Spurts was a buzz word for Chris Sullens last year. He wanted to see his Pioneers dominate in short bursts, quickly piling up multiple runs that would ultimately bury opponents.
While last year’s team wanted to create point avalanches, this year’s Pioneers are embracing the boa constrictor method. Warren County slowly squeezes the life out of its opponents.
Warren County moved to 5-1 Tuesday with a 57-40 victory over Smyrna, a game which got out of hand when the Pioneers cranked up the defense after halftime.
“The team did what we asked of them at halftime defensively,” said Sullens. “We still need to improve offensively – we were loose with the ball. We responded well after halftime, especially considering being on a back-to-back against another athletic team.
“It’s always good to get wins at home.”
The Pioneers led 30-24 at halftime, but began the second half on a 12-0 run. Warren County didn’t allow Smyrna to score until 35 seconds left in the third quarter, a span where the Pioneers put the game away.
CJ Taylor started the third-quarter rally with a 3-pointer. Taylor would go on to score nine of his game-high 19 points in the period, including a contorting three-point play which gave the Pioneers a 41-26 lead.
Kason Holder took care of the last period, scoring all six of his points in the fourth as the Pioneers cruised to their fifth win.
Warren County opened a big lead in the first quarter, only to see it evaporate before halftime. Eli Jones was instant offense off the bench, splashing a corner 3 on his first touch and adding a deep, heat-check 3 with 30 seconds to play to put the Pioneers ahead 19-7.
Smyrna forced its way back in the game in the second quarter, cutting the lead down to three before Sloan Seymour sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Pioneers some momentum entering the locker room.
Seymour finished with nine points, all coming in the first half. Jones added eight, while Raven Lewandowski chipped in six.
The Pioneers made the trip to Tullahoma Thursday night, looking for revenge after being swept by the Wildcats last season. Results were unavailable at press time.
See Sunday’s edition for more details.
