Miranda Pederson/Daily NewsWarren East's Deangelo Kirk leaps for a basket past Greenwood's Will Clayton on Friday

In its first three games, Warren East has shown the ability to control tempo with a high-octane offense.

On Friday against District 14 rival Greenwood, the host Raiders had to prove they could win when the offense was far from its peak – they did just that with key defensive stops and a near-perfect night at the charity stripe, toughing out a 68-55 victory over Greenwood at Raider Gym.

Warren East (4-0, 2-0) never trailed, but needed almost three quarters to get some breathing room.

“It was definitely not the offensive night that I was hoping for,” Warren East coach Russell Malone said. “I was not pleased with a lot of things that happened tonight, especially on the offensive end, but I’m very pleased from this standpoint – throughout the season there are going to be games that don’t go the way we want to.

“We’ve got to find ways to win when things aren’t going our way and these group of seniors … they kind of willed their way through, ground it out, and got a W.”

Greenwood (3-4, 0-1) struggled on the offensive end most of the night, shooting 31 percent for the game.

“The bottom line, we couldn’t make any shots,” Greenwood coach Blane Embry said. “I thought we did a nice job in the first half. I was pretty pleased with where we were. We are a real immature basketball team and we let (our shooting) get us down. I felt like we just got down on ourselves quite a bit tonight, and I hate to see that happen.”

Despite the Gators’ shooting woes, Warren East only led 13-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Raiders’ slow start included four players picking up two fouls in the first half, but senior guard Demetric Ray picked up the slack with 11 of his game-high 20 points in the first half, enabling Warren East to hold a 27-21 advantage.

“I knew I had to step up and be a leader,” Ray said. “I knew I had to stay in control, stay out of foul trouble and try to help us win this game.”

Junior forward Shenard Holton took over in the third quarter, scoring 12 points and helping the Raiders extend the margin to 45-34 heading into the final period. Holton finished the game with 18 points, all in the second half.

Greenwood sliced the deficit to six, 60-54, with two minutes remaining and had a chance to get closer, but the Raiders forced a turnover and scored six straight to put the game away.

“It was real tough,” Ray said. “We had to play hard and be strong with the ball. They are a tough team. They are going to be contenders in the district.”

Warren East scorched the nets at the free throw line, connecting on its first 17 shots and finishing 19-for-20 for the night.

“In grind-it-out games you have to find other ways to score, and the free throw line is the best way to do it,” Malone said. “I didn’t know we were 19-for-20. We’ve had the other way on some nights, but that is a very good stat. Now that I am looking at it, it is probably what enabled us to win.”

Brett Barrick and Dee Anderson had 12 points each to lead Greenwood.

The Gators return to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday when they face Owensboro in the Citizens First Holiday Classic at Bowling Green High School.

Warren East meets Fort Campbell in the Murray Bank Christmas Tournament at 8:45 p.m. Thursday.

GHS 7 14 13 21 – 55

WEHS 13 14 18 23 – 68

GHS – Barrick 12, Anderson 12, Jenkins 11, Reed 7, Lacy 6, Page 4, Clayton 2, Guess 1.

WEHS – Ray 20, Holton 18, Ellis 12, Kirk 8, Yates 6, Owens 2, Watson 2.

Warren East girls 65, Greenwood 39

The Lady Raiders got off to a slow start with six turnovers in the first three minutes before using a 14-0 run midway through the first half that put the game away.

“Our kids proved something to me tonight,” Warren East coach Angie Anderson said. “We were patient and ran our offense. I think a lot of teams think we are a fast break team, that we get it out and try to beat you down the floor, but tonight Greenwood kind of forced us out of that.”

Warren East (6-0, 2-0) trailed 7-6 after a free throw by Lacy Walker with 1:42 remaining in the first quarter. But Greenwood (4-2, 0-1) went 7:21 without a field goal and allowed the Lady Raiders to take a commanding 20-7 lead.

The Lady Gators never got closer than nine points the rest of the way, shooting a frigid 29.8 percent from the field.

“We just went through a stretch where we couldn’t make any shots,” Greenwood coach Ken Waddell said. “We have had trouble scoring all year. We just can’t find the rhythm in our offense and that comes back on me. I’ve got to find something that works for the group I’ve got.”

Ashley Rainey led the way for Warren East with 30 points and 11 rebounds. The junior forward was 11-for-12 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free throw line.

Keisha Ray and Katie Bonds chipped in eight points each for the Lady Raiders.

Laura Smith had 16 points for Greenwood.

Warren East will face Montgomery County at 1 p.m. CST Thursday in the Lexington Catholic Holiday Classic.

Greenwood will play Paul Dunbar in the Berea Holiday Classic on Tuesday.

GHS 7 8 12 12 – 39

WEHS 10 16 17 22 – 65

GHS – L. Smith 16, Killebrew 6, Lamb 4, M. Smith 4, Walker 3, Walden 2, Carter 2, Collins 2.

WEHS – Rainey 30, Ray 8, Bonds 8, Forrest 7, Barnett 6, Campbell 4, Coulter 2.