Andy Close
ERIE, Pa. – The No. 1 seed Warren Lady Dragons began their District 10 Class 5A title defense with a 45-30 win over No. 8 General McLane in a game in which they trailed 22-21 at halftime.
Warren led 19-8 in the second quarter, but GM went on a 14-2 run to close the half.
Riley Childress led Warren with 16 points, while Emma Ruhlman had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
“It really wasn’t a bad first half,” said Warren coach Lisa LaVan. “They face guarded Emma, but she finds other ways to contribute when she doesn’t get the ball.”
Sammie Ruhlman added seven points for Warren, which went on a 16-4 run in the third quarter to assume control.
“Sammie stepped up and did a lot of little things really well,” LaVan said.
Halle Kuzminski had four points for the Lady Dragons, while Alana Stuart and Alyssa Farr added three each and Gracie Ruhlman two.
“I thought Halle played awesomely,” LaVan said. “Stu played extended minutes because Gracie got in foul trouble and she rebounded and defended very well.”
It was the third win this season for Warren over GM.
“It’s always hard to beat a team three times in one season,” LaVan added. “Overall, it was a good game.”
Payton Massey scored nine of her 12 points in the first half for GM, while Libby Opp added eight for the Lancers.
With the win, Warren advanced to play No. 4 seed Grove City, a 44-27 winner over Franklin, in the semifinals.
