Williamstown’s Arissa Burt (30) draws a foul against Warren’s Rylee Arnold during Saturday’s game in Vincent. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

VINCENT — Arissa Burt and Maggie Frye are known more for what they can do in the paint for Williamstown, but in Saturday’s 46-36 win over Warren, the Yellowjackets duo had to step up at the free-throw line to help secure the victory.

Burt went 7 for 8 at the charity stripe while Frye was a perfect 6 for 6 on a night where points were at a premium.

“Those free throws were huge, especially from Arissa and Maggie,” said Williamstown head coach Danny Bunch. “That’s 14 points, and we win by 10. We’ve had a couple games recently where we’ve been shooting 50% (from the foul line) as a team. If we had one of those nights, we may not pull this win off tonight.”

Williamstown, ranked second in W.Va. Class AA, improved to 15-2 but had to scratch and claw to fend off a scrappy Warren unit.

A 3-pointer by Rylee Arnold followed by five straight points from Danica Gates gave the Warriors (10-9) an early 8-3 lead. It was 8-7 after one.

Williamstown’s Anna Cosner (5) handles the ball as Warren’s DeLaney Gates (12) and Juliana Huffman (22) defend during Saturday’s game in Vincent. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

DeLaney Gates opened the second quarter with back-to-back buckets to put Warren back up five.

Treys by Quinn Bunch and Anna Cosner put Williamstown up 15-12. After trading the lead a couple times, Arnold’s pull-up jumper and Josie Venham’s basket gave Warren a 20-17 lead. However, Williamstown closed the half on a 9-0 run, capped by Gracie Montomgery’s 3-ball with 15 seconds remaining, to go into halftime with a 26-20 advantage.

Still, the Warriors refused to go away. They scored the first five points of the third period, with Jayda Murray’s basket getting Warren within one.

The Yellowjackets punched back and stretched their lead to seven with three minutes left in the third on a 3-pointer from Bunch, who scored a game-high 16 points. Burt added a trey of her own to help make it 36-29 going into the fourth.

Midway through the final period, Warren got two free throws from Juliana Huffman and a layup from DeLaney Gates, to cut the deficit to six.

Warren’s Danica Gates, right, looks to pass as Williamstown’s Arissa Burt (30) defends during Saturday’s game in Vincent. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

However, Bunch answered with her fourth and final 3-ball of the night, and the ‘Jackets were able to take control from there.

Neither team shot well from the floor, with Williamstown finishing at 34.3% (12 for 35) while Warren went 28.2% (13 for 46). However, the Yellowjackets did go 7 for 18 from beyond the arc and 15 for 20 at the foul line. The Warriors did not fare as well, finishing 1 for 14 from 3 and 9 for 22 from the stripe.

“Our defense gave us a couple easy buckets on the other end, which helps make up for a bad shooting night,” coach Bunch said. “We were just a little off offensively all night, and Warren had a lot to do with that. Their diamond press that they do — they drop back in that zone and they match up out of it really well. Luckily, we were able to knock just enough shots down to come over here and pull off a win.”

Warren, which heads to Caldwell Monday, got eight points apiece from DeLaney Gates and Arnold. Danica Gates added seven points and six rebounds while Delaney Gates tallied a game-high seven steals.

Burt completed a double-double for the Yellowjackets with 14 points and 12 boards. Frye added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Williamstown has a big week in store as it plays host to Parkersburg Catholic on Tuesday in the Little Kanawha Conference semifinals. The winner will play Saturday for the LKC title.

Bunch’s message to his team?

“Just remember the big picture,” he said. “Our goal, obviously, is to make it to Charleston (for the state tournament). We’re going to see what we can do there in the LKC tournament, but our big picture is still Charleston.”

NOTE: All proceeds from Saturday’s “Hoops for Hope” game were donated to Melissa Liston, a Warren Local Schools employee and a top Warren basketball fan. Liston is on transplant lists for both a kidney and pancreas. Basket and 50/50 raffles were held and there was also a T-shirt fundraiser and a half-court shot contest.

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.