Catching up with Coffee County on the hardwood has been an uphill climb for the WCMS girls. Little-by-little, the Lady Pioneers have made gains, but continued to fall just short.

On Monday, against the most hostile crowd to date, Warren County finally broke through.

The Lady Pioneers made a wild rally in the final four minutes to defeat Coffee County 39-37 in a day game in Manchester. Warren County was able to celebrate its first win over its CTC rivals in nearly a decade in front of a packed crowd of Coffee County students and supporters, making the victory just a little bit sweeter.

“To say our coaching staff was proud is an understatement,” said coach Mendy Stotts. “This group pushes each other daily to become better and they know we won’t settle for less than their best effort. They are confident in themselves and their teammates.

“They understand that to be the best, they have do it every day and become better versions of themselves and better versions of Lady Pioneers. Beating them in their house is a huge win, but this group understands it is just a step towards our long-term goals.”

Addison Steakley had a breakout performance for the Lady Pioneers, including sinking two pivotal 3-pointers as Warren County outscored Coffee County 9-1 in the final minutes to win. She also hit three key free throws to keep the Lady Raiders at bay while finishing with a team-high 15 points.

Brynlee Chisam was also massive for Warren County. The bruising forward with guard skills narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds as she keyed the Lady Pioneer comeback with her effort. Audrey Oleksik’s penetration was also a huge part of the comeback as she was able to get in the lane at will late while tallying eight points, while Maci McBride and Cortlyn Porter played suffocating defense to hold Coffee County in check in the fourth quarter.

Though it took until the final minutes for Warren County to finally gain the upper hand, coach Stotts felt like it was the culmination of what began the moment the ball went into play in the third quarter.

“The game flipped after we came out of the locker room. They easy thing to do would’ve been to lay down, but that’s not this team. They are gritty and wanted it more,” said Stotts, who saw her girls come back from a 24-17 halftime deficit. “They hit the boards hard and were unselfish while working the ball around to get better shots.”

It helped that Warren County’s support and team camaraderie was able to shine through even while playing in hostile territory.

“Our bench was all in and were being loud and communicating. The atmosphere our cheerleaders, crowd and students brought to the game gave us an edge,” said Stotts. “As a coach, I’m blessed to have a team of young ladies who are winners. They’re winners on the court, winners in the classroom and winners in how they treat each other.”

Warren County (5-1) will be back in action Thursday, Nov. 17 at Cannon County. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Lady Pioneer scoring – Steakley 15, Chisam 10, Oleksik 8, McBride 4, Porter 2