Warriors fall to Upperman Bees in District Championship

The White County Warriors took on the Upperman Bees for the championship of the District 7AAA Basketball Tournament, on Feb. 22. It would be the third time the teams had met this season.  The first two times saw the Warriors get significant leads only to have the Bees come back for late wins.  This championship game would look very familiar to fans from both sides.

The first quarter was a low scoring affair.  The Warriors took almost three-and-a-half minutes to get on the board. Tripp Pinion would fight for a rebound and finish underneath the basket.  A big moment in the game came when Japheth Richmond went up for a rebound and was undercut by Upperman’s Clayton Harris. Richmond hit the ground hard and had to leave the game.   The Bees stole the ball on the next two Warrior possessions and scored in transition.  Thomas Paul stole the ball from the bees and got a breakaway basket of his own.  Jakeb Davis was fouled at the buzzer and was able to shoot three free throws.  The score after one was 10-8 in favor of the Warriors.

Richmond came back in the game and got a huge block. The ensuing possession ended in a Davis 3-pointer. Thomas Paul and Thomas Brock then hit back-to-back 3s. Paul had 7 points in the quarter.  The Warriors would seem to pull away only to have the Bees fight back into the game. The score at halftime was 25-20 with the Warriors leading.

The second half started off slow for both teams. The Upperman Bees tied the score at 28 apiece, with 4:38 left in the third quarter.  The Warriors would then go on a 7-0 run. Jakeb Davis and Thomas Paul took turns hitting 3s.  Paul also scored on drives to the basket.  The score going into the final quarter was 37-34, with White County leading.

The Warriors would only make three baskets in the fourth quarter. Jakeb Davis hit two 3-pointers, and Thomas Paul scored on a slicing move to the basket.  The Bees would be victorious over the Warriors yet again as they pulled off the 50-45 win. 

Jakeb Davis led the Warriors with 20 points on the night.  Thomas Paul scored 18 points.  Thomas Brock had 3 points. Japheth Richmond and Tripp Pinion had 2 points each.  Davis, Paul, and Pinion were named to the All-Tournament Team.