Lady Pioneers struggle in first & third quarters

A high school basketball game consists of four eight-minute periods. So a team which only scores consistently during two of those periods is very likely to have trouble finding success.

The Lady Pioneers found that out the hard way Friday night, as offensive struggles in both the first and third quarters cost them dearly on the way to a 74-37 loss at the hands of Murfreesboro Siegel.

With the win, the Lady Stars improved to 6-2 in the District 7-AAA standings and 12-7 overall while Warren County ? which lost its eighth straight, fell to 3-15 on the year and 0-8 in the league standings.

Siegel?s balanced attack of perimeter shooting and a strong post presence paid off throughout the contest, especially early in the game. Carrie Parrott, who scored all of her game-high 17 points in the first half, gave the Stars a quick 4-0 lead by putting back rebounds of missed 3-pointers. But Siegel?s outside shooters adjusted their sights, and Kristen Siegenthaler and Morgan Faulkner both hit from behind the arc before the period ended to help their club take a 23-4 lead.

WCHS trimmed its deficit a bit during the opening minutes of the second, and cut the gap to 30-15 on a pair of Brittany Frazier free throws which were followed by a bucket from Sarah Roller. But Siegenthaler hit another 3-pointer, sparking a 13-4 run which ended when Amy Burns connected from the perimeter and was fouled, converting a four-point play to send her squad into the locker room up 43-19.

The third quarter belonged to the Stars, as they posted 20 points over eight minutes, including another Siegenthaler trey and several baskets off WCHS turnovers.

Brooke Bowman had a basket for the Lady Pioneers to open the period, and Taylor Nunley knocked down two free throws, but those would be the only points the home team would muster as they went into the fourth trailing 63-23.

The Lady Pioneers out-scored their guests 14-11 in the fourth, recovering from a 7-point Siegel surge to out-score the Lady Stars? reserves 12-4 down the stretch. But the damage had been done, and Siegel?s early lead proved to be more than enough to begin the second half of their district schedule with a decisive victory.

Frazier and Nunley finished with 10 points each for Warren County, which hit 16 of 40 tries from the field, including just one of a dozen shots from 3-point range. Bowman added six, while Roller finished with four.

In addition to Parrott?s 17 points, Siegel as helped to the win by 11 from Siegenthaler, while Claire Waggoner, Burns and Faulkner all scored eight points.

WCHS took on Coffee County Saturday night, and plays host to Cookeville on Tuesday.