GLASGOW – Holding on to a lead is one of the few lessons Barren County is learning.

A group heavily composed of underclassmen is still getting comfortable with one another, and communication and consistent effort in the fourth quarter haven’t quite come around yet.

At least coach Warren Cunningham saw his team take steps in that direction in Tuesday’s 67-55 win over Warren East. The Trojans held a four-point lead with six minutes left and stretched it to a 12-point final margin at BCHS.

“That’s one thing we haven’t done,” Cunningham said. “We lost to Monroe and Allen and all those games, we had a nine-point lead in the second half and lost them. We did a good job keeping them at bay long enough to make plays there to never let them go on that run to get the lead back.”

Junior Will Bandy gave Warren East (8-9) fits in the paint all night for 18 points, and freshman Aden Nyekan added 16 points for Barren County (7-7).

Nyekan scored the first seven points for Barren County to push the lead to 14-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Warren East took a quick lead in the second quarter before a 7-0 run by the Trojans put them in the lead for good.

Preserving that lead was what Cunningham wanted to see with District 15 games against Monroe County and Allen County-Scottsville coming up Friday and Jan. 18. The Trojans are already 0-3 in the district.

“Where we’re at, we’re a young team and figuring things out game by game,” said Landon Key, one of two Barren County seniors. “I’d like to see our chances, how we add up at the end. We’re kind of feeling each other out. As it continues, we’re going to get better.”

Warren East climbed into the lead with Dawson Doyle’s 3-pointer to force a Barren County timeout in the second quarter. The Trojans sparked a 7-0 run with Caleb Hester’s putback and Bandy’s backdoor layup and three-point play on back-to-back possessions.

The Raiders took advantage of the bonus by hitting all 10 free-throw attempts in the quarter to cut the deficit to 33-29 at halftime.

Thomas Maxey scored on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 37-35 with 5:24 left in the third quarter. The Trojans climbed back into a seven-point lead, but neither team scored in the last two minutes of the quarter.

Braden Wardlow’s triple from the left corner brought the Raiders within 47-43 and forced Cunningham into a timeout with 6:15 left. That was as close as the Raiders got with the Trojans going 10-for-10 from the free-throw line in the final quarter.

Maxey scored 12 points for Warren East, which has lost five straight ahead of Friday’s District 14 matchup at Greenwood.

“We’re not used to this, so we’ve got to get this taste out of our mouth like we did earlier in the season when we dropped a couple,” Warren East coach Brandon Combs said. “Friday night will be an opportunity for us to do that.

“It seems like you get one thing fixed and the other tears up. … Offensively against Glasgow we scored 70 points and give up a ton. Tonight is totally opposite. A lot of that is inconsistency and inexperience in some spots.”

WEHS 9 20 9 17 – 55

BCHS 14 19 12 22 – 67

WEHS – Maxey 12, Doyle 9, Barber 9, Carter 7, Wheeler 5, Matlock 5, Wardlow 5, Blaine 2, Wallace 1.

BCHS – Bandy 18, Nyekan 16, Poynter 9, Withrow 7, Griggs 6, Key 4, Horbison 3, Bush 2, Hester 2.

GIRLS

Barren County 69, Warren East 35

Elizabeth Bertram scored 20 points and Barren County defeated Warren East 69-35 to start an eight-game stretch against Region 4 opponents.

Bertram, who eclipsed 1,000 career points Friday against Christian County, had 16 points at halftime with the Trojanettes (14-2) leading 42-19 in a game that was never in doubt.

Senior Bailey Pedigo also joined the 1,000-point club with three 3-pointers helping her to 17 points. Pedigo needed just 13 points to join Bertram in that club Tuesday.

“To have two of them says a lot,” Barren County coach Piper Lindsey said. “They’re extremely unselfish. They don’t care who gets the glory or who scores the points, they just want to win. I think we’re one of the most unselfish teams I’ve seen or we’ve ever had. I think it’s all about sharing the ball and finding who’s open.”

Pedigo and Bertram each had three steals as the Trojanettes set an early tone with a press that put Warren East (7-11) in disarray.

The Lady Raiders struggled to move the ball through various traps and fell behind 20-11 through one quarter. Bertram and Pedigo combined for 18 points in the opening quarter.

Barren County kept that pressure up with quick scoring and ended the second quarter on a 15-0 run, keeping Warren East scoreless in the last 3:30 of the frame.

Pedigo’s third 3-pointer of the night put the Trojanettes’ lead at 50-23 three minutes into the second half. Barren County led by as much as 32 points en route to its fourth straight win.

Lucy Patterson earned a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Warren East, which struggled all night by shooting 30 percent while committing 15 turnovers.

Each team plays Friday, with Barren County hosting Monroe County and Warren East playing at Greenwood.

WEHS 10 9 10 6 – 35

BCHS 20 22 17 10 – 69

WEHS – Patterson 11, Hymer 10, Forrester 6, Bailey 5, Sparks 3.

BCHS – Bertram 20, B. Pedigo 17, M. Pedigo 9, Bush 6, Delk 5, Ennis 4, Jackson 3, Hughes 2, Rice 2, England 1.{&end}