Andy Close
Coming into the season with high expectations, the Warren Dragons have done nothing to diminish that through 22 games.
Now, they want more.
Warren (15-7) earned the top seed in the District 10 Class 4A playoffs and will battle No. 8 Slippery Rock (11-11) in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie.
The Dragons have been in this position before, knocking off Fairview in the quarterfinals two years ago and falling to Hickory last season.
This group, led by seniors Parks Ordiway, Owen Becker, Jack Darling, and Anthony Errett, as well as juniors Tommy Nyquist, Brady Berdine, Braylon Barnes, and Konnor Hoffman, are battle-tested and have the playoff experience of years past to lean on.
Nyquist, who took over the Dragon point guard duties as a freshman, leads the team with 12.3 points per game as well as six assists per contest.
He is part of a Dragon offense that scores just a shade over 65 points per game and has five players – Berdine (12.0) Ordiway (11.8), Barnes (10.4), and Becker (10.3) – averaging in double figures.
Hoffman also checks in at 5.4 ppg.
The Dragons enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, with 12 of their 15 wins on the season coming by double-digits.
Slippery Rock (11-11) comes in winners of five of six, including a victory over No. 2 seed and Region 5 champion Grove City to close the regular season to help get into the playoffs.
John Sabo returned early in the season for the Rockets to average over 11 points per game, while sophomore Josh Book averages over 12 per contest. Junior Levi Prementine and seniors Elam Pyle, Jacob Wolak, and Quinn Parson also help lead the Rocetks’ attack.
The winner will meet the winner of the (5) General McLane vs. (4) Hickory game on Tuesday in the semifinals.
The other quarterfinal games pit No. 2 Grove City against No. 7 Corry and No. 3 Harbor Creek against No. 6 Sharon.
