Wildcats, Lady Pioneers fall at Lodge Tourney:Big 3rd quarter lifts Woodland past WCMS girls

Thursday night in the Warren Lodge Elementary Christmas Tournament in the Charlie Dalton Gym, the Warren County Middle School’s girls seventh-grade basketball team took on Woodland. A 16-point third quarter helped Woodland to a 36-12 win over the Lady Pioneers.

First-quarter action was filled with fouls with both teams going to the line. All four of Warren County’s points came from the charity stripe as Laura Beth McKinley, Katie Wanamaker and Taylor Johnson connected. Woodland’s Chelsey Payne hit for five of Woodland’s nine points in the period.

Points were hard to come by in the second period with the only basket for the Lady Pioneers coming at the 4:02 mark from McCaulli Clendenon. Woodland hit three-of-four from the line to hold a 12-6 lead at the break.

Woodland came out in the third period and dominated the paint. Woodland worked the ball to the top of the paint and then kicked it down low for 12 unanswered points from Ashlyn Boss, Payne and Lauren Ruehler. Bree Smith got the Lady Pioneers on the board with a jumper from the base line at the 2:19 mark, but Woodland hit for two more baskets before the period ended to take a 28-9 lead.

Woodland opened the fourth period with four unanswered points. Kailey Kominos hit for the Lady Pioneers with under three-minutes remaining. Woodland added two baskets before the final horn to secure the victory.

With the win Woodland moved on to take on Grundy County on Friday night in semifinal action.

For the Lady Pioneers, Smith, Kominos, Clendenon and Johnson had two points each. Allison Conner, Wanamaker, McKinley and Morgan Frye added one point each.

Payne led all scorers for Woodland with 14, while Boss and Ruehler added 10 points each.