White County Warriors by virtue of their runner-up finish in the 7AAA district tournament earned the right to host a game at Roy Sewell Gymnasium, on Feb. 25. Their opponent was Marshall County Tigers. The Tigers came in as the three seed of the 8AAA district. The boys from Marshall County came into the game with a 16-14 record. The Tigers are a very athletic pressing team that likes to speed the game up. The Warriors came in with a 20-11 record and had won six of their last seven ballgames.
The Warriors came out in the first quarter and played with intensity and focus. Jakeb Davis got the scoring going for the Warriors with a “nothing but net” 3-pointer. The Warriors were intentional about getting the ball into the post to Japheth Richmond. Richmond had a definite size advantage, and he used it to perfection. Richmond scored 6 out of 8 points during a stretch of the quarter as the Warriors built a healthy lead. As the Tigers’ defenders worried about the outside shooting of the Warriors, the middle of the court opened up and Tripp Pinion took advantage, driving the ball to the basket for layups. Pinion put a spin move on a Tigers’ defender that had the young man from Lewisburg grasping at air and the Warrior fans on their feet. Davis hit another deep 3 before the end of the quarter, and the Warriors were off to a great start, leading 26-13 after one quarter of play.
The second quarter of play saw the Warriors maintain their lead. Thomas Paul made a beautiful move to the basket and finished with his left hand. Tripp Pinion continued his wizardry with the basketball, dribbling around multiple Tigers and either finishing at the basket or dishing the ball off to teammates. Richmond showed his range by nailing a 3-pointer before the half. The lead for the Warriors at the break was 40-26.
The Warriors came out of the break and kept rolling. Richmond hit another 3-pointer. Thomas Paul had his best quarter in the third, scoring 9 points. Richmond was a dominant force. He threw down two dunks in the quarter that rattled the rim and the visiting team. Thomas Brock and Jakeb Davis both hit 3-pointers in the quarter, and the lead for the Warriors grew to 15 points. The score after three quarters was 64-49 in favor of the Warriors.
The Warriors got a little sloppy with the ball and a bit lackadaisical on the defensive side of the court in the final quarter. The Tigers fought to the end and began to make a small run as they knocked down several 3s. The Tigers got the deficit to just 11 points before the Warriors pulled away in the end. The final score of the game was 78-62.
Japheth Richmond had a monster game with 26 points, nine rebound, and seven blocks. Richmond shot 80 percent from the field on the evening. Thomas Paul added 15 points and six rebounds. Tripp Pinion spun his way to 14 points. Jakeb Davis was 4/5 from 3-point range for 12 points. Christian Henderson added 8 points. Thomas Brock rounded out the scoring with 3 points.
The Warriors advanced to play the first seed out of district 8AAA, Lawrence County.
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