Princeton Outlasts Winton Woods 53-47 in Division I Showdown
CINCINNATI, OH — Thousands of spectators crowded into the Cintas Center to catch Sunday’s headlining game of the Beacon Holiday Hardwood Classic between the Winton Woods Warriors and the Princeton Vikings. The matchup did not disappoint as Princeton notched a nailbiting 53-47 victory.
Play was physical from the get-go, with both teams making strong stands in the paint. However, Winton Woods grabbed the momentum as the Warriors went on an 11-1 scoring run with 2:21 remaining in the first quarter. Winton Woods’ Whitley Davis made both a three and a two on the run en route to seven points in the frame. Trailing 13-3, Princeton mounted a comeback with baskets from Erin Thomas and Heaven Sneed in the closing minutes of the quarter to close the deficit to six entering the second quarter at 13-7.
The Vikings opened the second quarter on fire, going on a 9-0 run to take a 16-15 lead with 6:00 left in the first half, which included four points from Sneed and three from Kiara Harris. Winton Woods retaliated quickly, however, and tied the game with 5:44 remaining on a pair of Trenity Armstrong free throws. The Warriors would not trail the rest of the half. Armstrong led the Warriors in scoring in the second quarter with five points, going 5-of-6 from the foul line in the first half. Winton Woods took a 27-22 advantage into the locker room after baskets by Eriana Thomas and Berry Blankumsee extended the Warrior lead late in the frame.
Both teams played well in the third quarter, but three runs of 7-2, 11-2, and 6-0 by the Vikings helped them overtake the Warriors in the frame. With 5:29 left, Princeton’s Erin Thomas hit a shot from beyond the arc to tie the game at 29-29. Winton Woods then went on an 8-2 run with 3:14 remaining, led by Davis and Aunna Dancy, to reclaim the lead at 37-31.
With exactly one minute to go in the third, Vikings guard Jordan Champion made a pair of free throws to pull Princeton back to within three at 42-39. It was the catalyst for a 6-0 Princeton run to end the quarter, capped by a three-point play with 14 seconds left by Najah Love Muhammad that gave the Vikings a 45-39 lead entering the fourth frame.
The fourth quarter started promisingly for Princeton, as Love Muhammad provided the Vikings with a 5-0 scoring run with 5:17 remaining in the game. Down 50-41, Winton Woods reminded the crowd they weren’t out of it yet, and Micala Reese and Trenity Armstrong combined for a fast six points to cut the deficit to three at 50-47. With 1:37 left, a Princeton offensive foul negated a layup that would have made it a two-score game. Both teams struggled to score in the waning minutes of the frame as the great defenses prevailed. A Heaven Sneed free throw with just 14.6 seconds on the clock put the game out of reach and sealed a thrilling 53-47 win for the Vikings.
Both teams got to the free-throw line early and often. Princeton shot 20-of-34 from the line while Winton Woods made 16 shots in 22 attempts. Trenity Armstrong and Whitley Davis posted 12 points each for the Warriors.
Winton Woods (8-2, 5-1 ECC) has now lost two consecutive games for the first time since early January 2024. The Warriors will look to rebound when they host Anderson on Monday, December 5. Meanwhile, Princeton (7-1, 5-0 GMC) has now won seven straight after its loss to IMG Academy to begin its season. The Vikings will head to Middletown next on Saturday, January 3.
