Feb 15, 2025
Warren’s Connor Barry (34) tries to get himself out of a trap created by Parkersburg’s Nate Rodriguez during Friday’s game at Warrior Coliseum in Vincent (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
VINCENT — Senioritis reared its ugly head among the Warren boys basketball program for the opening quarter of Friday’s game with Parkersburg.
With nine individuals playing their final regular season home game, the Warriors turned the ball over nine times in the first eight minutes before doing a much better job protecting the ball in their 76-64 win over the Big Reds.
After the game as the gym prepared for the program’s annual tradition of listening to speeches from every senior, Warren coach Blaine Maddox apologized to the crowd for what they witnessed from his team in the opening period.
But Maddox was quick to mention how proud he was of those same kids for their dedication since first stepping into the halls of Warren High School.
“It was bad basketball there in the first quarter, but we overcame it and put together a good second quarter with one turnover,” Maddox said. “Senior nights are not easy. There is too much partying going on. You have to focus and we didn’t come out too focused.”
Warren senior point guard Julian Stadelman (00) dribbles ahead of Parkersburg sophomore Quentin Wilson during Friday’s game at Warrior Coliseum in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
Warren senior point guard Julian Stadelman, the most prolific scorer in school history, tacked on another 19 points to his total despite being behind held scoreless in the first quarter. He nearly finished with a triple-double after adding nine assists and seven rebounds to his stat line.
“I’ve started for coach Maddox for four years, and it’s been a long, hard process for me,” Stadelman said. “I made it work and it’s all because of coach Maddox.”
A total of four Warren players scored in double figures, including Chase Lupardus, who scored 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half.
“Us seniors just want to be remembered for never giving up,” Lupardus said. “We played our hardest every game, every practice. We never stopped trying.”
Teammates Hayden Wells and Connor Barry both tossed in 14 points as Warren closed out the regular season of its schedule at 20-2 WIth senior night behind them, the Warriors await the winner of Athens and Marietta for a Division III district quarterfinal game Friday back at the Coliseum.
The Warren boys basketball team celebrated senior night against Parkersburg Friday at Warrior Coliseum. Pictured, from left to right, are head coach Blane Maddox, assistant coach Mark Duckworth, AJ Criss, Tyson Cochran, assistant coach Jerry Mitchem, Hayden Wells, Chase Lupardus, Nick Cressey, Colin Anthony, assistant coach Scott Elzey, Jacob Sealey, assistant coach Terry Coffman, Connor Barry and Julian Stadelman. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“Those nine seniors have worked 10 months for three years,” Maddox said. “They started coming to weightlifting immediately after their eighth grade year and never quit. That’s why they are 20-2 — because of the effort they put in the offseason.”
With illnesses running rampant through its camp, PHS gave Warren quite the fight. The Big Reds managed to take advantage of Warren’s turnovers woes and build a 15-10 lead when Luke Anderson knocked down one of seven 3-pointers by PHS.
The break before the start of the second quarter featured a more disciplined Warren team. Lupardus and Wells in the post anchored a quick 6-0 run to open the period for a 16-15 Warrior lead.
Trailing 17-16, Warren held PHS in check and allowed just two field goals as the first half came to a close with the Big Reds trailing 31-26. Wells scored eight points during the second quarter alone.
As teams returned for the second half, Stadelman caught fire from outside and knocked down three of his four 3-pointers to extend the lead to 50-38 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Warren’s Jacob Sealey, right, pokes the ball loose from Parkersburg’s Quentin Wilson (5) during Friday’s game at Warrior Coliseum in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
PHS had its five core players at its disposal but was hindered in terms of depth off the bench. Starting guards Nate Rodriguez and Quentin Wilson were among those affected by the flu bug. Still, they both nearly played a full game.
Rodriguez gave Warren fits throughout and in the third quarter scored 13 of his game-high 25 points. He accounted for the final six points of the period to cut the deficit into single digits at 50-44.
Warren then exposed the Big Reds’ depth and started pulling away to a comfortable margin. Barry hit a pair of threes and Lupardus accounted for 10 points in the final period which saw the Warriors outscore PHS 12-3 in the early going of the period. The margin eventually reached as many as 17 in the final minute.
“With Warren celebrating senior night, we knew what we were getting into when we got here — they were honoring nine seniors and nine seniors who all play,” PHS coach Phil Wilson said. “What I didn’t expect was getting phone calls and text messages around two this afternoon telling me someone had a temperature of 101. Saw the nurse today. They sent me home. I looked down our bench and we had no varsity experience available. We played with the hand we were dealt.
“It doesn’t help that it is 150 degrees in this gym. We had a bunch of kids sick. You combine all that and it’s just a recipe for disaster. We were gassed. We had no legs under us.”
Parkersburg senior point guard Nate Rodriguez (25) drives to the hoop while being defended by Warren’s Julian Stadelman during Friday’s game at Warrior Coliseum in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
Quentin Wilson pitched in 14 points for a 5-12 Big Red outfit which travels to Hurricane on Monday for a make-up game within the Mountain State Athletic Conference. A win could go a long way for PHS in terms of seeding for both the MSAC Tournament and regional play.
“We have to focus on Monday because that game is pretty big for us,” coach Wilson said. “If we win, we could be playing for the third-fourth slot in the conference. And it also puts us in a similar position in the regional.”
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com
Parkersburg’s Zane Lewis (1) is closely guarded by Warren’s Nick Cressey (11) during Friday’s game at Warrior Coliseum in Vincent. Standing along the sidelines is Warren coach Blaine Maddox. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
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