The WCMS Pioneers disposed of the Franklin South Trojans on Tuesday night, 56-23. The Trojan offense stumbled out of the gate and remained stagnate throughout the game.
Pioneer Micah Webster had little resistance versus the Trojan defense and he led all scorers with a game-high 16 points. He collected his 16 points in just three quarters and that allowed him to rest in the fourth.
WCMS hit the court with a win in its sights. Jerry Mrema sliced his way through the Trojan defense and picked up his first four points of the game. Ace marksman Eli Jones was right on target with two 3-pointers that hit their mark in the opening period for the Pioneers.
The ball was fed inside to Webster in the post where he banged in the paint and delivered seven of his 16 points. He earned a free-throw attempt and made good on the and-1 attempt.
The Trojan offense attempted to stay on the pace, but struggled with the tenacious Pioneer defense. The WCMS defense created confusion in the backcourt which led to several missed opportunities for Franklin South.
Five of the nine points scored by the Trojan offense were made from the free-throw line. Dylan Grimes was a perfect 3-for-3 and Dalton McHaffey shot 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. At the end of one, WCMS led 17-9.
The Pioneer offense kept the tempo in its favor and the continued to push the ball inside to Webster and picked up another pair of baskets in the paint. Carter Mansfield entered the game and immediately went to work. Mansfield delivered a deep 3-pointer when left open and then picked up two free throws after a drive to the basket left him at the free-throw line.
Franklin South maintained its pace on offense and Isaiah Sisk slipped past the defense and scored just outside the paint. WCMS held them on many attempts down the floor and after two aggressive quarters, WCMS led 27-16 at the half.
The Pioneer defense stifled the Trojan offense to start the second half. Jacob Lann got it done from inside the 3-point line and behind it. He opened up his arsenal and dropped in five points over the Trojan defense. Mrema, Mansfield, and Webster added points to help extend the Pioneer lead.
Sisk for Franklin South connected on the only 3-point shot of the third quarter. In fact it was the only shot that fell for the Trojans in the period. After three complete, WCMS led 44-19.
Brady Gross and Dante Elam got it done in the final six minutes for WCMS. They combined for 10 of the final 12 points scored by the Pioneers. Mrema added his final two points after he found an open spot on the floor and fired.
Franklin South was out of momentum and the tank was empty. The Trojans stalled out in the second half and the Pioneers defeated the Trojans, 56-23. WCMS played DeKalb County on Thursday night with results not available at press time.
PIONEER SCORING – Micah Webster 16, Carter Mansfield 9, Jerry Mrema 9, Dante Elam 7, Eli Jones 6, Jacob Lann 5, Brady Gross 3, Eli Buchanan 1
TROJAN SCORING – Dylan Grimes 10, Isaiah Sisk 5, Dalton McHaffey 4, Amare Perkins 2, Malachi Millraney 2