WCHS frigid from field during loss to Lady Blaze
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Friday night, another cold quarter — this time the fourth — proved costly once again, as it capped a horrible shooting night and resulted in a 40-28 Lady Pioneer loss.
“We just couldn’t hit,” said WCHS coach Ann Eades, whose team dropped to 8-3 overall and 2-2 in District 7-AAA play. “We had a pretty good game defensively, and just couldn’t do anything on the other end.”
The Lady Pioneers connected on just 10 of their 40 efforts from the field, and missed their first 15 shots from 3-point range before Leah Cunningham connected on the team’s only trey with 11 seconds to play.
Blackman, which improved to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in league play, didn’t fare much better from the field, hitting 17 of its 46 attempts. But a 7-of-12 mark in the fourth quarter, as well as a 13-4 rebound advantage in the game’s final period, helped the Lady Blaze out-score their guests 16-5 and seal the victory.
After falling behind 16-4 in the first quarter of the Overton Christmas Tournament finals against the Lady Blaze, the Lady Pioneers tipped off Friday’s game looking for a better start. They found it, rallying from an early deficit to tie the game at 6-6, but Blackman closed out the first quarter with a 5-0 run to take an 11-6 lead.
A 3-pointer from Megan Carter gave the Lady Blaze a 14-6 lead early in the second, but WCHS, despite a 5-of-20 field goal percentage in the first half, came on strong late in the period, cutting the gap to 19-17 with a Leanne Pelham free throw in the final minute before intermission.
Both teams struggled in the third, but Warren County’s Tia Williams connected with one second to play in the period, sending the two squads into the game’s final stanza with Blackman holding a slim 24-23 lead. But WCHS was held scoreless for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, and limited to just five points in the period as the Lady Blaze went on to the win.
Leanne Pelham and Alysa Lankford scored seven each for the Lady Pioneers, while Williams had four points. Cunningham and Heather Frazier netted three each, while Vanessa Cornelius and Whitney Pelham added a basket apiece.
Devin Thompson burned the nets for 16 points, while Alana Hicks added eight. Nikki Hughes and Jennifer Gregory had five each, and Carter and Thierre Patterson scored three apiece.
The Lady Pioneers take on Cookeville Tuesday night, as they try to get back on the winning track in district action. The Lady Cavaliers picked up a narrow 35-33 win over Riverdale Friday, and stand at 12-6 overall and 3-1 in league play entering Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. tilt.
District 7-AAA girls standings
TEAM REC
1. White Co. 4-0
2. Blackman 3-1
3. Cookeville 3-1
4. Warren Co. 2-2
5. Oakland 2-2
6. Riverdale 1-3
7. Lebanon 1-3
8. Siegel 0-4