The Lady Pioneers couldn’t find the start switch for their offense Friday night, but the Warriorettes had no trouble getting Warren County turnovers as Sparta won the district matchup, 61-35.Having a 20-point lead, 37-17, going into halftime on their home court, Sparta fans on hand were pleased with the results of the homecoming game, while visiting Warren County fans not so much.The loss leaves the Lady Pioneers still looking for their first district win.“The only comment I have is we had an off night,” said Warren County coach Shea Panter.Both teams shot exactly the same amount of foul shots and had the same result as both Warren County and White County went 11-of-19 for 58 percent from the charity stripe, making the statistic a non-sequitur in the contest.What did come into play, was the stifling defense posed by the Warriorettes as they started a full-court press but backed down later in the ballgame when they had a 20-point lead.Lady Pioneer Elsa Eckenrod broke double digits with 12 total points. She was the only Warren County player to get close as outside shooter Megan Patch’s long-distance shots were contained to one in the first quarter. Tall post Tyra Wright saw action again after missing time due to an ankle injury, and was the second highest scorer with 6 points.Also scoring for Warren County were Rae Anna Hodges with 5 points, Patch and Callie Cathcart hit for 3 points apiece, and Emily Mikkola, Anna Bain and Jayden Smith all scored 2 points.Hannah Leftwich headed White County’s total tally with 13 points as eight other Warriorettes aided and abetted in the winning score.The Lady Pioneers head to Cookeville on Tuesday, Jan. 31, as district play continues.
Lady Pioneer offense sputters in Sparta