Seeing Lady Pioneer senior Jessie Newby standing well away from the action when the team’s game began Tuesday night against Rhea County said it all. Without their team leader, it was going to be a long night for the Warren County High School girls basketball team against the visiting Lady Eagles.
Playing without Newby, the Lady Pioneers fell 48-25 on Senior Night and continued a six-game losing streak in District 6-AAA play.
Warren County (15-12) received the bad news Monday that Newby, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, would miss the rest of the season due to an elbow injury she sustained last week against White County. Newby had already been playing with a foot injury, but the second ailment was too much to overcome for the team’s tenacious post player.
Coach Erick Baird decided to suit up Newby one final time as she took the court with fellow seniors Camerie Martin and Lexy Holmes to start Senior Night, but the Lady Pioneers fouled shortly after tip-off to allow Newby to leave the court.
Without Newby, and playing with several other players who were banged up and sick, Warren County was no match for the skilled Lady Eagles. Rhea County held Warren County to three points in the first quarter – courtesy of a 3-pointer by junior Brittany Myers – and would lead 16-10 at halftime.
The outside shot was the Lady Pioneers’ primary weapon early as Myers and Martin hit 3-pointers while sophomore Allison Hitchcock scored four first-half points.
Rhea County pulled away in the third quarter by outscoring the Lady Pioneers 15-5. Martin scored all Warren County’s points, including hitting her second 3-pointer late in the period to make it 31-15 entering the fourth quarter.
Holmes got on the board late in the final period to delight the home crowd rooting for the seniors, but it wasn’t much consolation as the Lady Pioneers fell to 1-7 in district play after the 23-point loss. Rhea County improved to 6-3 in district and 19-6 overall with the win.
Martin finished with a game-high 10 points for the Lady Pioneers. Hitchcock followed with six while Myers added five. Marlee Smith scored all three of her points in the fourth quarter.