It was definitely a good year for the Warren County Middle School boys basketball team.
Clinching the conference championship title after a sterling 16-0 season, the WCMS Pioneers fell in the second round of the CTC Tournament to North, 35-30, in Tullahoma on Friday.
“We had a great team, conference champs,” said WCMS coach Isaiah Phillips. “They will be the future of Warren County sports for the next four years. Adding a few more from the county schools, they will have great success moving forward.”
The Pioneers started off well against North, 17-6, at the break. Tullahoma North had a second-half rally to outscore Warren County, 25-8, enough for a five-point cushion for the victory.
Chase Simerly led the Pioneer offense with 9 points, Kaden Jordan 5, Dante Elam and Colten Krech 4 points each and C.J. Anthony hit for three points. Not playing was C J. Taylor, who has been instrumental in the team’s success this year, usually turning in the game’s high score in double digits
Micah Cooley led the scoring for North with 12 points.
As for what’s in store for next season, the Pioneers start again by building their team like their season wins this year, one game at a time.
“Looking to next year, the underclassmen have some big shoes to fill,” coach Phillips said. “We have a lot of work to do this offseason.”
The Pioneers wrapped up this year by defeating White County in a close matchup, 33-28, and by presenting some strong defense.