WARNER – The Warner Eagles (1-1) topped the Central Tigers by 3 in a barn burner Friday night in a game that was seldom more than a 3-point spread.
Warner was on top after the opening eight minutes by 5 but that lead was erased in the second with the Tigers scoring 11 in the second to the Eagles 5 points for a 1-point Central lead at the break.
From that point on it was back and forth with the outcome uncertain and the teams staying within 3-points the whole way.
Landon Swallow came up big for Warner scoring 26 for the night, 12 of which came in the third period. Swallow hit for four 3’s along with six from the floor and went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
No other Eagle was in double figures for the game the closest being Hayden McElyea with 7 points.
Central had eight players contributing to their 40-point total the highest of which was Hardy Buzzard with 10 points Jace Mendenhall with 9 and David Stroud with 8.
Warner went into a stall game with over 2 minutes remaining on the clock and a slim 1-point lead. The strategy nearly backfired until Swallow hit for a 3-pointer from the corner to widen the gap to 3 with less than a minute left to play.
The final frenzy ended with a Tiger 3-point attempt that missed the mark to give Warner the 43-40 win.
Central (0-2) will return to the court Thursday night in the Okemah Invitational Tournament, and the Eagles are idle until the 14th when they take on Hulbert (2-1) at home.