Varsity Warriors open season with road win over Effingham; JV falls short

Featured Photo Caption: Warrior Nolan Clement battles for position in the paint against Effingham. Clement pulled down five rebounds and dished out six assists in the season-opening win. —photo by Terri Cox

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By Terri Cox

The Casey-Westfield Warriors kicked off their regular season campaign with a trip to Effingham, securing a hard-fought 55-48 non-conference victory over the Flaming Hearts. While the Varsity squad opened with a win, the Junior Varsity team dropped a tight contest, 55-50.

Varsity Action
The game began unconventionally, as Casey-Westfield was awarded two free throws before the opening tip due to a technical foul assessed against the Hearts for hanging on the rim during warm-ups. Jackson High converted one of the two attempts, and the Warriors retained possession without a jump ball.

Effingham responded quickly to take a 2-1 lead, but a bucket by Leighton Jones, assisted by Jack Julius, put CW back on top, 3-2. The first quarter saw the teams trading baskets, with the Warriors holding a slim 9-8 advantage at the buzzer.

The Warriors found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter. Jones scored four straight points to extend the lead to 13-10. Following an Effingham free throw, Landon Justice rattled off five unanswered points—converting an offensive rebound, hitting a free throw, and scoring off a Julius feed—to make it 18-11. Jones closed the half with seven straight points, sending CW into the locker room with a 27-18 lead.

In the third quarter, the teams traded baskets until Julius scored off a Fred Thomas assist. Thomas then added a free throw to push the lead to 34-22. A bucket by High, assisted by Nolan Clement, extended the advantage to double digits at 36-24. The Warriors led by as much as 17 before ending the quarter up 13, 43-30.

Effingham refused to go away, hitting a quick three-pointer to cut the deficit to 10. However, Jones answered with an and-one play and another basket to restore a 15-point cushion. Turnovers by the Purple and Gold allowed the Hearts to mount a comeback, scoring five unanswered points to narrow the gap to 48-38 with 5:00 remaining.

The Hearts continued their surge with six more points, cutting the lead to 48-44 with under three minutes on the clock. Despite struggling from the free-throw line down the stretch, the Warriors made enough shots to maintain their lead as time ticked away.

A crucial offensive rebound by Thomas led to a Jones basket. Moments later, Jones found High on an inbound pass for the junior’s first varsity dunk, securing a 54-45 advantage. In the final seconds, Julius hit a free throw, and although Effingham sank a buzzer-beating three, the Warriors held on for the 55-48 win.

Leighton Jones led all scorers with a game-high 24 points. Jackson High joined him in double figures with 13 points. Jack Julius contributed seven points, while Landon Justice and Fred Thomas added four each.

On the boards, Nolan Clement and High pulled down five rebounds apiece, with Thomas and Julius grabbing four each. Clement also dished out a team-high six assists.

Junior Varsity Action
In the season opener for the JV squad, a tough third quarter proved to be the difference in a 55-50 loss to Effingham.

The teams played to a 9-9 tie after one quarter. CW’s offense surged in the second frame, posting 17 points to Effingham’s 12 to take a 26-21 halftime lead. However, the Hearts erupted for 21 points in the third quarter while holding CW to just nine, taking a 42-35 lead into the fourth.

The Warriors fought back in the final stanza, outscoring Effingham 15-13, but could not close the gap.

Will Moore led the JV Warriors with 18 points and eight rebounds. Blake Burkybile added 15 points, and Landon Justice chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Individual Statistics

• SCORING: Jones 24, High 13, Julius 7, Justice 4, Thomas 4.

• REBOUNDING: Clement 5, High 5, Thomas 4, Julius 4, Justice 3, Jones 2, Moore 2, Hupp 1.

• ASSISTS: Clement 6, Julius 3, Jones 1, Justice 1, High 1, Thomas 1.

• BLOCKS: Julius 1.

• STEALS: Moore 1.