Pioneers take down Tullahoma – Saturday win boys? 2nd in 7-day span

By ROB NUNLEY

Saturday nights are all right for the Pioneer boys basketball team.

For the second straight week, Warren County?s boys came away with a weekend victory, downing Tullahoma at home Saturday night 64-53.

The win improved the Pioneers? overall record to 4-15 on the year, while Tullahoma, which entered the game a day removed from a win over Lawrence County, fell to 13-11.

Chris Weitzel patrolled the paint for a 20-point night, and Donta Weir came through with 17 of his own, as the Pioneers got off to a strong start and finished with one of their strongest shooting nights of the season.

Up 7-0 before the Wildcats finally got on the board, Warren County used three baskets each from Weir and Weitzel on their way to a 15-6 lead by the end of the game?s opening period.

Their lead grew to as many as 15 points (23-8) in the second, before Tullahoma got hot from 3-point range, knocking down three treys in the closing moments of the period to trim the gap to 19-25 before Weir scored again to close the gap with the Pioneers on top by eight.

Long-range accuracy from the Wildcats, who hit eight of their 25 3-point attempts on the night, allowed THS to continue to chip away at the Pioneer lead after intermission. Adam Barnett, who led all scorers with 22 points, nailed his third 3-pointer of the game with 3:13 to go in the quarter, cutting Warren County?s lead to a single point at 36-35. But the Pioneers responded with an 8-point scoring run of their own, and went into the fourth quarter ahead 44-38.

The game?s final stanza saw the Pioneers work patiently toward high-percentage shots in an attempt to hold their lead. The plan paid off, with a 6-of-7 shooting percentage over the final eight minutes, as WCHS was able to maintain an eight- to 10-point advantage throughout the fourth. Sent to the line late in the game as the Wildcats became desperate to stop the clock, WCHS hit just 6-of-10 down the stretch, but it was more than enough to preserve the win.

Ryan Daniel contributed eight points to the Pioneer cause, while Josh Moore and Carlzell Robinson had seven each. Cass Barnes had 11 for THS, with Dominique Williams hitting for nine and Tryston Horton adding eight points.