WARDEN — Both the Warden girls and boys basketball teams opened their 2023-24 seasons at home against the Cashmere Bulldogs on Tuesday night, suffering close losses that came down the final stretch.

Warden Girls

Warden senior Lauryn Madsen, who finished with a game-high 36 points, jumpstarted the Cougar offense with 13 points in the first quarter, helping Warden take a 19-16 lead entering the second period.

The strong start continued into the second quarter, but the Cougars turned the ball over three times and committed two shooting fouls that allowed the Bulldogs to get back into the game right before halftime, where Warden led 29-28.

“We lose a couple girls to foul trouble so we pulled them out, and we went from up seven to up one in what felt like the blink of an eye,” Warden girls basketball head coach Josh Madsen said. “It changed the game; we were kind of rolling, we were starting to get some stops and have some flow on offense, and we let them take a bunch of momentum and confidence into the locker room.”

Warden started its season last year against Cashmere, where they also led at halftime; last year’s game was largely decided by a huge third quarter where the Bulldogs outscored the Cougars 18-2, but this year’s game was much closer entering the final frame, with Warden leading 39-38.

“Last year it felt like we just kind of hit a wall, and this year we were just able to push through that a little bit,” Madsen said. 

Up by three with just over a minute remaining after a basket by freshman Makenna Klitzke, Cashmere tied the game after a Bulldog player made the basket and ensuing free throw after being fouled while shooting.

Tied at 56 at the end of regulation the Bulldogs outscored the Cougars 8-5 in overtime to win 64-61.

    Warden sophomore Angelina Buck (3) takes the ball up the floor in overtime against Cashmere.
  

Warden began overtime with a three by Madsen, but struggled on the glass throughout overtime.

“Putting them on the foul line, or giving up an offensive rebound, (then a) put-back lay-in,” Madsen said. “Letting them hang around instead of getting a stop, go down there and see if we can get something else going. We just couldn’t get stops when we had to get stops.”

The Cougars host Granger on Friday at 6 p.m., then continue non-league play next week with a road game against the defending 2B state champion Colfax Bulldogs.

“We’ve got to get physically tougher,” Madsen said. “Around the basket, owning our space on the defensive end, boxing out, rebounding — a lot of that is just a mindset, it’s a will, it’s a want to. We had it at times, but other times — it wasn’t that we weren’t playing hard, (Cashmere) was a step faster and a little bit tougher than us.”

Warden Boys

While the Cougars struggled offensively through the first quarter-and-a-half against Cashmere, a late run in the second quarter got the Cougars within one after junior Jake Roylance intercepted a Cashmere pass, tossed the ball to sophomore Eli Cox who dished it out to senior Bubba Oronia for a last-second basket before halftime.

“I had two starters sitting on the bench because we were in a little foul trouble, and for those guys to step up and get that going was really cool,” Warden boys basketball coach Brent Erdmann said. “To see the bench going nuts and everything, it was really neat. It’s just big for our camaraderie as a group.”

    Warden junior Anthony Gutierrez, in white, rises toward the rim while attempting a lay-up.
  

Warden trailed 14-7 at the end of the first quarter but stayed in the game by hitting key baskets down the stretch of the first half.

“I think a lot of it is having the young men stay positive within themselves and one another, and I think in the past we really haven’t done that,” Erdmann said. “In the past, we’d falter and get after each other, but I don’t think we saw that tonight.”

After a competitive start to the second half, the Cougars took their first lead of the night on a three-pointer by junior Elijah Ruiz, the beginning of a back-and-forth affair between the Cougars and Bulldogs of finding success beyond the arc. 

“If I didn’t have grey hair, I do after that,” Erdmann joked. “It just kept going back and forth; I think in the past we would have folded, and we didn’t tonight. We kept coming, and it looked really good.”

    Warden senior Bubba Oronia (4) dribbles through the Cashmere defense.
  

Warden cut into the Cashmere lead to make it a 53-51 ballgame with under three-and-a-half minutes to go, but the Bulldogs closed the game on a 7-1 run to leave with a 60-52 win.

“In those last three minutes we had a couple breakdowns defensively, and they hit a couple shots — then we start rushing,” Erdmann said. “Trusting that process, like ‘Hey, we don’t have to rush, just get a good (shot). We got some good looks, we just didn’t make the shots. Hopefully, as the season goes on and they keep working, the shots will start falling.”

Warden returns to the court Friday at home against Granger. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box scores

Warden Girls

CSH: 16-12-10-18-8 64
WAR: 19–10-10-17-5 61

Warden Boys

CSH: 14-9-25-12 60
WAR: 7-15-19-11 52