WCHS swept by Greenbrier

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Leah Cunningham, shown during Monday night’s game against Station Camp, led the Lady Pioneers with 13 points Tuesday against Greenbrier. (Rob Nunley photo)

Warren County’s high school basketball teams ended their two-day trip to Gallatin on a down note Tuesday, falling to Greenbrier in both games of the Tri-Star Sports Medicine Christmas Classic.

In Tuesday’s opening matchup, Greenbrier’s Heather Thompson led her team with a 23-point night, helping the Lady Cats top a hot-shooting Lady Pioneer team by a 50-43 final.

WCHS connected for seven 3-pointers in the losing effort, with Leah Cunningham knocking down four long-range shots while Whitney Pelham added three of her own.

Leading 15-12 by the end of the first quarter, the Lady Pioneers were matched basket-for-basket in the second, and continued to hold a slim lead — 28-25 — at the halfway point of the game.

Greenbrier took over in the third period, however, holding WCHS to just five points in the quarter and building a 38-32 lead before out-scoring their guests 12-10 in the fourth.

Cunningham finished with 13 points, while Rhea had 11 and Nikki Griffith scored 10. Vanessa Cornelius had four points, Brittany Brewer had three and Whitney Pelham was held to just two.

In addition to Thompson’s big night, the Lady Cats got nine points from Kristen Grogan and six from Jessie Russell.

A slow starter proved to be the Pioneers’ undoing, as well, as they carried a 20-19 lead into halftime only to fall to the Cats 60-43.

Dustin Shepherd knocked down three 3-pointers for the Cats in the third, and Greenbrier out-scored the Pioneers 21-9 over the eight-minute stretch to take a commanding 40-29 lead.

The Pioneers managed 14 points in the fourth, including 3-pointers from Warren Swann, Andy Harrell and Jonathan Morris, but Greenbrier countered with 20 points of its own to secure the victory.

Swann led the Pioneers’ efforts with 15 points, while Harrell had 11. Morris scored five, Ethan Womack and Todd Gilley had four each, and Brooks Majors and Heath Crisp each had two.

The Cats were led by Shepherd’s 17-point night, while Kenton Coleman added 15 and Logan Greer added 10.

With the loss, the Lady Pioneers fell to 4-5, while the Pioneers dropped to 3-8. WCHS will travel to Overton next week for their annual Christmas tournament.