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Happy at home
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Senior Shelby Smartt attacks the paint during Warren County's 56-27 win over Tullahoma.

Turkey and dressing wasn’t on the menu at Charlie Dalton Gym Tuesday, but the Lady Pioneers still seemed to benefit from some home cooking. Shots started falling, the defense picked up and the crowd roared as Warren County looked like a completely different team while being fueled by its home fans.

By the end of the night, the Lady Pioneers had throttled Tullahoma 56-27 for their second victory this season. Senior Kyra Perkins spurred the blowout with 19 points, while Brienne Kelsey came off the bench to hit four triples and net 13 points in the victory.

Warren County (2-2) was humbled over the weekend in big matchups with Bradley Central and York Institute, but the Lady Pioneers looked every bit the preseason powerhouse they were projected to be while smashing the Lady Wildcats.

“It was about us tonight,” said coach Lippe after the win. “We were coming off some disappointment and had to reevaluate where we were at and how we could do better. I was proud of how they responded. They worked hard and we got better as a team.”

Perkins was a pest from the opening tip. Her active hands on the press led to easy buckets, while Kelsey came out cooking when she entered the lineup. The lefty splashed two early 3-pointers as Warren County went up 14-6 after the first quarter. The lead swelled to 11 by halftime behind another triple from Kelsey and two buckets from Shelby Smartt.

By the time Sable Winfree canned a triple late in the third, the rout was on. Tullahoma simply couldn’t keep pace with Warren County’s all-out attack, one Lippe knew could fuel his offense.

“We understood from watching film that if we can get to the paint and get people to collapse, we have shooters. We can’t continue to be in the halfcourt set. We have to get into transition and push the ball,” said Lippe. “We came out with a plan that we’re going to be aggressive and, if we do that, we’ll let the scoreboard be what it is.”

It was fully in favor of the Lady Pioneers, with the lead swelling to 30 by the fourth quarter. Now the Lady Pioneers will try to keep the momentum going when they face DeKalb County Friday night.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

WC scoring - Perkins 19, Kelsey 13, Sable Winfree 9, Smartt 8, Mia Hobbs 3, Bri Taylor 2, Savannah Winfree 2