The Winters High School Warrior hoopers took to the court again last week for more league competition.
Women’s varsity
The women’s varsity squad traveled to Durham High School last Tuesday, Jan. 17 to take on the Trojans. It was a close game in the first half, but the Trojans revved up their offense in the second to win 52–33.
On Thursday, Jan. 19, the Warriors hosted the visiting East Nicolaus High School Spartans. After digging themselves a 16–3 hole in the first quarter, the Warriors battled back to keep the game within reason. Unfortunately, the shots just weren’t falling for Winters down the stretch and the team would lose 43–36.
“The team’s still working towards playing together. In our strategy, we need all five kids on the defensive end being really in sync. We’re getting closer to figuring it out in practice and just applying it during the game,” said head coach Jeff Christian. “I’m excited for the second half of league to see if we show some improvement and be able to knock down shots that come with more experience. We’re getting good shots, we just have to be able to make them.”
Men’s varsity
On the men’s varsity side of things, the team hosted Durham on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The game was a classic nailbiter to be sure that went down to the wire, but it was the Trojans who ended up leaving the game with a 49–47 victory under their belt.
The men’s varsity squad wasn’t finished with its high-pressure games for the week, however, as the team would travel up to East Nicolaus to take on the Spartans on Friday, Jan. 20. This time, the Warriors would outlast their opponents and score a clutch 48–45 victory to add to their record.
“Middle of the season is always a grind. All the teams have film on each other and conference wins are so important, so it’s great competition every time on the floor. Tuesday, we faced a tough Durham team and went toe-to-toe with them. Our defense kept us in the game, and late shots got us within one shot of a win. Great defense by Logan Crabtree and key shots by Marcus Lopez and AJ Pignataro late was big,” said head coach Brendan McShea. “We faced East Nic’ on the road on Friday and couldn’t make a shot for most of the game, but I give the guys credit that they trusted the game plan and played with a lot of heart. At one point, we got eight stops in a row, then when the shots started falling, we were in a position to get the road win.”
