GRUNDY CENTER – With just one senior on the roster, the Meskwaki Settlement School boy’s basketball team could go through some growing pains this season.

When that time comes, the Warriors will have to address it. But for now, all the Warriors are doing is winning.

Another balanced effort offensively and aggressive effort defensively allowed the Warriors to stay unbeaten as Meskwaki Settlement led 14-6 after one quarter and never looked back in a 63-50 victory over Grundy Center.

It was the fifth straight win to begin the season for the Warriors, who got 21 points and four steals from sophomore guard Allis Tahahwah and a double-double from Darrion Murray in the victory.

“Our whole philosophy more less is about defense,” said Warrior coach Dina Keahna. “We focus on steals on defense and assists on offense and playing like a team. We try to take advantage of what they like to do.”

And what the Warriors like to do is jump in every passing lane, swipe at every dribble and play as close to the opposition’s shorts as possible.

And for the most part Monday night, that strategy worked to perfection against the host Spartans, who have been prone to mistakes during the early part of their season. They committed 20 turnovers against the Warriors.

“I told them that they spread out their defense and they are looking for steals all the time,” said Grundy Center coach Rollie Ackerman. “And it worked. We didn’t react to it well enough and we had way too many turnovers.

“If we don’t take care of the ball better than that, it will be a long season for us. That’s three games in a row now.”

The Warriors used intense, aggressive defense to build a 14-6 lead after one quarter. Both teams played even in the second and fourth quarters, but another advantage in the third frame helped the Warriors win by double-digits.

The Warriors also have scored at least 60 points in all five games this season. They also turned it over just 12 times and shot 42 percent from the floor. Meskwaki Settlement (5-0) also won despite making just 5-of-14 from the foul line.

“Based on what we are trying to do, we don’t like to let the other team get into their sets,” Keahna said in reference to the team’s aggressive style of defense. “We do need to be a bit more patient on offense. I let them play loose, but we do have offensive sets that I also would like to run sometimes.”

Another strength for the Warriors is their unselfishness with the basketball. On more than one occasion, they made the extra pass and rarely forced shots at the offensive end. They also finished with 16 assists, led by Royce Timberwolf’s five. Timberwolf also had 10 points, while Murray finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. DeMarce Keahna added eight points and seven rebounds.

As quick and up tempo of a style as the Warriors have, they also took the air out of the ball with four minutes to play with a commanding lead. And while each possession didn’t always end in points, it took several seconds off the clock.

“They played very loose, very easy and very smooth. And if they get the lead like that, they will be tough to beat,” Ackerman said of the Warriors. “They got after it. And that’s to their credit.”

Austin Burroughs and Brady Hook each had 10 points to lead the Spartans, who came into the game having won three of their last four games. Hook also grabbed eight rebounds in the loss for the Spartans, who dropped to 3-3 on the year.

Grundy Center hit 43 percent of its shots but was just 3-of-13 from long range and 3-of-11 from the line.

All in all, the Warriors frustrated the home team just enough to seize control of the game.

“We turned it over on the first three possessions and it set the tone for the rest of the game,” said Ackerman. “We were never able to get into any kind of flow offensively.

“We were just getting frustrated because we didn’t execute our offense well enough and when we did get an open look we didn’t hit it. We also missed some free throws in the first half that could have helped us too.”

Notebook

The Spartans will have a quick turnaround today as they head to Eldora to take on NICL West rival South Hardin. … Jordan Stoner, the Spartans’ leading scorer, had just seven points, while Jack Stumberg finished with nine. … Meskwaki also returns to conference play today when it hosts Colo-NESCO. … The Warriors finished with 15 steals in the win. Timberwolf registered six.