmann said. "They responded and trailed by only 29-27. Then we stopped competing in the third quarter and scored only four points again."

The Warriors had plenty of opportunities to pull out a win, but poor free throw shooting did them in. For the game, Wahluke shot 13-36 from the line.

A highlight for the Warriors was the 27 points poured in by Colin Ahmann.

The game with Naches on Saturday was an unfortunate affair for the Warriors. The team was wracked with illness. Everyone had to play to get through the night in this non-leaguer.

"Twenty percent shooting from the field, along with 25 turnovers is a tough way to compete against any team," coach Ahmann said.

Naches won, 55-30, and no Warrior scored in double figures.