Growing up in Dibrell, senior Lauren Wilkinson lived much closer to DeKalb County High School than Warren County High School.The proximity to the Lady Tigers gave Wilkinson added incentive to make sure she won one game in their gym before graduating.In her final game at DeKalb County, Wilkinson scored 29 points, including hitting a game-winning shot with 8.4 seconds left, to help the Lady Pioneers win 42-41.Wilkinson couldn’t imagine having her best game against anybody else than her rival right across the Warren County border.“I didn’t want to graduate without beating DeKalb County in their gym,” said Wilkinson. “When the last shot fell through, I was so excited. I hadn’t hit a game-winning shot since my freshman year against Lebanon.”Wilkinson gave Warren County its first lead of the fourth quarter when she went coast-to-coast for a layup with 40.1 seconds to play.DeKalb County answered back by hitting a jumper on its ensuing possession, leaving Lady Pioneer coach Erick Baird to decide between calling a time-out to set up a final play or letting the game continue.Coach Baird called a time-out and drew up a play to find Wilkinson in the post.
Lady Pioneers slip by DeKalb County