WCHS comeback comes up short: Oakland downs Lady Pioneers in overtime
After being held in check by the Lady Pioneers for the first 32 minutes of Friday night’s game, Oakland’s Taran Hayes came through in the clutch, ruining Warren County’s chances for a district win.
The senior guard buried her first — and only — 3-pointer of the game near the end of the extra period, allowing the Lady Pats to pull ahead for good on their way to a narrow 53-48 overtime victory.
With the win, Oakland improved to 7-3 in District 7-AAA play and 15-4 overall, while Warren County fell to 11-7 overall and 4-6 in the league standings.
“That was a big 3 at crunch time, but that’s what big-time players do,” said WCHS coach Ann Eades. “This was a tough loss, but I was proud of the way we fought back after a disappointing game Tuesday at Sparta.
“I was talking to (Oakland coach Jennifer) Grandstaff after the game, and we both said that in this district, on any given night anyone can beat anybody. Hopefully, I believe, we’ll see one of these teams down the road in a similar situation, and we’ll be able to handle it a lot better.”
The Lady Pioneers battled their way back from a seven-point deficit in the final 3-1/2 minutes, with Leanne Pelham posting 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a putback with just over a minute to play which brought WCHS within a point a 43-42.
After Oakland’s Kierra McCleary hit a free throw to put OHS on top by a bucket, Whitney Pelham came through with 24 seconds remaining to tie the game at 44-44, forcing the extra period.
Baskets from Amanda Locke and Whitney Pelham put WCHS on top 48-47, but Hayes stole the ball from Pelham as time wound down, and got in position for a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining.
While attempting to tie up a loose ball on her team’s ensuing possession Pelham tried to stop the clock, not realizing her team was out of time-outs. Hayes went to the line for the technical foul, hitting one of two free throws, and buried two more as time ran out to account for the final margin of victory.
“The bottom line was Warren County out-played us all night,” Grandstaff said. “They did a better job executing, played a lot harder and took advantage when we gave them easy looks inside.
“We were extremely fortunate to get out of her with a win. We didn’t play up to our potential, and you’ve got to give Warren County credit for that. But Taran was able to hit a big shot at the end to help us pull it out.”
Ashley Asberry led the way for Oakland with 19 points, including 10 in the second quarter to help the Lady Pats to a 26-21 halftime edge. Freshman Kierra McCleary added 11.
Whitney Pelham’s 19 led Warren County, while Leanne Pelham scored 14. Leah Cunningham posted seven points, Alysa Lankford had four, and Locke and Vanessa Cornelius scored two each.
The Lady Pioneers return to action Tuesday night with a home matchup against Blackman. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.