The strategy when teams enter district play is to defend home court and steal wins on the road.The Warren County High School Pioneers weren’t thieves on Friday night in Coffee County, they were just better than the Red Raiders.Led by seniors Jacob Reagan and Hunter Daniel, Warren County defeated Coffee County 54-35 to open District 6-AAA play with a victory and run its winning streak to five.Reagan scored 11 points and Daniel added 10 as nine different Pioneers got into the scoring column in a blowout win in Manchester.Reagan was calm and collected on the free-throw line during the game, going 7-for-10 in the fourth quarter as Coffee County tried to extend the game by fouling.Daniel was his usual self as the senior wing came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers, grab six rebounds and dish out four assists.Daniel’s playmaking helped give Warren County an early lead. After the Pioneers were slow at the start, coach Malcolm Montgomery inserted his spark plug to get things going.Daniel answered by draining a 3-pointer to give Warren County an early 7-3 lead, then the senior used his vision and defense to make two big plays late in the quarter.Coffee County had narrowed the lead to 9-7, then trapped Daniel near midcourt with 30 seconds to play. Using his 6-foot-5 frame, Daniel was able to see over the defense and find Justin Ware alone under the basket for an easy layup.On the ensuing possession, Daniel got a late steal and raced in for a slam, but his dunk attempt was after the buzzer as Warren County led 11-7 after one.After Kendall Rutledge started the second quarter with a layup off a pass from Daniel, the post combination of Nick Simmons and Tucker Smith took over.
WCHS extends win streak to five