Pioneers fall to red-hot Blaze
MCMINNVILLE — Will Redding led four players in double figures Tuesday night as Blackman’s boys kept their District 7-AAA win streak alive, pulling away in the fourth quarter to take a 72-64 win over Warren County.
Redding scored 26 points, including 10 in the game’s final stanza, as the Blaze (13-5, 4-1 in District 7-AAA) expanded a three-point lead into the eventual winning margin to take their fourth-straight league victory.
“There in the fourth quarter, Will hit some big shots with people draped all over him,” said BHS coach Kevin Woodson. “He stepped up, and with it being a hard-fought game we needed some shots close to the basket, because we were starting to get leg-weary.
“Warren County keeps coming at you and coming at you, and our guys did a good job down the stretch. They hung in there, and got it done.”
Blackman saw its 54-51 third-quarter lead disappear just 10 seconds into the fourth, when the Pioneers’ Randal Harrell buried a 3-pointer to tie the game. The Blaze, who had led by as many as seven through the contest’s first three periods, swapped virtually basket for basket with their hosts for much of the remainder of the game, and went up 65-62 on a Redding free throw with just over two minutes to play.
Harrell stole the ball from Nathan Stephens at midcourt, scoring to pull his team within one, but the Pioneers ran out of time to continue their comeback, missing three 3-pointers through the final minute. As WCHS fouled to conserve the clock, the Blaze hit seven of their final eight attempts from the charity stripe to preserve the win.
In addition to Redding’s big night, Blackman got 13 points each from Kris Lee and David Price, while Nathan Stephens added a dozen, including a 7-of-8 night at the free-throw line. Warren County, which fell to 11-8 overall and remained winless in district play at 0-5, was led by Harrell’s 28 points while Reese Bishop had 20.
The Blaze will try to avenge their only 7-AAA loss Tuesday night, when they take on the league-leading Oakland Patriots. But while Woodson admitted paying back the Patriots for their 59-40 win back on Dec. 10 is one motivating factor, keeping near the top of the 7-AAA standings is more important.
“It’s a city rival, a big game, and while we’re not necessarily looking for payback, it would get us back even in the district race,” he said. “That’s where it’s a big game for us.”