It’s been a Thanksgiving surprise that's even better than grandma’s mystery casserole.

The WCHS girls basketball team has darted out to a 3-1 start behind a youthful group of players bounding with energy.

The wins have undoubtedly been a plus, but even more heartening is the competitiveness. The Lady Pioneers had a strong chance to beat DeKalb County on Monday night, their lone loss, but couldn’t get things to fall the right way down the stretch.

This feistiness is something which was badly missing last year. For basketball fans who recall last year’s Lady Pioneer team, the games were usually out of hand in a hurry. It was common to see Warren County down 30-8 at the half with the second half serving as a sleeping pill.

But the mindset has quickly shifted in coach Anthony Lippe’s second year at the helm. Whether it’s buying into the process, or just hustling a whole lot more, the Lady Pioneers have stepped on the floor ready to play.

Heading into the year, coach Lippe said a main goal was to be in ball games with a chance to win with four minutes left. He said playing in tight games would be the only way his team would learn to win. So far it’s been mission accomplished in that respect.

Suddenly there’s reason for great optimism in Lady Pioneer land. Players who have been making an impact include sophomores like Kyra Perkins, Shelby Smartt and Mia Hobbs. Freshman Sable Winfree has been all over the floor and helping in all facets of the game.

It would be an oversight not to note the Lady Pioneers have been blessed with an early season schedule that may be best described as soft as a pillow. Thus far the opponents haven’t exactly been the Globetrotters.

Beating a tiny Christian school in Murfreesboro 71-22 is one thing. Matching up against Cookeville is another. It will be a different level of competition when action shifts to district play.

One early measuring stick will be this Monday’s game against Coffee County in Manchester. It will be Warren County’s first road game.

High school basketball season tends to be a long and winding road. It spans two of our biggest holidays and usually has to endure several roadblocks in January and February when bad weather postpones games.

Monday night will show us how the Lady Pioneers stack up against a top-tier opponent at this early point in the season. Based on what’s happened so far, there’s no reason to believe the Lady Pioneers won’t have a chance to win with four minutes left.