Warrenton Finds Balance in Consolation Win

By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
Posted 11/7/19

After one of its most complete outings of the season, the Warrenton girls basketball team walked away from its own tournament with the consolation prize. Coach Barb Woodruff saw several team goals …

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Warrenton Finds Balance in Consolation Win

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After one of its most complete outings of the season, the Warrenton girls basketball team walked away from its own tournament with the consolation prize. Coach Barb Woodruff saw several team goals fulfilled during the Warriors' 53-36 victory over Orchard Farm on Friday. Among them was a reduced turnover margin and the presence of three dangerous scorers. "We had three girls in double figures, which is what I've been wanting all year long," said Woodruff. "Hopefully we can continue that." Senior Dana Heggemann battled her way to a game-best 19 points. The Warriors reduced their ballhandling miscues and controlled the offensive boards as well. "We cut our turnovers in half," said Woodruff. "Our goal was to keep it around 15 or less, and we ended up with 16." The veteran coach hadn't seen as much intensity from her players in recent matchups as she would have liked, but the Warriors answered the call on this particular night. "I told them we've got to play a little more physical with them, because the last time we didn't play physical enough," said Woodruff. "We worked on bumping the cutter and making sure they didn't cut across our face. We made them work for everything they got." Warrenton was aggressive from the opening tip, going to the basket with authority and drawing fouls. The Warriors carried a 12-10 lead into a second quarter that was filled with free-throw shooting. "We attacked the basket early," said Woodruff. While the duo of Sarah Heyne, who scored 14 points, and Heggemann found the bucket inside, Warrenton's guards were also productive. Freshman Hannah Sutton knocked down three treys, forcing the Eagles' defense to adjust. "We were working on going inside-out," said Woodruff. "I thought we were able to score (from all over) tonight, which made us harder to guard." Woodruff also focused on locking down Orchard Farm's top offensive threat. The Warriors succeeded, holding her to 3 of 11 shooting. "I thought Hannah Keene did a good job guarding their best player," said Woodruff. Warrenton pushed its lead to 22-12 by the break. The Eagles managed to cut into the deficit in the third quarter but never climbed within single digits in the second half. "We made some silly fouls in the third quarter that allowed them to get the one-and-one," said Woodruff. "If we don't put them on the line, they barely score in the second half. I thought we dominated them defensively, except for the silly fouls that we made." She felt her team showed an ability to finish games strong that it had not exemplified in previous game. In particular, the Warriors didn't endure a turnover spell, making the most of each possession. "When you limit their chances on offense, you can blow some people out," said Woodruff. "For us to have a 20-point lead with a few minutes to go, it's because we took care of the ball." Woodruff was also content with her team's rebounding efforts. "For the most part I thought we did a pretty good job on the boards and limited their touches," said Woodruff. Sutton finished with 11 points, as the Warriors improved to 4-7.


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