Warren owns fourth quarter of Gators win, scores 13 of her 33 points in final frame
Published 3:06 pm Saturday, January 23, 2021
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Warren Arceneaux
Anchorage Christian fought back from an early double-digit deficit, but LaGrange’s Jeriah Warren’s fourth-quarter scoring spree helped the Gators pull away Friday night for a 56-46 win.
Warren scored a game-high 33 points and went on a personal 9-0 run to seal the win for LaGrange (15-1) after the Lions (0-1) tied the score at 44-44 early in the fourth quarter.
Warren’s heroics were needed to offset Lions sophomore guard Sayvia Sellers, who scored 24 points on a series of drives to the basket and running floaters. Anchorage Christian trailed 42-32 late in the third quarter, but scored the next 10 points in the game, tying it up on a Sellers floater early in the fourth quarter. Warren made a pair of free throws and the Lions answered with a jumper by Maliyah Alex.
Warren took control of the game on both ends, giving LaGrange the lead for good with an inside basket after scooping up a loose ball. She added four more buckets and a free throw in the fourth quarter. Defensively, she blocked a shot, made two steals and grabbed four rebounds as Anchorage Christian scored one basket over the final 4 minutes. Warren scored all but one of LaGrange’s 14 fourth-quarter points.
“The scoring, she was zoned in, very aggressive,” Gators head coach La’Keem Holmes said of Warren. “When she is aggressive, that is what she is capable of. But, the rebounding, the rotating (on defense), the defense on (Sellers) in the fourth quarter, she does whatever you ask her.
“She got frustrated in the beginning; she knew she should not have went after the block on a 3-point shot (picking up her second foul in the last minute of the first quarter), but after that she settled down a little bit. I was happy we were able to maintain what we were doing when she was on the bench.”
Homes said guard Miah Alexis gave the Gators a boost.
“She played really well with the ball, which allows Jeriah and Aasia Sam to play off the ball,” he said. “Her play allowed the offense to move better.”
Both teams will face a reigning state champion today. Anchorage Christian, which is starting its season with a seven-game tour of Louisiana, will play Class B champion Fairview at 12:45 p.m. as part of Hamilton Christian’s MLK Warrior Classic event at Burton Coliseum. LaGrange will play Class C champ Hicks at 6:30 p.m. at Louisiana College in Pineville.
Last year LaGrange beat Hicks by two points, Hicks’ lone loss of the season.
Rick Hickman / American Press
