Lady Pioneers roll to 11th win of year

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.)

The Lady Pioneers’ Vanessa Cornelius leaps away from Tullahoma’s Whitney Wiser as she passes the ball during Saturday night’s game at the Charlie Dalton Gym. The Lady Pioneers defeated the Lady Wildcats 64-41. (Rob Nunley photo)

Warren County’s girls basketball team bounced back from a tough loss Saturday night, downing Tullahoma 64-41 in a non-district matchup.

Holding the visiting Lady Wildcats to four points in each of the first two periods, the Lady Pioneers (11-5) went up by 20 early in the third quarter before Tullahoma attempted to mount a comeback.

The early lead was too much for the Lady Wildcats to overcome, however, and the visiting squad ran out of gas late as the Lady Pioneers posted 25 points in the fourth to secure the win.

Led by Leanne Pelham and Leah Cunningham, who scored 13 points each, the Lady Pioneers jumped out to an early lead against the Lady Wildcats, who have struggled this season and fell to 1-18 with the loss.

Pelham put back her own miss to open the game, and hit a 3-pointer while Cunningham buried two 3’s of her own to give WCHS a 14-4 lead by the end of the period.

Sallie Slatton added another trey, and Vanessa Cornelius powered her way inside for a pair of baskets to help Warren County go up 25-8 by halftime.

Tullahoma cranked up its intensity in the third quarter, however, as nine different Lady Wildcats scored to help the visitors amass 20 points in the quarter, cutting into the Warren County lead. But Tia Wiliams and Whitney Pelham went to work for the Lady Pioneers, scoring seven points each in the quarter, to help the home team keep a 39-28 advantage by the period’s end.

The THS comeback attempt faded in the fourth quarter, and Warren County’s girls kept their momentum, posting 25 points — including an 11-of-15 performance at the free-throw line — during the game’s closing stanza.

In addition to Pelham and Cunningham’s 13 each, the Lady Pioneers were helped to the win by Williams’ nine points, while Slatton and Pelham finished with seven each. Cornelius netted six, while Heather Frazier had four. McKenna Rhea scored two points, with Nikki Griffith and Alysa Lankford chipping in a free throw each.

Tullahoma was led by Whitney Darlington’s 13, while Erica Gilbert had five points. Brittany Rogers, Britni Waggoner, Fallon Blackburn and Kendra Starks scored four apiece, Katherine Baltz added three and the duo of Whitney Wiser and Ashley Davis chipped in two points apiece.

The Lady Pioneers returned to District 7-AAA action Tuesday night, with a road game against the league-leading Warriorettes from White County. They’ll play host to Oakland High School Friday, with the opening tip set for 6:30 p.m.