Saturday night the Warren East Raiders hosted the Metcalfe County Hornets in a tough 4th region matchup. The Hornets came into the game undefeated in the region and with a 13-1 overall record. They were at an immediate disadvantage, however, without one of their key players, Trey Shirley, who missed the game due to illness and who averages over 20 points per game.

Early on, both teams came out shooting well and exchanged leads many times. Senior center Justin Watson for Warren East had a very strong defensive presence in the paint including two consecutive blocked shots at the end of the first quarter preserving an 18-16 lead for the Raiders. Warren East remained in front during the second quarter, and senior guard Demetric Ray put an exclamation point on the first half hitting a three pointer with just a few seconds left giving Warren East a 35-31 advantage.

With the hot shooting of Eric Ennis, who finished the night with 18 points, the Hornets stayed close behind the Raiders. Warren East had two turnovers in the last minute of the quarter and allowed Metcalfe to pull within three points at 52-49.

In the fourth quarter the Hornets had many chances at the foul line but were unable to make up the difference. Senior guard Jon Yates for Warren East caught fire hitting three pointers in back to back trips down the floor and scoring 14 points to put the game out of reach.

Metcalfe's Winston Harbison showed the Hornets' frustration as he received a technical foul which gave Warren East another late advantage. Will Warf had a great performance for the Hornets with a double-double including 27 points and 13 rebounds.

The Raiders improved to 6-2 in the region in an 80-65 win."I think we just outlasted them tonight," Warren East coach Russell Malone said. "They were missing one of their better players and I think they just got tired at the end. With two good ball teams on the floor, it was a game of attrition to see who would last longest."

Jon Yates led the Raiders with 24 points and teammate Deangelo Kirk added 16 points. Metcalfe now shares a 7-1 region record with Franklin-Simpson who they will play on January 15th.