For the second time in a week, the WCMS Pioneer basketball team is playing for a tournament championship.

The Pioneers earned a 37-29 win over Whithorne on Wednesday in Coffee County to advance to the finals of the Area Tournament.

Warren County will face Shelbyville for the Area Tournament championship on Friday at 6:15 p.m. at Coffee County Middle School.

Against Whithorne, a scrappy team from Columbia, the Pioneers were led by Carter Simpson with 19 points. Simpson had an all-around strong game with two 3-pointers and he shot 75% from the foul line, making 3-of-4.

WCMS barely outscored Whithorne in every quarter to account for the eightpoint margin.

Keyton Reno played big for the Pioneers at crunch time. He scored 6 points in the fourth quarter to ensure there wouldn’t be a late-game comeback.

The win advances the Pioneers to their fourth matchup against Shelbyville Harris. Warren County has won all three previous meetings, including two close calls.

The Pioneers beat Shelbyville 29-28 in the CTC Tournament on Saturday. Shelbyville has an athletic team so it should make for an exciting championship.

WCMS – Carter Simpson 19, Hector Marquez 8, Keyton Reno 8, DeShawn Adams 2 WHITHORNE – Isaiah Humes 10, Jeremiah Vaughn 7, R.J. White 6, Kaimaun Long 4, Richard Powers 2