Pioneers pick up first win
The Pioneer basketball team held on to capture its first win of the year Friday night, while Warren County?s girls suffered their fifth straight loss in a non-district split at Manchester.
Three WCHS boys finished in double digits, and the Pioneers led by as many as 19 points in their 52-42 win over the Red Raiders. But Coffee County came on strong in the closing minutes, keeping the Pioneers from attempting a single field goal in the fourth quarter. The Raiders also took advantage of their guests? inaccuracy at the free-throw stripe and 13 second-half turnovers, trimming the gap to four with less than two minutes to play.
As time ran out on the rally, however, the Raiders were forced to foul, and the Pioneers ? who attempted 51 free throws in the contest ? were able to put the finishing touches on the win, pulling back ahead by the final 10-point margin.
Chris Weitzel led the way for WCHS with 13 points, while Ryan Daniel and Chase Officer had 10 each. Jared Vanatta tossed in seven, including a 3-pointer, and Donta Weir ? who returned to the lineup after a bout with chicken pox, added six points. The Pioneers went 26-for-51 at the free-throw line, after attempting just four shots from the stripe in the first half. They turned the ball over 17 times, and finished with an 11-of-26 shooting percentage.
Derek Jones and Evan Magourik led Coffee County with eight each. Coffee County remained winless on the year, while the Pioneers improved to 1-6.
? In Friday?s opening contest, the Lady Pioneers quickly found themselves down by double digits on the way to a 59-38 loss. With the defeat, WCHS fell to 2-5 for the season.
The Lady Raiders jumped out to an early lead, but WCHS righted its ship, and trimmed the gap to 13-6 by the first period?s end.
Coffee County, which was led by an 11-point night from Courtney Page, expanded its lead to 31-17 by halftime, then held the Lady Pioneers to just four third-quarter points to maintain control, building a 48-21 advantage heading into the fourth.
Sarah Elam added 10 for CCHS, while Jana Hollins had nine points and Jessica Taylor added eight.
Brittany Frazier led Warren County?s effort with 11, while Brooke Bowman had nine and Elizabeth Lavoie chipped in seven points. Warren County?s girls hit just 13 of their 50 attempts from the field, and connected on seven of 17 free throws.
The Pioneers and Lady Pioneers travel to Gallatin this week for the Sumner Sports Medicine Christmas Classic. They?ll face Greenbrier on Thursday, and take on Pope John Paul II on Friday evening. Tip-off for each day?s girls game is set for 4 p.m., with the Pioneers? games to follow.