The Warren County girls basketball team drove up the mountain to face district opponent Stone Memorial on Tuesday night and the Lady Pioneers had redemption in mind after a tough loss in the closing seconds last Friday at home.
Stone Memorial started the game off hot, but over the course of the first half, the Warren County defense closed the lid and put the Lady Panthers on simmer and finished them off in the final quarter by a score of 54-47.
Said WCHS coach Shea Panter, “It took us a while to find our defensive flow. The last few games we struggle in the third quarter, but tonight we came out ready to take over. We fought hard and dominated the boards.”
Lady Pioneer Madison Mason, who started the game cold, quickly turned up the heat and caught fire. Mason connected on four 3-pointers and shot 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to lead all scoring with 18 points.
After trailing the Lady Panthers the first half 26-24, Warren County needed a huge defensive stand in the third quarter to head back down the mountain with a win. Warren County fought off the offense of the Lady Panthers and out-positioned them underneath, controlling the rebounding on both ends of the floor. Making the most of their opportunities and better decision making for Warren County would be vital down the stretch.
Starting the fourth quarter off tied with Stone Memorial at 40, it was all in for the Lady Pioneers and coach Panter had her teamed fired up. Mason, who just hit from long range in the third, fired right back up in the fourth connecting on her fourth 3-pointer of the game. The Lady Pioneer defense looked superb as it held Stone Memorial to only seven points in the final period.
If the Lady Pioneers did get the ball inside, the Lady Panthers made them earn it by sending Warren County to the charity stripe. After drawing the contact underneath five Lady Pioneers would combine hitting 11-of-16 shots from the free-throw line and putting the Lady Pioneers in the driver’s seat.
Brittany Myers, Saydee Winfree, Karagan Turner, Madison Mason, and Emily Scott all connected on free throws in the late stages of the game.
A superb fourth quarter from Lady Pioneer defense sealed the win for Warren County by a score of 54-47 over Stone Memorial, giving the Lady Pioneers a little bit of redemption after last Friday night.
Coach Panter added, “I was proud of our effort to get a good district win. Now we have to prepare for Cumberland County.”
The Lady Pioneers will be in action tonight versus Cumberland County at Charlie Dalton Gym with a tip-off time scheduled for 6 p.m.
LADY PIONEER SCORING – Madison Mason 18, Saydee Winfree 8, Karagan Turner 6, Marlee Smith 6, Brittany Myers 5, Allison Hitchcock 5, Elsa Eckenrod 5, Emily Scott 1
LADY PANTHERS TOP SCORERS – Bailey Rutledge 14, Abby Griffith 12, Tiffany Cokkinias 7