Antioch downs WCHS girls at Overton

The Lady Pioneers? trip down the winning track was unfortunately shorter than they would have hoped.

After breaking a seven-game losing streak at the Overton Christmas Tournament on Tuesday, Warren County?s girls basketball team fell short in their quest to make it two in a row, losing to Antioch on Wednesday by a 68-39 final.

With the defeat, the Lady Pioneers fell to 3-8 on the year and moved on to a Thursday afternoon contest against Glencliff which would determine either third or fourth place.

Under the bracket system used by the Overton tourney organizers, Glencliff and the Lady Pioneers advanced to their matchup on the strength of their first-round wins, followed by their losses in what is essentially the tournament semifinals.

In Wednesday?s matchup, WCHS trailed by single digits after a period, as Antioch built a 16-10 lead. But the Lady Bears took control of the game in the second quarter, out-scoring the Lady Pioneers 28-8 over an eight-minute span to carry a 44-18 advantage into halftime.

Kirtrell Brown and Ashley Whitmore were the driving force behind Antioch?s offense, which held on for the 29-point win despite being out-scored in the third quarter 16-10. The duo combined for 34 points, with Brown tossing in 18 and Whitmore hitting 16 of her own. Jasmine Gunn and Skylar Peterson each chipped in seven to help their team?s cause.

For the Lady Pioneers, who scored 11 points to Antioch?s eight in the final quarter, Brittany Frazier led the scoring effort with 16, while Brooke Bowman had six points. Taylor Nunley, Kasey Owens and Sarah Roller had four each, while Miki Rogers added three and Katie Mayfield posted two.

After wrapping up the Overton tournament, the Lady Pioneers will have a few days off before resuming their regular-season schedule.

Their next contest is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 5, when they travel to Sparta for a District 7-AAA matchup with White County. Tip-off for that game is set for 6:30.