Being home for the holidays will be much more pleasant for the Lady Pioneers after back-to-back wins.
After falling in the opening round of the Sonic Shootout tournament, Warren County bounced back to beat Sequatchie County 54-45 Thursday before drilling the Western Kentucky Trailblazers 76-25 Friday for fifth in the Sparta event.
It was just the second time the Lady Pioneers, now 7-9, have won two in a row and it couldn’t have come at a better time according to coach Shea Panter.
“It’s nice to have two wins going into the break,” said Panter. “We had some people step up in key moments against Sequatchie County to get the win. Friday was a good team win. Everyone got some playing time and we won big. It sends us to Christmas with good vibes.”
Grace Rains came up big once again for the Lady Pioneers Thursday, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to push her team past the Lady Indians. Tyra Wright also finished with a double-double, going for 13 points and 13 rebounds as Warren County put its size advantage to use.
Rains and Wright took turns bludgeoning Sequatchie County in the paint through three quarters, but it was an outside shot which served as the final nail.
Megan Patch drilled a huge 3-pointer midway in the fourth quarter, effectively knocking out the Lady Indians. It was part of an eight-point effort from the senior, who scored six in the final two minutes.
Caylie Sherrell also scored eight points, including four crucial free throws down the stretch.
The competition eased up in the battle for fifth place. Warren County put Western Kentucky away before halftime, scoring 25 points in the second quarter to build a 37-13 lead going into the locker rooms.
Everything was working for the Lady Pioneers against the Trailblazers. Wright scored with ease around the rim, dropping a game-high 14 points in the first half before watching most of the second half.
Hallie Pennington got cooking offensively, using her slashing ability to connect on a floater when Western Kentucky turned its attention to Warren County’s big post. Pennington also showed her range, connecting on a 3-pointer to open the second half.
Pennington would finish with a season-high 13 points.
Sophomore Kam Nowlin added a career-high 11 points, seven coming in the fourth quarter. Bri Young and Caylie Sherrell added seven points each, while freshman Jaden Smartt and Brielee Kelsey scored six apiece.
Freshman Lia Wright added a career milestone late, connecting on a free throw for her first varsity point.
Warren County will take next week off before returning to action Thursday, Jan. 3 with a home game against Coffee County.
