Warren’s Mackenzie James-McGuire (shooting) is quadruple-teamed by Fort Frye defenders (from left to right) Emmie Duskey, Haven Shilling, Elle Casto and Ella Dowler during Friday’s game in Vincent. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

VINCENT — It’s not very often a high school basketball team can shoot 24 percent from the floor, 20 percent from behind the arc and make just five, two-point field goals in a game and still come away with a double-digit victory.

The only way to offset dismal offensive numbers like that is to play outstanding defense and the Fort Frye Cadets did that as they grinded out a 36-25, Twin State League win Friday night over the Warren Warriors.

After getting off to a good start the Cadets offense disappeared for much of the rest of the game but great defense allowed them to keep the Warriors at bay as they improved to 11-2 on the season.

“That is why we strive defense so much is you are going to have those nights where shots are just not going to fall,” said Fort Frye head coach Dan Liedtke. “We think that if our intensity is really good on defense it seems like it goes right into our offense.”

Early on the Cadets had no troubles at all offensively as they scored the first eight points of the game thanks to three-pointers by Ava Huffman and Aubrie Lang and a two-pointer by Ella Dowler.

Fort Frye’s Ella Dowler, left, goes up for a jumper as Warren’s Josie Venham defends during Friday’s game in Vincent. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

After a pair of free throws by Sarah Pettey got the Warriors on the board, Huffman drove the base line for two to give the Cadets a10-2 lead.

Warren jumped right back into it thanks to five straight points by senior Mackenzie James-McGuire which included a nifty 8-foot jumper with the left hand.

The Cadets recaptured the momentum though when Emmie Duskey made a pair of free throws and sophomore Haven Shilling beat the buzzer with a long three to give The Fort a 15-7 lead.

The second quarter was brutal for both teams as Warren got just a lone field goal by sophomore Jayda Murray while all the Cadets could muster was an old-fashioned three-point play by Duskey to send them to the intermission with an 18-9 lead.

“They were coming out and pressuring us so hard that we were getting open shots we just weren’t cashing in on them,” said Liedtke, of the first half struggles. “Our defense was just holding us in there enough but we missed too many easy shots going to the basket.” Warren head coach Brad Venham kept his team in the locker room almost right up to the time the second half began and that move seemed to pay

dividends as the Warriors put together their best stretch of basketball to open the third quarter.

James-McGuire got things rolling by knocking down a three-pointer and Pettey followed with a two-pointer off of an assist from Murray.

After a defensive stop on the other end the Warriors pulled to within two when James-McGuire scored with an assist from Pettey.

The Cadets went nearly11 minutes of game time without making a field goal before Shilling finally found the bottom of the net on a three-pointer with less than four minutes to play in the third.

The Warriors answered right back when sophomore DeLaney Gates drove strong to the bucket for two to cut the lead back to three.

Fort Frye came up with a huge play to finish the quarter when Duskey grabbed a rebound of a missed three-pointer by Dowler and laid it back up and in just before the buzzer sounded to increase the lead to 23-18.

While the Cadets faced their struggles in putting the ball in the bucket all game long they were able to take care of business at the charity stripe.

The Cadets made 14-of-16 shots from the foul line in the game including 11-of-13 in the final period.

Dowler made three in a row after being fouled behind the arc to stretch the lead to seven.

That would be as close as the Warriors would get as the Cadets added to their lead down the stretch.

Duskey led the way for the Cadets by completing a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.

Shilling added eight while Dowler and Huffman chipped in with six apiece.

Lang took and made just one shot in the entire game but certainly made her presence felt in other ways for the Cadets..

‘Aubrie (Lang) does a lot of things for us both offensively and defensively,“said Liedtke. “She doesn’t have the size but sometimes she has to take players much taller than her. She is so good at positioning, rebounds well and she can shoot the ball.”

James-McGuire led the way for Warren with 12 points and five rebounds.

The Warriors slipped to 7-5 overall and 1-3 in league play.

The Cadets lone losses of the season both came against Marietta as they are now 11-2 overall and 2-2 in the TSL.

Both teams will be right back at it Monday night with the Cadets hosting Parkersburg South while Warren hosts Belpre.