WCHS heats up Coffee County

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

The Pioneers’ Todd Gilley defends Coffee County’s Micah Williams during the first half of Tuesday night’s game at the Dalton Gym. Both Gilley and Williams led their respective teams in scoring in Tuesday’s WCHS win. (Rob Nunley photo)

The Pioneer basketball team’s winning ways continued Tuesday night, as they got revenge for a loss from earlier in the 2004-05 season by downing Coffee County, 58-47.

Todd Gilley led the way, and was one of three Warren County players who finished with double-digit point totals as WCHS won its third straight, improving to 6-9 on the year.

Coffee County entered the Charlie Dalton Gym with a distinct gameplan: Get the ball to Micah Williams.

The plan worked to an extent, as Williams scored 15 of his team’s 25 first-half points, helping keep the Red Raiders within a point after both the first (15-14) and second (26-25) quarters.

But Warren County countered with Brandon Adcock, who scored 10 points in the first half, and Gilley, who posted seven, to go into the second half with a narrow lead.

Gilley helped expand that lead in the third quarter, knocking down five points, while Andy Harrell added a three-point play to help WCHS maintain a 34-32 advantage heading into the game’s final period.

A quick surge from Warren County gave them a nine-point lead early in the fourth, but Williams came back into the game and brought his team back within a possession before committing his fifth foul at the 1:51 mark.

With under two minutes to play and the Pioneers leading by just a point (44-43), what had already been a physical contest got a lot more physical, and the Pioneers were able to take advantage, expanding their lead to double digits at the free-throw line down the stretch.

Over the last 1:26 of the contest, Warren County’s boys connected on 12 of 16 free-throw attempts, and although Coffee’s Nathan Sharpe hit a 3-pointer with six ticks remaining, it was too little and too late as the Pioneers held on for the 11-point victory.

Gilley finished with 15 to lead the Pioneers in scoring, while Harrell turned in 13 points and Adcock added a dozen. Warren Swann had nine, while Brooks Majors scored five. Jonathan Morris and Heath Crisp rounded out the win with a pair of free throws each.

Williams finished with 25 to lead Coffee County, while Jere Davidson and Donovan Weaver had four each. Neither Davidson nor Donovan scored in the second half.

The Pioneers will be looking to keep its positive momentum going tonight, when they return to District 7-AAA action with a home game against the Blackman Blaze. Warren County is currently 0-3 in league play, and is hoping to break a district losing streak that extends all the way back to the 2002-03 season.