The Pioneers jumped out to a 12-0 lead, then survived 34 foul shots from visiting Cannon County, to capture a home victory Friday night at Charlie Dalton Gym.
Led by 17 points from Hunter Daniel and a 10-point, three-block performance from Nick Simmons, Warren County won 56-42.
It didn’t look like it would be close in the early going. Sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Daniel, the Pioneers scored the first 12 points.
But Cannon County battled back, thanks largely to points from the foul line. The Pioneers were whistled for 17 first-half fouls as Cannon County was in the bonus less than seven minutes into the game.
The Lions converted 10-of-21 first-half free throws which allowed them to stay close despite only making four field goals.
The Pioneers led 28-18 at the break.
It got tight in the third quarter with Cannon County pulling within five points twice. But that’s when Pioneer Tucker Smith put the team on his back.
Smith scored six points in the final 2:45 of the third quarter to provide some breathing room. Smith showed he could get to the lane then elevate above defenders to launch mid-range jumpers. He also made a nifty reverse layup in transition.
Hunter Adams put an exclamation point on the third quarter – and deflated Cannon County in the process – when he stole an inbounds pass with :04 left. He then dribbled to the corner and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Warren County up 47-34.
When Cannon County was forced to foul midway through the fourth, Jacob Reagan and Daniel came through in the clutch when they converted both ends of one-and-one situations to keep the lead in double digits.
Faced with adversity in the closing minutes, Cannon County self-destructed. The Lions were called for a flagrant foul on the perimeter and a technical foul on the bench to end any comeback hopes.
The win is the Pioneers second in three games after the team had endured a five-game losing streak. Warren County sweeps the season series with Cannon County, winning the two games by a combined 31 points.
Other Warren County scorers were Smith with nine, Adams with seven, Mitchell McCorkle and Jacob Reagan with four each, Kendall Rutledge with three, and Lee Carden with two.
Next up for Warren County (14-13) is a road game against Cumberland County on Tuesday.