With fourth win, Warlassies have perfect season going

Before the beginning of the season, Owen Warlassies head coach Tim Raines said this year’s squad could be one of the best in his 20-plus seasons on the sidelines.

Four games into the season, his team is on the right track.

The Warlassies hosted Enka on Nov. 30 and handed the Sugar Jets a 58-47 loss. The victory was the team’s fourth straight, marking the program's best start in over a decade.

The Warlassies won 19 games last year after starting the season 2-2. One of those losses was at the hands of Enka, which outscored Owen 74-61. But on Nov. 30, a night in which the school unveiled a banner honoring some historically great Warlassies teams, sophomore Chesney Gardner poured in a career-high 31 points. She went 12 for 15 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Getting Gardner the ball throughout the night were junior guards Ashley Valencia and Kendal Marlowe, with 6 and 5 assists, respectively. Valencia was also the Warlassies' second-leading scorer with 9, while Marlowe added 7 points of her own. Senior center Bria Crompton added 6 points of her own.

The Warlassies host Reynolds on Tuesday, Dec. 6 (results not available as of deadline). Owen beat the Rockets handily 59-38 when the teams faced off at Reynolds in mid-November.

This year's team should win more than 20 games, Raines said before the Warlassies' first win of the season (over North Henderson).

Owen's fourth win of the season came in front of members of the 1964-70 dynasty teams that won 90 games in a row. The current Warlassies celebrated the victory with the members of the teams from the dynasty era, whose winning streak was snapped by Enka.

The Warlassies are the only undefeated team remaining in the Western Highlands Conference.