Coaches change, players graduate and districts shift, but Warren County still hasn’t forgotten how to beat Shelbyville on the hardwood. The Pioneers and Lady Pioneers both picked up crucial District 9-4A victories on the road Friday, with the boys dominating the Eagles 71-45 and the WCHS girls winning a 64-59 thriller.
Shelbyville was one just two teams (Coffee County) to continue as a district rival for Warren County after the TSSAA realigned over the offseason, but the Eagles may ask to avoid the Pioneers and Lady Pioneers if their fortunes from the last three seasons don’t change. With Friday’s wins, the Pioneers have now beaten the Eagles six straight times, while the Lady Pioneers have won eight straight over Shelbyville since the teams were paired as district foes in 2021-22.
Senior Alex van Vuuren made sure the Pioneers kept grounding the Eagles Friday, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a dominant effort on the road. Van Vuuren was unstoppable from virtually everywhere as he sank five 3-pointers, went 3-for-3 from the line and commanded the paint on both sides.
Treyton Terry continued his district domination with 17 points and five assists, helping the Pioneer ascend to the top of the standings with a 3-0 record against District 9-4A teams. Devin Fish was also in double figures with 10 points.
Warren County (9-9) didn’t waste time putting Shelbyville away. The Pioneers opened the game on an 18-3 run, highlighted by four 3-pointers down the stretch to end the first quarter. Aaron Templeton hit the first, van Vuuren followed with back-to-back splashes from deep and Fish capped the commanding start with another swish from downtown for Warren County.
The Pioneers grew their lead to 32-13 by halftime and used the second half to show off their depth and give a few players time to earn bigger roles going forward. Templeton continued his rock-solid play at guard with five points, eight boards and five assist, Keyton Reno chipped in six points and four rebounds and sophomore Chance Whitlock came off the bench to grab six boards.
The blowout for the boys came after the Lady Pioneers picked up their most impressive win of the season on the road. Behind huge nights from junior Bri Taylor and sophomore Trinity Reynolds, the Lady Pioneers were able to rise up the district standings by outlasting Shelbyville late.
Taylor had 21 points, including 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Reynolds caught fire from deep on an 18-point night to lead the Lady Pioneers to victory.
A trio of 3-pointers from the two sharpshooters – Taylor hit two, Reynolds one – to open the fourth pushed the Lady Pioneers ahead 54-43 at one point, but the Eaglettes weren’t going to go away easily. Shelbyville rallied to cut the deficit to 57-55 at one point, but Miranda Medley had a key three-point play with two minutes to go to give Warren County some much needed breathing room.
The Eaglettes made one final push in the final minute, again cutting the Lady Pioneer lead to two with a three-point play of their own. After the free throw made it 61-59, Shelbyville got a steal and had two chances from close to tie the game, but both rimmed out and Taylor was able to swoop in for a key board with nine seconds to go.
She was immediately fouled and hit two free throws to put the game out of reach. Taylor would add one more with 2.7 seconds left before the Lady Pioneers were able to celebrate a huge road win over their rivals.
Warren County had the weekend to rest and prepare for its next rivalry game Tuesday. The Pioneers and Lady Pioneers are slated to make the trip to Manchester, weather permitting, to face the Red Raiders. Tip-off Tuesday is set for 6 p.m.
Lady Pioneer scoring – Taylor 21, Reynolds 18, Medley 8, Maci McBride 6, Lex Verge 6, Brinlee Griffith 3, Aubrey Oleksik 2
Pioneer scoring – van Vuuren 26, Terry 17, Fish 10, Reno 6, Templeton 5, Nathan Turner 3, Whitlock 2, Deashawn Adams 2
