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Warriors top Tigers, now 1 win from ECOL crown

Photo by Jay W. Bennett Warren’s Abbie Smith (00) goes up to block a shot by Marietta’s Aysia Burke (42) during a high school girls basketball game Thursday at Sutton Gym. Warren won, 51-40.

Morgan Altenburger finished with a game-high 19 points for Marietta here Thursday inside Sutton Gymnasium, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers were upended by rival Warren, 51-40, in an East Central Ohio League tilt.

Warren, which improved to 10-5 overall and 6-1 in the ECOL, can claim the conference crown with a win at home on Saturday afternoon versus Cambridge.

The Tigers (11-8, 3-3) of head man Allen Ruth, who lost last month in Vincent 49-35, trailed by just six at 43-37 with 7:44 to play following a pair of Altenburger free throws. However, the Tigers failed to make a field goal in the final canton — missing all nine shots — and also committed five turnovers.

“I think it was a good game for us and we played hard,” noted Warrior boss Amy Way, who got 16 points from Olivia Alloway, 15 by Abbie Smith, 11 from Alex Frazee as well as four points and game-highs of nine rebounds and seven assists from Millie Ryan.

“We were patient at times on the offensive end and moved the ball. Overall, we did a good job of being aggressive and attacking the rim.”

Smith, who chipped in six boards, a block and didn’t return after picking up her fourth foul with 5:42 left, countered Altenbuger’s foul shots with an inside deuce. Following a steal by Savannah Banks, Ryan scored and it was 49-38 with 3:45 remaining following a lay-in by Alloway. The final field goal of the affair came at the 3:09 mark when Kelly Jackson assisted on an Alloway make. The Tigers’ lone points in the fourth came from a trio of foul shots by Altenburger and two by Adi Hill.

Marietta, which returns to action Saturday afternoon at Dover, trailed 31-22 at the break, but opened the third with two missed 3s and a trio of turnovers as the Warriors scored eight straight to forge ahead 39-22. Alloway’s triple gave the visitors their biggest lead of the game at 42-24, but MHS closed on an 11-1 run. Altenburger was left wide open behind the arc and drained a trey while Saylor Wharff, who had nine points, swished in a buzzer-beating corner 3 thanks to an Aysia Burke dime.

Trifectas by Rylee Kendall and Wharff in the final 33 seconds of the first allowed the Tigers to take a 13-12 lead after one.

Down 20-19 in the second, MHS watched the Warriors close the half on an 11-3 spurt to take a 31-22 halftime advantage. The Tigers tried to save a rebound under the Warrior basket, but it went right to Jackson and she kissed it in off the glass to just beat the buzzer.

The Tigers shot less than 30% from the floor (12 of 41) and missed on 20 of 27 attempts from downtown. Warren, which made all three of its treys, shot 59% (23 of 39).

Frazee joined Hill and Tiger Jessica Smith with game-highs of four steals apiece. Alloway also had five assists.

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