Box Score Rocklin, CA- Behind ten three-pointers, the Warriors came out of the gates firing and never cooled down. Their hot shooting and passionate defense was too much for the Firestorm to overcome.
Matt Willkomm had 18 points, and Shy McClelland came off the bench for 16 points, but nobody else was ever able to get into a rhythm for the Firestorm (17-11, 4-11 GSAC). Early on the Firestorm looked strong, jumping out to a 5-2 lead, but once the Warriors (18-11, 8-7 GSAC) hit a few shots they were off to the races. A 17-4 run by the Warriors gave them a lead they would never surrender. A 7-0 run at the end of the half closed the gap for the Firestorm to 6, but a late three-pointer by Christian Jones gave the Warriors the momentum back heading into the locker room. The Firestorm were able to force 18 Warriors turnovers in the game, one of their higher marks for the season, but they also turned the ball over 17 times themselves.
In the 2nd half, the teams traded baskets early on. While the Firestorm offense had finally started to get into a groove, they still couldn't solve the aggressive Warriors offensive attack. It seemed like the Warriors were able to come up with a crucial shot in response to any attempt by the Firestorm to close the gap. With the Firestorm still hanging around only down 12 with eight minutes left, the Warriors used a 16-6 run to essentially put the game away. With the final score of 82-64, the Warriors were able to get back on track after a couple rough weeks.
For the Firestorm, the loss doesn't end their playoff hopes but they will now need some help. With Vanguard University now a game ahead of the Firestorm for the sixth seed, they will need to beat Menlo on Saturday and then have The Masters beat Vanguard to finish tied with the Lions. The Firestorm would still hold the tiebreaker over the Lions.
