Huge night for Harrell: Senior hits for career-high 37
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Harrell posted 37 points Friday night to lead the Pioneers to their fourth straight victory, an 86-79 decision over Coffee County at the Blackman Christmas Classic.
The victory, which improved Warren County’s record to 8-4 on the season, wrapped up a trip to the Classic, as coach Doug Keil’s squad downed Shelbyville 53-41 on Thursday night.
“We battled and came out on top in two hard-fought games, playing two totally different styles,” Keil said Friday night. “We played a lot of half-court man in the first game, it was a more methodical, defensive game, then (Friday night) we were able to use a lot of pressure defense.”
Harrell, who led the way Thursday with 17 points, was on fire Friday night, posting 27 of his game-high point total in the second half — including a 13-of-14 performance at the free-throw line.
“My shot was feeling pretty good, and (guards) Reese (Bishop) and Brooks (Majors) were doing a good job getting the ball up the floor faster so we got some open looks,” Harrell said. “The free throws helped, too. I’m not sure how many I had, but it felt like I was at the line a lot.”
As a team, the Pioneers made 48 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 32 free throws and taking advantage of a heavy-handed Red Raider defense.
“They were physical, but we were strong with the ball and kept our composure,” Harrell said. “We didn’t want to get into it with them.”
A pair of Harrell 3-pointers and six free throws from Kyle Thompson helped the Pioneers take a 21-18 lead through the first quarter, but late in the period Warren County lost one of its key players as Cody Hillis left the game with a knee injury.
The senior starting forward was believed to have suffered a strained medial collateral ligament, and his status is yet to be determined.
The second quarter saw Coffee County battle back behind Daniel West, who scored 13 points in the period including three 3-pointers. But although the Red Raiders closed the gap to four at several points near the end of the half, Warren County held the lead and carried a 45-41 edge into intermission.
The Pioneers took command in the third, using a 15-2 run midway through the period to go on top 61-47 before Coffee County closed the quarter with a 10-4 run of its own.
But down the stretch, the Red Raiders were forced to foul to conserve clock and attempt a comeback. More times than not, Harrell was the recipient of those fouls, and he kept Coffee County at bay, nailing 11 of his 12 fourth-quarter attempts.
In addition to Harrell’s career-high, the Pioneers got 21 points from Kyle Thompson, including 11 free throws. Majors had six, Ross Marlowe netted five and Josh Nunley had four. Tommy Jones, Bishop and Todd Gilley had three each, while Breu Bonner and Hillis had two apiece.
West’s 27 led Coffee County, while Jon Jones and Cole Brazier scored 12 each.
• In Thursday night’s game, the Pioneers rallied from a 35-34 deficit at the end of third quarter to take a 12-point win. WCHS hit 11 of 12 attempts at the line in the fourth quarter, and Harrell posted eight of his team-high 17 points in the final stanza.
Hillis and Bishop had 15 each, and Thompson had six to round out the winning tally.
Jared Ester had 19 to lead Shelbyville, while DeQuan Twilley scored 10.
The Pioneers return to action Thursday, as they begin play in the Overton Christmas Tournament with a matchup against Antioch. Harrell noted that their recent run of success will hopefully continue after the holidays, when district play resumes.
“We’re feeling pretty good about ourselves now, and playing better together as a team,” he said. “It’s good to win some games in a row before the break, and hopefully we can keep going after Christmas when we get into district games.”