Warriors Open New Year with Losses

DALTON--The Leyton Warrior Boys Basketball team is struggling for wins, despite the talent they have on the court. The team will look dominating one moment, and then can’t get out of its own way the next. With great athletes like Alec Watchorn and a genuine big-man in the center with Kaleb Miller, it’s surprising that this team only has two wins. However, this is a team that looks like it can “click” at any moment and go on a significant winning streak. Don’t rule out the Warriors just yet--if any team looks like they could have a turnaround in their season, it’s the Leyton squad.

On January 9, the Warriors hosted the Paxton Tiger team, and in the first quarter, it was all Leyton. With Alec Watchorn running the offense, Kaleb Miller dominating inside, and the offense moving the ball around well, Leyton jumped out to a 16-to-8 lead at the end of the first period. But they could not keep up the momentum, and Paxton started to figure the Leyton defense out. The Tigers put up 20 points in the second quarter while Leyton only managed six points, and the visitors took a 28-to-22 lead into the intermission. The next two periods were similar to the second period, with Paxton scoring in the double digits while hold Leyton to single-digit scores in each frame. Paxton pulled away for the 64-to-35 win in a game where Leyton opened up fast and built a lead and then just faded. Miller led the scoring for Leyton with 9 points.

Next up, the Warriors traveled to Hay Springs on Saturday, but again found themselves overmatched. Hay Springs senior Dylan Young dropped 24 points on the Warriors and he was assisted by sophomore Jaron Dahlgren who tallied 21 points in the win. Leyton lost 66-to-44 to drop their record to 2-and-7. The Warriors are scheduled to travel to Bayard on January 16 to take on the 1-and-9 Tigers. The Warriors need a win here and gain some momentum to turn around their season while there is still time.