Lady Raiders finish strong in win over Warren Central

Published 8:37 am Wednesday, February 11, 2026

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Warren East’s Tristen Lindsey (10) shoots a layup as Warren Central’s Layla Tisdale (5) reaches to block in the Lady Raiders’ 54-31 win over the Lady Dragons at Warren East High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Grace McDowell / The Daily News)

The Warren East girls’ basketball team started slow, but was able to finish strong in Tuesday’s 54-31 win over Warren Central at Warren East High School.

Trailing at halftime, Warren East (10-12) was able to find its footing in the third quarter before using a dominant fourth quarter to pull away and earn the win against its former District 14 rival.

“They like to start slow, but thankfully they woke up in the second half,” Warren East coach Jenny Neville said. “Really we talked about defensively, getting after it and bringing more energy. If we could pressure the ball a little more and get them to turn the ball over, we figured that would drive our offense. We almost made some adjustments to their 2-3 zone. We made adjustments and they reacted well to that.”

Looking for its first win against East since knocking the Lady Raiders out of the District 14 Tournament, the program’s final game before moving to District 15, Warren Central (4-21) was able to hang close for three quarters before Warren East pulled away.

The teams played even in the first, with Brelynn Wardlow’s bucket in the final seconds making the score 10-10. The Lady Dragons surged in front thanks to Myra Mayberry, who scored six straight during a 9-0 run that pushed Warren Central’s advantage to 19-10. Warren East was able to get a little momentum back late in the half with a 3-pointer from Tyleaiona Hunt making the score 19-13.

Brooklynn Neville provided the spark in the third quarter, scoring five points during a 7-0 spurt that allowed Warren East to briefly surge in front. Warren Central responded with six straight to regain the edge 25-20, but Neville was able to get the momentum back for Warren East with back-to-back 3s that pushed the Lady Raiders ahead 31-28. Neville had 11 points in the third quarter.

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“Brooklyn did a good job of getting us back in the game and knocking down some shots,” Jenny Neville said. “We were setting picks for her and she did a good job of getting us back in the game. Once we got them in foul trouble, we were able to capitalize on that and kept pounding the ball down low.”

Warren Central tied the game on a 3 from Regina Basham with 51 seconds left in the third, but it would be the final points of the night for the Lady Dragons. Warren East hit a pair of free throws to make the score 33-31 after three. Mayberry picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth and Wardlow took advantage, scoring 13 points to give the Lady Raiders a comfortable 44-31 advantage with 3:48 left.

“I think we were all kind of slow,” Wardlow said. “We have to wake up in the second half. Once we wake up I think we are a pretty good team, but the first half is always a little bit slower for us. I think we were able to get back on it today.”

Warren East continued to pull away, outscoring the Lady Dragons 21-0 in the decisive fourth quarter.

Wardlow, who battled foul trouble most of the night, led Warren East with 19 points – 13 in the final period – and eight rebounds. Neville finished with 14 points and six rebounds for the Lady Raiders.

Mayberry led Warren Central with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Charlee Bailey added seven points.

“Our bodies get fatigued,” Warren Central coach Timothy Paige said. “We are just so shallow. We don’t have anybody on the bench. They get tired in the fourth quarter. The passes start to sail. Somebody slaps at it, we have to get on the floor to get it and don’t have the energy to get down there and get it. We try to teach the girls the only way you can control the pace is when you’ve got it. You can’t rest on defense, so let’s walk it up. We can’t play fast in the fourth because we know we don’t have legs or subs. When they can get that part down and we know how to slow the game down on our own and not waste timeouts, they will be all right.”

WCHS 10 9 12 0 – 31

WEHS 10 3 20 21 – 54

WC – Mayberry 16, Bailey 7, Basham 6, Tisdale 2.

WE – Wardlow 19, Neville 14, J. Brooks 7, Jones 7, Hart 3, A, Brooks 2, Lindsey 2.