Warriors shock Hornets in playoff opener

GLENMORA – The Northside Christian Warriors couldn’t have picked a better time to end a seven-game slide.
The No. 21-seeded Warriors (13-23) survived a rough shooting performance with a stellar defensive attack Friday and upended No. 12 seed Plainview on the road, 51-40, to advance to the regional round of the playoffs.
The Warriors will entertain league rival and No. 5 seed Johnson Bayou on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in a second round tilt.
“We played a pretty tough schedule and we took some bumps and bruises along the way, but it paid off tonight,” said NCS coach Glenn Daigle. “Our defense really stepped up tonight. They (Plainview) have a guard that is averaging 22 points a game and we held him to maybe half that tonight. The defense was huge tonight.”
The Warriors struggled from the floor most of the night, but especially in the first half.
Cole Henry drilled a 3-pointer to get the Warriors going in the first quarter but the Hornets answered with a long ball of their own from Blaine Howard and the score remained tied at 3-3 for the first five minutes of the frame.
Henry added another 3-pointer down the stretch and the Warriors got buckets from both Tyler Johnson and Ty Wilson as well as a free throw from Bradley Ancelet to slip out to an 11-6 advantage.
The Warriors continued to struggle in the second frame and missed a number of shots, but they were still able to outscore the Hornets 11-8. Wilson did most of the damage with nine points in the frame.
“We just couldn’t get much to fall tonight,” said Daigle, whose team shot 35 percent from the floor. “Their court is a lot smaller than what we are used to and they threw a 1-3-1 defense at us and that caused us a little trouble. I think we were just trying to get our bearings early on.”
The Warriors found somewhat of a rhythm to begin the third quarter.
After one of numerous trunovers by the Hornets, Henry popped his third 3-pointer of the night from the corner to push the lead to 25-14.
Plainview’s Cade Paul answered with a jumper in the lane before the Warriors got back-to-back 3-pointers from Wilson and Ancelet.
“We got going in the third quarter and those three 3-pointers really opened up the court for us,” said Daigle. “We settled in and ran the offense like we were supposed to and we were able to find the open man. We have great shooters, we just had to create that openness for them and when we did, it was there.”
The Warriors led by as many as 16 in the third before back-to-back buckets by Paul got the Hornets back within 12 (37-25) with 19 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Wilson, who finished with a game-high 18 points, then hit a jumper just inside the arch at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 39-25 cushion heading into the final stanza.
The Hornets wouldn’t go away, however.
Two straight buckets to start the quarter got the hosts back within 10 (39-29 with 6:26 remaining but Ancelet answered right after that with the Warriors’ seventh 3-pointer of the game.
Johnson added a pair of baskets in the paint and the lead was back to 15 (46-31) with just over five minutes to play.
The Hornets went on to outscore the Warriors 9-5 the rest of the quarter.
Henry led the Warriors from long range with three 3-pointers and he finished with 11 points.
Johnson was also key in the victory. The sophomore forward came off the bench and recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also had three assists.
“Tyler gave us some big minutes tonight,” said Daigle. “With our new offense that we are running now, Tyler is one of those guys that knows how to screen, can move with his size and his court vision is great. He played a big role tonight.
“Actually all six of the guys that played did a great job tonight. They didn’t step outside of the box thinking they had to do too much; they played their own role and they played it well.”
The Warriors also got 10 points from Ancelet, who also led the team in assists withe eight. Jonathan Hermann rounded out the scoring with two points.
Looking ahead, the Warriors face a stiff challenge in the regional round.
Johnson Bayou, the District 6-C champions, swept the two regular season meetings between the two schools, dropping the Warriors 73-63 in Crowley and 62-49 at home.
Daigle says his squad is more than ready for this go-around.
“It has always been a coin toss with us,” said Daigle of the rivalry. “They beat us by double digits but both games, we were within a few points for most of the game. Those two games earlier in the season, they just seemed to get a spark late in the game and were able to pull away. If we can play defense like we did tonight, I like our chances.”