With his lineup extremely depleted, Warrenton Head Coach Greg Williams had to look to a group of capable but less experienced players to close out the Washington Tournament with a victory last Friday.

The Warriors held off Lutheran South, 48-40, to claim the consolation prize after a taxing week. Injuries have hindered Warrenton all season, and continued to be merciless during a month loaded with action.

“That’s a great win for us,” said Williams. “With that amount of youth, we shouldn’t be winning games. So not only are we competing, we’re winning against quality teams.”

With senior point guard Rylie Cox already sidelined for the season due to a back injury, others had stepped in to fulfill ball-handling duties. Sophomore Allison Tonioli had taken it upon herself to absorb much of the leadership role, but she too spent Friday’s contest on the bench after a doctor’s visit indicated the risk of a ruptured tendon.

The Warriors came out storming, building a 7-0 lead thanks to a strong first quarter by senior Ashtyn Dixon and sophomore Brooke Smith. Lutheran South fought back to claim control, 10-7, before a barrage of 3-pointers. Smith and Dixon hit bench-igniting 3-pointers to close out the period with Warrenton in command, 15-13.

“Dixon plays with a lot of heart,” said Williams. “She does a lot of things people don’t recognize too, like taking on tough defensive assignments, and she got a couple big rebounds tonight.” 

After being denied the ball in the opening minutes, senior center Kayla Nelson came to life in the second quarter, helping the Warriors to a 27-22 halftime lead. She went on to score 25 of her game-high 29 points in the final three periods.

“Going into a lot of games I know teams are going to try to double- or triple-team me,” said Nelson. “We work on an accordion style of moving the ball in and out so the defense gets tired, and eventually I get open looks.”

But it was perhaps the ball-handling of sophomore Lexi Frederick about which Williams was most excited. Having been unexpectedly cast into the role in response to Cox’s injury, she continues to break presses and facilitate the offense for the Warriors.

“Everyone knew coming in when we didn’t have Rylie that a lot of girls would have to step up,” said Nelson. “You could see in practice those younger girls are really pushing themselves and wanting to make a difference.”

Warrenton built a 40-29 lead by the end of the third quarter and used an 11-of-15 free-throw shooting effort to close the game comfortably.

Dixon finished with eight points, while Smith netted seven.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Williams. “As a coach, it’s very satisfying to see them succeed.”