WARNER – The stubborn unranked Warner Eagles just wouldn’t go away Saturday night as they upset the 17th ranked Nowata Ironmen 47-42 in a close back-and-forth contest.
Warner opened up a 13-7 lead after the first quarter, by virtue of controlling the offensive boards, but the Ironmen went on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 15. A 3-pointer by Skyler Steven gave Nowata their first lead at 18-15.
The Ironmen stretched that lead to seven early in the third before Warner put up nine straight points to take back the lead by 2, 33-31 with 2:40 to play in the third.
After the Ironmen got the first bucket of the final period, the Eagles went to work and ran off seven straight including a pair of crucial buckets by Blake Ellis to take a 43-38 lead.
The Eagles defense limited Nowata to just six points in the final session while forcing four turnovers\. The offense added an additional four points for the final 5-point margin.
Hayden McElyea led all scorers with 15 points for the Eagles (10-11) and Swallow added 10. Jace Thompson led Nowata with 13 points.
The Eagles advance to the Winners bracket to take on #19 Caney Valley (14-9) next Thursday night at 8:00 P.M. at Nowata. The Ironmen draw Commerce that same day at 3:00 P.M.