Warren's boys took care of business on its home basketball floor in Vincent when it defeated Portsmouth 61-56 in the first meeting on Dec. 16, 2011.
Now, the Blane Maddox-coached Warriors (11-1 overall, 5-1 SEOAL) are hoping to do the same on the Trojans' court when the two Southeastern Ohio Athletic League schools tip off a second time at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
More is at stake in this game, because No. 7-ranked (Ohio Division II) Warren and No. 10 (D-III) Portsmouth (13-2, 5-1) are in a 3-way tie with Chillicothe for first place in league play.
The Warriors' only setback this winter was at Chilli on Jan. 6.
In the December engagement, Warren had to stage a fourth-quarter rally to emerge victorious. During second-half action, the Warriors trailed the Trojans by as many as 14 at one point and were down 40-32 going into the final period.
But the final eight minutes of play belonged to the home team as Warren outpointed Gene Collins-coached Portsmouth 29-16 to escape with the "W." Sparking the Warrior comeback was Jeremy Hastie, who finished with a team-high 20 points, including two dagger-like threes in the game's last two minutes of action.
Josh Windland added 15 markers and Evan French chipped in with 11 for the royal blue and white winners.
Also expected to start for Warren on Friday are Tyler Ward and Jace Knost.
As a tune-up for the showdown vs. PHS, the Warriors routed Belpre 84-46 in a non-conference game Tuesday. Leading the way, Ward tallied 17 points, French had 13, Windland 12, and Adam Lang and Hastie nine apiece.
Portsmouth is led by Dion McKinley, who had a double-double with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting at Warren. Wayne Evans chipped in with 16 points and seven assists.
Since losing to the Warriors, the Trojans have rattled off 10 straight wins, including last Friday's 62-54 triumph at Jackson. In that game, the Trojans squandered a 15-point halftime and even trailed briefly 44-42 in the third quarter.
But after regaining the advantage, PHS held on to win. Pacing Portsmouth, Zaide Whitley and Dion McKinley had 17 points apiece, and Evans notched 12.
Other possible Trojans starters could be Mason Jordan, Jayllen Carter, Duke Edwards, or Len Collins.
