Lady Pioneers blast Blackman for district ‘W’
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And Warren County’s girls finished strong Friday night, roaring out to a big lead through the final three quarters of play and picking up their first District 7-AAA win of the year, a 50-31 victory over visiting Blackman.
Both the Lady Pioneers and the Lady Blaze entered the Charlie Dalton Gym without a win in district play. With the victory, however, the Lady Pioneers improved to 7-7 overall and 1-3 in district play, while Blackman fell to 0-4 in the league.
Despite the lopsided final margin, Friday’s game began as a very even contest — but it was a sloppy start by anyone’s analysis.
WCHS managed just two baskets in the opening period, and committed 10 turnovers, while Blackman got four points from Tukeea Hicks and took a 6-4 lead by the quarter’s end.
Warren County took control for good at the midway point of the second, using a 6-0 run to build a 12-9 lead it would never relinquish. While Blackman struggled from the floor, the Lady Pioneers closed the half with an 11-1 run, including a last-second basket from Heather Frazier which gave the home team a 23-12 halftime lead.
McKenna Rhea accounted for five of the Lady Pioneers’ 16 third-quarter points, as their advantage swelled to 20 points, allowing coach Ann Eades to clear her bench and cruise to the victory.
“I’m very happy for these girls,” Eades said after the win. “It couldn’t have been much uglier than that first quarter, but we made some adjustments at halftime, built a good lead, and that gave us the opportunity to get every one of these girls some playing time.
“They work so hard in practice every day, it’s great to have nights like this where they can gain some game experience.”
Sophomore Elizabeth Lavoie came off the bench to lead the Lady Pioneers’ scoring effort, posting 10 points. Rhea finished with nine, while Nikki Griffith had seven and the duo of Vanessa Cornelius and Amanda Locke scored six each.
Brittany Brewer had four points, Leah Cunningham scored three, and both Frazier and Elizabeth Kennamer had two. Kasey Owens rounded out the win with a late free throw.
Blackman was led by Hicks’ 10-point night, with Krisma Robinson scoring seven and Brittany Climer adding six.
The Lady Pioneers hit the road for a District 7 tilt Tuesday night, traveling to take on perennial league power Cookeville. Eades noted her team expects to have senior Whitney Pelham back for at least limited action.
Pelham has missed the past two weeks with a stress fracture in her foot, but has worked tirelessly to be ready for the Cookeville game.
“She’s going to get in, and she’s worked hard to get back to that point,” Eades said. “I’m eager to see how she adjusts Tuesday.”