Alliance, OH -- T
onight, the West Branch Lady Warriors traveled to EBC rival Marlington
and received everything they could handle from the upset-minded Dukes. Marlington
held a lead early in the fourth quarter, but a big game from Audrey Eaton helped West Branch prevail, 45–41.
West Branch got off to a rough start as the Dukes jumped out to a 7–0 lead, but Coach DeShields' team fought back and ended up holding a 19–11 advantage at halftime. Marlington answered in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 15–8 to cut the deficit to 27–26. With 6:26 remaining in the fourth, the Dukes took a 34–32 lead.
The Warriors locked in down the stretch, retook the lead, and held on for the hard-earned 45–41 conference victory.
With freshman Madi Hoopes out of the lineup, junior Audrey Eaton stepped up in a big way, knocking down three three-pointers and scoring a game-high 20 points. Hallie Vie Burton and Sydney Lane each added six points, Alli Kanagy scored five, and Tallie Muniz chipped in four.
What's Next: With the win, the Lady Warriors improve to 13–1 overall and 7–0 in EBC play. West Branch will travel to the Classic in the Country on Saturday, hosted at Berlin Highland High School in Millersburg, Ohio. The Warriors will face a tough test against a very strong Magnificat team, with tipoff set for 1:30 p.m.
