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.
Simmons and Smith alternated shots from the top of the key as the junior post combined for eight straight points. Smith’s second basket, a putback off a miss, forced Coffee County to call a time-out as the Pioneers built a 21-9 lead.
The Red Raiders would score the last four points of the half to go into the locker rooms trailing 21-13.
Warren County quickly pushed the lead into the double figures when action resumed. Mitchell McCorkle and Daniel each drilled 3-pointers to start the third quarter.
The Pioneers rode the momentum of the early long-range shots to lead 35-24 entering the fourth quarter.
Things got chippy in the final eight minutes as Coffee County was clearly frustrated by the tenacious Pioneer attack.
The Red Raiders were called for an intentional foul in the fourth as one of their players shoved Reagan in the back as he attempted a layup. Coffee County was also assessed a technical foul in the final minute as a player argued a foul call.
Warren County made a living at the charity stripe in the final period as the team sank 10-of-16 shots from the free-throw line.
The Red Raiders never challenged the Pioneers down the stretch as Warren County won by 19 to win its District 6-AAA opener on the road for the second straight year.
Simmons and Smith each scored eight points for Warren County to keep its winning streak intact and improve to 12-5 overall.
The Pioneers will return to action on Tuesday night with a game against the Middle Tennessee Heat. Warren County won the previous matchup with the Heat at home 58-51 and will make the return trip to Mt. Juliet this week.
Tip-off for Tuesday’s game is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. and will follow the girls game.