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WORLAND - The No. 4 Worland Warriors are making fast starts a hallmark during their five-game winning streak. Friday night vs. the No. 2 Torrington Trailblazers, Worland used another fast start on their way to defeating the Trailblazers 58-47 at Worland High School.

Starting the game, senior Cody Baumstarck scored the Warriors first six points, which included a thunderous putback dunk that got everyone in the packed Worland High School gymnasium on their feet. With the electricity coursing through the air Worland continued their run and ended the quarter with a 21-2 lead.

"Jadon's (Swalstad) defense and the team defense in the first 10 minutes and first half, that was the best performance I've seen from them all season. We did a really good job of moving on the air time of the pass, getting to our dribble gaps and preventing (Torrington) from driving to the rim. We had zero fouls in that first quarter while we dominated defensively. It shows you how well we were moving because we were always in the correct possession," said WHS boys basketball coach Aaron Abel.

The Warriors kept up the attack for the remainder of the game. Junior Jadon Swalstad's defense on Torrington's Jordan Malm, who averages close to 19 points per game, was key to Worland's victory.

"I thought Jadon (Swalstad) did a great job and his teammates had his back," said coach Abel. "Jadon was the unsung hero for us tonight. He may have not had a statistically good game but played great defensively. We took (Torrington) out of their five-out read and react offense. At the end of the first quarter they realized they weren't going to score and went into an offense we hadn't seen on film. Jadon did a great job of fighting through screens and contesting on every shot, or making (Malm) put the ball on the ground and chasing him off the arc."

Also providing a boost to for the Warriors was sophomore Andrew Edholm who got the start vs. Torrington on Friday night.

"It was a matchup thing," said coach Abel about starting Edholm, "We felt like he was playing well defensively and wanted to give him a look in the starting lineup. (Torrington) has four starters that average between 9 to 10 points and Malm with 19, they had that fifth starter that we could layoff of and try to help out. That was Andrew's job and he did a great job of executing."

At this point in the season the Warriors look to be one of the top teams in the state. With their improved play coach Abel believes this team's attention to detail is what's going to keep them hungry and not pleased with themselves.

"We're always talking about the next thing, satisfied is come March when you don't have any games left. This is a great preparation team and you see that in our first quarters lately. We do a good job all week in practice figuring out our game plan then the guys do a great job of executing. It's fun to see them do that and that's how they're always going to stay hungry and ready for the next opponent. They always want to do a good job of preparing for the next opponent and they're ready for what's next on the schedule," said coach Abel.

Next the Warriors will play Wheatland (6-7, 2-2) today at 2 p.m.

"They're going to play zone and alternate between a 2-3 and a 1-3-1. Wheatland is a team where people will look at their scores and see that they don't blow anyone out," said coach Abel, "That's because of their offensive style, they're a very patient team and will take a minute to run a possession probably several times. They'll run a dribble weave and we'll have to adjust. It will probably be a lower scoring game but we'll be ready to go."