ELSBERRY – Garneisha Love loved being back on the court Wednesday

And after seeing limited varsity time last year, the 5-foot-8 sophomore relished receiving an uptick in minutes in Warrenton’s 44-36 season-opening triumph over host Elsberry.

Love had seven points, three rebounds and a steal. She also had the team’s second-best plus/minus rating at +11, which reflects how a team does when a player is on the court. In other words, Warrenton outscored the Indians by 11 points when Love was on the floor.

“It was a good night, but we could’ve definitely played better,” Love said. “I just want to help my team in any way possible. I learned a lot from last year and I’m really excited for this season. I think we have a lot of potential, but we just have to keep working hard, especially at practice.”

Senior point guard Lexi Frederick led the Warriors in a slew of categories, including scoring (10 points), plus/minus (+15) and steals (six). She shot an efficient 4-for-5 from the floor with most of her looks coming near the basket.

“I wasn’t necessarily expecting those dynamic left handed post finishes from my point guard, but I’ll take those all day,” Warrenton Coach Greg Williams said. “With it being Thanksgiving, we’re thankful we saw this one through and feel blessed that we got the victory. “

The Warriors, which fell 36-29 against Elsberry in last year’s opener, led 9-7 after the first quarter and 16-10 at intermission.

The Indians made a second half push, but were hindered by poor foul shooting (13-for-28) and Warrenton was able to persevere.

“I think we’re an improved team from last season,” Williams said. “We had a nice lead there and then Elsberry made things interesting when it got down to crunch time. I’m not sure that last year’s team finishes this one off like we did tonight.” Miranda Nelson, a 6-foot senior, provided a solid presence in the paint with seven points and five rebounds. Senior guard Brooke Smith scored eight points before fouling out.

Junior Malea Payne had seven points and Kassidy Haller and Dana Pruitt chipped in with two points apiece.

The Warriors shot 50 percent (16-for-32) from the floor and 52.6 percent (10-for-19) from the charity stripe. They coaxed 13 steals, but turned the ball over 19 times.

Warrenton crossed state lines and took on perennial powerhouse Quincy Notre Dame at the Transportation Tipoff Shootout Saturday night.

Quincy Notre Dame won 59-40 and improved to 3-0 behind a 19-point effort by Raiders senior Sydney Hummert.

Now 1-1, the Warriors host Ft. Zumwalt North in their home opener Thursday.

The incoming Panthers are 1-0 after topping Francis Howell North 52-36 Tuesday.