Robservations: WC hoops has its ups and downs
They’re two teams headed in opposite directions.
Warren County’s basketball squads went through a rather dark period near the end of January, suffering sweeps in four straight district doubleheaders.
But Feb. 10, at Murfreesboro Siegel, the Lady Pioneers turned things around, taking the first steps toward closing the season with some measure of confidence. The Pioneers, however, kept sliding further and further toward one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
After four losses, including horrific showings at White County and Cookeville, the Lady Pioneers wrapped up their regular season with four straight wins, all the while building enthusiasm, as well as momentum for the league tournament.
The Lady Pioneers now have their sights set on Cookeville, a team that has given them fits over the years with its slow, methodical, controlling offensive style.
If they can shake the mental block that they’ve seemingly had against the Lady Cavs over recent meetings, and realize it is possible to score more than 40 points against Cookeville, WCHS fans could be celebrating their first trip to the girls’ region tournament in several seasons.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, there is the Pioneer boys team.
Watching them in action, it seemed the Pioneers went through the motions of their final four games, leading many coaches, fans, media members and classmates to question just how much — if any — they cared about winning or losing.
With two non-district games against foes they had defeated earlier in the year, however, the Pioneer faithful had hopes of at least a minor momentum upswing to close the regular season.
The boys’ final two games may not have mattered in the district standings, but they served as a good measuring stick for those wondering if Warren County’s squad still had any heart left. Surely, fans thought, after downing DeKalb by 10 early in the year and after topping Coffee County by 22 in January, the Pioneers could notch a couple of late-season victories, and get back some of the swagger they’d lost during a winless district season.
Those fans were disappointed.
The Pioneers were beaten — and beaten soundly — by both DeKalb County and Coffee County, and instead of going out with a bang, they closed their regular season with a whimper.
All that’s left now for the Pioneers is a first-round tournament matchup with Riverdale, a team that crushed them twice in the regular season, winning the two matchups by an average of 31 points.
Sure, there’s a chance of an upset. The chance of an upset is why tournaments are played, after all, and District 7-AAA usually has at least one first-round shocker.
But the question is, will the Pioneers swagger in ready to play the role of spoiler, or slink in expecting — and accepting — a first-round blowout?
If the Pioneer team that won four of its first five, and played hard in losing efforts to Oakland, Siegel, Blackman and Cookeville during this season, can show up Tuesday afternoon, fans in attendance may be in for another shocking upset.
But if the squad that hung its head and ho-hummed its way through most of its final 14 games makes the trip to Sparta, those same fans will be wondering why they bothered to make the trip.