Freshmen split with Westwood
Manchester Westwood’s boys proved to be no challenge for the Warren County freshmen Thursday night.
The Pioneers leapt out to an early start, then used a 16-3 third quarter to put their visitors away for good on the way to a 64-35 win.
Twelve of the 13 Pioneers who dressed out scored in the win, led by Josh Judkins, who posted seven of his team-high 11 points in the first quarter as Warren County roared out of the gates to take a 22-10 lead by the end of the period.
Westwood’s Donovan Weaver tried to keep his club in the game, scoring four points in each of the first two quarters, but seven second-period points from Shay Glenn helped the Pioneers build upon their advantage throughout the first half, which ended with WCHS holding a comfortable 40-20 edge.
After a slow second-half start on both ends of the court, during which neither team scored for the first two minutes of the third, Warren County came to life through the rest of the period, clearing the bench and out-scoring Westwood 16-3 in the quarter to take a 56-23 lead.
Westwood posted a dozen fourth-quarter points, but a pair of Jonathan Creek baskets and one each from Dustin Couch and Benny Jones were more than enough for the Pioneers to maintain their hefty scoreboard advantage and take the lopsided win.
In addition to Judkins’ 11, Glenn and Isaac Slatton finished with nine points each. Creek and Adcock had eight apiece, while Terrin Martin scored five and Couch finished with four. Warren Swann, Ben Dunn, Ricky Curtis, Daniel Verdel and Jones had two points apiece.
Westwood was led by Weaver’s 16 points, while Samuel Marcrom had 13.
• In girls’ play, the Lady Pioneers were the ones on the short end of a lopsided decision.
Warren County led early, but Westwood’s girls came back to tie the game at 8-8 by the end of the first and continued to roll throughout the game, eventually winning by a 46-19 margin.
After being held to just three points in the second quarter and trailing 19-11 at the halftime break, the Lady Pioneers managed just one field goal — a McKenna Rhea two-pointer — in the third and went 0-for-4 from the free-throw line to trail 30-13 heading into the final period.
WCHS scored just six points in the fourth quarter, while Westwood racked up 16 to take the win.
Rhea finished with eight for the Lady Pioneers, while Kara Youngblood scored all six of her points during the first quarter. Alysa Lankford finished with five.
Krista Klem led the way for Westwood with 17, while Kayla Thompson and Melissa Gamble had six each.