The Alabama Crimson Tide could take some advice from the Warren County High School girls basketball team. The Lady Pioneers proved Saturday they can beat the Fighting Irish.
Warren County finished the Sun Drop Romp Christmas tournament on a three-game winning streak when the Lady Pioneers rallied to defeat Notre Dame 40-35 at Morrison Elementary gym.
Warren County got to the double-digit win mark Saturday, winning its 10th game in comeback style.
The Lady Pioneers trailed by five when the fourth quarter started, but sophomore Brittany Myers, junior Camerie Martin and senior Rachel Nokes brought Warren County back.
Myers sank a 3-pointer to start the final period, cutting the Notre Dame lead to 29-27. Nokes scored on a perfectly executed inbounds play on the Lady Pioneers' next possession, knotting the game at 29.
Notre Dame kept Warren County at bay by scoring five points quickly, but Martin sank a huge shot to swing the momentum to Warren County for good.
With the Lady Pioneers trailing 35-32, Martin lined up a 3-pointer from the left wing that touched nothing but net. The shot tied the game with 3:08 to play, but Warren County would never trail again. On the next possession, Nokes pulled down an offensive rebound and scored to give Warren County the lead for good.
Two late free throws by Martin, along with a freebie by Myers, sealed the deal as Warren County prevailed by five.
Assistant coach Anthony Lippe, who stood in for coach Erick Baird as he dealt with administrative issues with the Sun Drop Romp tournament, was pleased to lead the Lady Pioneers to three straight wins. Lippe credited the team's perseverance for the win.
“We just had girls that wanted to win,” Lippe said. “We were down going into the fourth quarter and they could have easily given up, but they showed a lot of character.
“We had some girls step up and take a leadership role which was a key factor.”
The game was tied at the end of the first quarter and at halftime. Myers and Martin each sank 3-pointers in the first quarter, keeping the game knotted at 12.
Bri Melton hit the team's third long-distance shot shortly before halftime to tie the game at 19.
Warren County fell behind in the third quarter, going four minutes without a basket at one point, but Myers and Martin found the range in time to rescue the Lady Pioneers.
Myers finished with 12 points to lead Warren County. Martin added eight, followed by six points from Megan Dishman.
The Lady Pioneers finished the Sun Drop Romp tournament 3-1, beating Notre Dame, Gabriel Christian and Grundy County.