The Warren County Pioneer basketball season came to an end Saturday as the team, along with many Warren County faithful, made the long journey over the mountains.
The Bradley Central Bears, located in Cleveland, Tenn., were favored in the Regional 3-AAA Tournament first round. The Bears have District 5-AAA player of the year Cole Copeland in the lineup.
The Bears came out in the second half clearly more aggressive to the ball than the Pioneers and defeated Warren County by a final score of 83-61 to end the Pioneers run to the sectional tournament.
WCHS head coach Chris Sullens said, “I thought we weathered the storm early against the Bears offense and we cut their lead to five before the half. We lost our mental focus on a couple possessions. We have to shoot the ball better and our guards have to be better going forward. I’m thankful to the seniors who helped us take steps in the right direction.”
Copeland for the Bears led all scorers with a game-high 22 points. He did the most damage in the third period when he led the Bear attack with eight of his 22.
Trevor Gaines led the Pioneers with 19, scoring seven in the opening quarter.
The Bears unleashed a relentless full-court press on the Pioneers in the first quarter that created havoc in the backcourt. The Pioneers turned the ball over multiple times.
Once the Pioneer guards released ball and committed to the pass, the Bradley Central defense made its move as several players attempted to go for the steal.
After back-to-back steals, Warren County called timeout. Out of the timeout, the Pioneer turnovers continued.
The Bears offense looked sharp and precise. While the offense passed the ball around the perimeter, Copeland set himself up and slipped behind the arch. He popped the net for his only 3-pointer of the game and the Bears extended their lead 16-8.
Gaines scored the final five points for the Pioneers in the first quarter. Isaiah Grayson was headed straight to the rack and as the Bradley Central defender committed he dished the ball up and over to Gaines for the finish underneath.
The Bears high-octane offense built a 23-13 lead by the end of the first.
Unfortunately, the turnovers continued as the second quarter got under way. Fortunately for the Pioneers, the Bears struggled to finish in the opening minutes of the second.
The Bears led 29-17 and Chance Hobbs spotted up from behind the arch. An aggressive Bear defender fouled Hobbs on the release. The shot hit its target and Hobbs was on his way to a 4-point play. The free throw dropped and Warren County trailed 29-21.
The Bears lost the handle and Warren County picked up the loose ball. It was fed inside to Gaines and he went strong to the rim and finished and the Pioneers were within six, 29-23.
Holden Baker got the Pioneers within three when he made a quick move to the basket and was fouled in the lane as he released his shot. Baker buried both free throws and the Pioneers trailed 31-28 with :44 left in the half.
Bradley Central had just enough time on the clock to set up its offense. Lameric Tucker went back door behind the Pioneer defense and he took the pass and scored as time expired in the quarter, 33-28.
Bradley Central regrouped and came out refreshed in the third. The Bears looked hungry and went on the attack again and scored back-to-back baskets in the opening minute. Bradley Central quickly extended its lead to 37-28.
Not many points came easy for the Pioneers and Baker took a hit inside the Bradley Central defense. He shot 2-of-2 in the third.
Bradley Central unloaded after the half and Bradley McCurdy dialed up a pair of long distance shots which connected. John Brown also added a 3-pointer to his arsenal while Copeland exploded for eight of his 22 points. Bradley Central extended its lead to 58-42 by the end of the third quarter.
The Pioneers did slightly better on offense in the final period but the defense lacked the intensity and focus to make a run for the lead.
Grayson and Gaines tried desperately to keep pace on offense. Krojhn Calbert finally got free inside for his only two points of the game.
Down the stretch the frustrations showed on both ends of the floor for the Pioneers. The game got sloppy and fouls were committed on multiple possessions. In the final minutes, Wesley Jennings and McCall Turner each dropped a pair of free throws in for the Pioneers.
Bradley Central controlled the game during three of the four quarters and the Bears defeated the Pioneers by a final score of 83-61.
Sullens added, “At this point in the season you have to be mentally prepared on every possession. We talked two years ago how we had to progress over the next five seasons to set a culture for Warren County basketball to be the best team on the floor each time we take it.”
“Hopefully we have brought back some excitement into this town about basketball. We beat everyone in our district minus Sparta and we plan on winning the district tournament next year on our home floor. We will take some time off before we get back to work on next season.”

BEARS SCORING – Cole Copeland 22, Bradley McCurdy 20, John Brown 13, Tyrell Pitman 11, Peyton Parker 9, Pete Williams 3, Lameric Tucker 2, Ty Beavers 2, Jared Elrod 1
PIONEERS SCORING – Trevor Gaines 19, Isaiah Grayson 14, Chance Hobbs 9, Holden Baker 5, Lorenzo Williams 4, Wesley Jennings 2, McCall Turner 2, Logan Wilson 2, Caleb Newby 2, Krojhn Calbert 2.