WCHS ‘white’ washed: Lady Pioneers fall apart in second half
SPARTA — It was a tale of two halves.
After battling basket-for-basket with the District 7-AAA leaders for the first two periods, the Lady Pioneers fell apart after intermission Tuesday night on their way to a 67-37 loss to White County.
While the Lady Pioneers struggled to find the basket throughout the game, White County prevailed behind senior Brooke Sunday, who poured in 21 points, including 11 in the game’s decisive third quarter.
The Lady Pioneers benefited from the longball as they held their own early. Whitney Pelham nailed a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping WCHS (11-6, 4-5 district) keep within sight of the Warriorettes. But Sunday added eight points of her own, helping the home squad to a 13-8 lead by the period’s end.
Leah Cunningham, who led the Lady Pioneers with 14 points in the game, hit a pair of 3’s of her own in the second period, and the Lady Pioneers went on a 9-0 run in the closing moments of the half to pull within one at 24-23.
Sparta’s Keela Henry drew a foul from Leanne Pelham with .4 seconds remaining, however, and hit both ends of a one-and-one to give the Warriorettes a 26-23 halftime lead, and a spark of momentum they would carry into the second half.
The third quarter began with a 10-0 Sparta run, and although Whitney Pelham, Cunningham and Sallie Slatton all connected on 3-pointers, the Lady Pioneers couldn’t match White County’s offensive production, and fell behind 48-32 by the end of the quarter.
Warren County, which plays host to Oakland tonight, managed just two field goals and a free throw in the fourth quarter, while White County posted 19 points to secure the lopsided victory.
In addition to Cunningham’s 14 points, the Lady Pioneers got nine from Whitney Pelham and four from Heather Frazier. Slatton and Tia Williams added three each, while Nikki Griffith and Leanne Pelham chipped in two points apiece.
Warren County connected on just 12 of its 52 attempts from the field, and missed 19 shots from inside the 3-point arc.
White County, which improved to 17-5 overall and upped its district mark to 8-1, was led by Sunday’s 21, while Allison Cole added 12 points — all on 3-pointers. Shauna Haley had 11, while Molly McFadden netted 10 points and Henry added nine. Brooke Yates and Tisha Kirby chipped in two each for the winning tally.
The Lady Pioneers will be going for a season sweep tonight, when they face the Lady Patriots at the Charlie Dalton Gym. Warren County won a close 56-54 decision over Oakland in the teams’ first meeting this season. Oakland enters tonight’s game after taking a narrow 69-66 win over cross-town rivals Riverdale Tuesday night.
Tip-off for tonight’s contest is set for 6:30 p.m.