The search is over-Pioneers’ district losing streak ends vs. Lebanon
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After spending almost three years without a District 7-AAA victory, a span of 39 straight losses including three first-round tournament defeats, coach Ryan Smith and his squad brought that skid to a joyous end at home Friday, topping former WCHS head Doug Keil’s Lebanon Blue Devils by a 56-45 final.
‘They say the first one is the hardest to get, and I’ll certainly attest to that,’ Smith said, ‘but to watch these guys in the locker room after this win was totally worth it, and I’ll never forget it.’
An early Lebanon run gave the Devils a 10-4 lead, but Warren county came charging back behind P.L. Prater, who knocked down the first of his three 3-pointers to spark a 7-0 run which put the home club on top 11-10 by the first period’s end.
Prater finished with a game-high 20 points, while the duo of Donta Weir and Chris Weitzel had 14 each. But it was a total team effort on both ends of the court, Smith said, which propelled the Pioneers to Friday’s win.
‘Toward the end of the game, honestly, there wasn’t that much coaching to do; we just sat back and enjoyed it,’ he said. ‘Our guys came out ready to work, all the way up and down the bench, and they played hard for 32 minutes. They were going after loose balls, finding open looks, and dominating the boards against a team that has dominated everyone they’ve played when it came to rebounding. Everybody we had out there contributed, and I’m very proud of them. They did it for themselves, but also for those guys who came before them that weren’t able to get over that hump.’
Back-to-back baskets by Weir and Kyrie Harris opened the second quarter, and the Pioneer lead continued to grow from there, as they turned Lebanon away whenever the Devils tried to make a run.
A Weir layup near the close of the first half sent the Pioneers into intermission with a 23-20 lead, and Prater opened the second half with another 3-pointer, beginning the game’s most lopsided period as WCHS out-scored its guests 18-10.
Down 11 entering the fourth, Lebanon attempted to come back behind perimeter shooting, but struggled to hit from the arc and was forced to foul late in the game to stop the clock. The Pioneers hit just nine of their 20 free-throw attempts in the fourth, but it was more than enough to quell the Devils’ comeback strategy and send the home fans into hysterics at the sound of the final horn.
Chase Officer, Cameron Bond, Kyrie Harris, Aaron Powell and Carlzell Robinson also got in on the scoring for the Pioneers, on a night when the home team hit 50 percent of its field goals, connecting on 21-of-43 shots including a 3-of-8 clip from behind the arc.
Lebanon’s Xavier Smith was the only Blue Devil in double figures, finishing with 16.
Warren County has a busy week ahead, taking on Riverdale Tuesday and Siegel Friday, with both games on the road. They’ll return home Saturday night, as the White County contest has been moved yet again and will now be played Feb. 2.
Pioneers
56
Lebanon
45