WCHS boys bring home fourth place
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After falling 79-69 to Overton in Friday’s semifinal game, the Pioneers took on Pearl-Cohn in Saturday’s consolation matchup. Although Warren County matched their foes almost basket for basket throughout Saturday’s game, the Firebirds heated up when it counted, out-scoring the Pioneers 11-2 down the stretch on the way to a 79-67 win.
With a 15-12 lead after one quarter, Pearl-Cohn couldn’t shake the Pioneers throughout the second quarter. A pair of free throws from Todd Gilley pulled WCHS within two at 32-30 late, but the Firebirds’ Reno Thompson buried a 3-pointer at the final seconds of the half to send his squad into halftime up five.
Pearl-Cohn held its lead throughout the third, expanding it to nine points (48-39) in the waning moments of the period before a 4-0 run from the Pioneers closed the gap.
Reese Bishop, who had been held to just three points through the first three quarters, helped make things interesting in the fourth. After 3-pointers from Kyle Thompson and Randal Harrell, as well as a basket from Breu Bonner, Bishop scored five straight unanswered points to pull WCHS within a bucket (58-56) midway through the final period. But missed chances from the field cost the Pioneers late in the game, and Pearl-Cohn was able to go on an extended scoring run through the final moments to seal the win.
Randal Harrell led the way with 21 point, while Thompson posted 19 and Bishop finished with 13. Bonner added seven, Gilley scored four and Andy Harrell had three.
Kirk Glisper led the way for the Firebirds with 21 points, while Melvin Lightford had 20 and Thompson scored 13.
The Pioneers had to settle for a spot in the consolation game after suffering a tough loss to the host team from Overton Friday night.
The Bobcats used their athleticism and freelance style of play to their advantage early in Friday’s game, running up a 24-15 lead by the end of the first quarter thanks, in part, to eight points from A.J. Brown.
The Pioneers managed just one field goal in the second quarter, and connected on 10 of 16 free-throw attempts as Overton took a more-than-comfortable 20-point advantage (47-27) into the break.
Warren County came out of intermission with a 5-0 run, only to see the Bobcats counter with an identical scoring surge. Although WCHS out-scored its hosts 19-13 in the third quarter, and posted 23 points to Overton’s 19 in the final period, but the Bobcats’ early edge gave them enough momentum to come away with the win.
Randal Harrell led the way for WCHS with 16 points, while Bonner had 14 before fouling out late in the fourth. Jones has 12 points, while Bishop, who fouled out with just over five minutes to play, scored 11. Gilley had six, Jeremiah Hodges had three, and Majors, Andy Harrell and Josh Nunley scored two each. Thompson added one point.
Overton was led by DeAngelo Foster’s 18 points, while Brown had 15 and Cliff Griffin scored 14.