Warriors finish second, Warriorettes take third

On Feb. 22, the Warriorettes competed with Warren County for third place in the district. The first quarter was close, but Sparta pulled away and won big.

The Warriorettes won the tip and were very patient on the possession. At 7:24, Mia Murray started off the game sinking a 3, continuing to score the first 7 points. Ten seconds later, the Lady Pioneers made it down the floor and scored their first 2 points. On the other end, Murray drove in and made a floater. Warren got an offensive rebound, but the shot was block by Alaina Stiles. Going the other way with it, Murray scored 2 more points. The Lady Pioneers’ Perkins scored 2 points for them. Just under six minutes, Gracie Dodgen drained a 3. Twelve seconds later, Murray stole the ball and passed to Stiles who was fouled. She went to the line and made both of her shots, putting the Warriorettes ahead 12-4.

At 5:30, Perkins was fouled and went 2/2 from the line for Warren. The Warriorettes missed their shot, so the Lady Pioneers went their way with it. The ball was hit out of bounds, but Warren still had the inbound. They passed it in to Perkins who was fouled as she made the shot and completed her free throw as well. The Warriorettes struggled to convert another possession and Warren made another basket to cut the score 12-11 White County. A foul on the Lady Pioneers gave the Warriorettes the ball inbound. Murray got the ball and went up but was fouled. She went 2/2. For about a minute, both teams traded possessions. Warren scored a layup and then later went 1/2 from the line. This tied the game at 14 with 2:03 left. Another Warren County foul resulted in a completed And1 from Nia Powers. At 1:17, Powers was fouled and went to the line shooting one-and-one. She made the first and second shot. Warren turned the ball over and Morgan Quick took advantage and made a 3. The Lady Pioneers called a timeout with 46.9 seconds left. Neither team scored the rest of the quarter. The Warriorettes led 22-14 and wouldn’t look back.

The Lady Pioneers possessed the ball to start the second quarter. The Warriorettes fouled and sent them to the line, but they couldn’t knock them down. Stiles grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled going back up, but she missed both free throws as well. At 7:27, Powers was fouled again and sent for one-and-one. She made the first but missed the second. On the rebound, Warren’s Shelby Smartt took the ball all the way for 2. On the other end, Celeste Reed got an offensive rebound and was fouled going up. She made both free throws. The Warriorettes were up 25-16 and sent Warren to the line for one-and-one, but they missed their first shot. Around 6:20, Sparta inbounded the ball. Warren tried to save a pass going out of bounds but ended up rolling it to Powers who then drove it and dished it off to Dodgen for a layup. Dodgen was fouled as she made the bucket and went to the line and got the extra point. Twenty seconds later, Perkins drove to the rim and drew a foul; she made 1/2 for Warren. After that, Warren continued to make four more points and then got a three-second call.

As the Warriorettes brought the ball down, it entered to Reed, and she kicked it out to Powers for 3. Warren County called a timeout, with 3:02 left in the half as Sparta led 34-21. After the timeout, Perkins made her basket and was fouled, making her free throw as well. Around 2:29, Powers was fouled and went 2/2. Powers grabbed a defensive rebound and passed it up to Murray who then dumped it to Reed for 2. Warren scored the next 4 points, and Quick nailed a 3 with 30 seconds left, which ended the quarter. White County stayed up 41-28.

The Lady Pioneers got the ball to start the third but missed their scoring opportunity. Quick sank another 3. On the other end, Warren’s Perkins was fouled and went 2/2 from the line. Powers made a layup and right after so did Warren’s Perkins. Around 4:54, Powers was posted and had an open seal. The ball was entered to her, and she went up and finished. Fifteen seconds later, Perkins was fouled again but went 1/2-Warren then called a timeout. After the timeout, Dodgen hit back-to- back 3s. Perkins would then score 2 more for Warren. Addison Frazier took part in a give-and-go with Powers. Frazier made the layup. A foul at 2:12 sent the Lady Pioneers to the line, where Smartt went 0/2. Stiles drained a 3, Warren scored 2, and Murray also drained a 3, causing Warren to take another timeout. Under a minute left and the Warriorettes led 62-37. A few traded possessions and Dodgen made a layup with 2.3 seconds left. The Warriorettes led 64-37 going into the fourth.

Warren had the ball but missed and ended up fouling Reed. She went to the line and made both free throws. Warren turned it over and Murray drove all the way to the lane and then dumped it off to Reed for 2. Perkins scored two more for the Lady Pioneers but Powers gave it right back with 2. Sparta had a 70-39 lead. A few possessions passed and Murray scored 2. On the next play, Murray grabbed the board and advanced it to Dodgen for a quick transition layup. Warren called their last timeout at 5:16 as Sparta had them beaten 74-39. After the timeout, Smartt scored 2 for Warren and so did two other Lady Pioneers. Murray also scored 2 right around four minutes. K.K. McDonald stepped in and sank a 3 just under the three-minute mark. The Lady Pioneers had two more scoring opportunities but missed one, and the other was blocked by Andi Haston. With 23 seconds left, Nautica Brown was fouled and went 2/2 at the line, finishing out the game for the Warriorettes with an 81-45 win for third place.

The Warriorettes will travel to McMinn County Friday night to play in the first round of regions.

The White County High School Warriors traveled to Warren County, on Feb. 23, 2021, to compete in the district championship game.

Warren County won the tip but missed their first shot. The Warriors tipped the ball out of bounds and gave the Pioneers the ball back. The Pioneers’ Cummings was fouled and went 2/2 from the line to start the game. On the other end, a foul was called, and the Warriors had the inbound; Jake Davis sank a 3. Cummings got an offensive put back for the Pioneers. Two minutes in, Tanner Paul caught the ball in the corner and drove it in for 2. Soon after, Grant Slatten was dribbling down, lost control of the ball, got it back, and hit Tanner Paul for 2. A Warren inbound allowed C.J. Taylor to make a 3, tying the score at 7. At 4:43, Slatten made his shot and got fouled. He went to the line and completed his And1. The Pioneers hit the ball out of bounds, and Davis drained another 3 off the inbound. The Pioneers scored the next four points. Japheth Richmond blocked a shot and advanced it to Slatten, who then gave it back to Richmond, and he dumped it off to Tanner Paul. With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Warren’s Taylor made a 3, but Daniel Gentry answered back with one, too. The Pioneers scored 4 more points before the quarter ended and tied it up at 18.

In the second quarter, Sparta possessed the ball and missed the shot. Warren got the ball but missed their shot as well. Sparta got it back and turned it over. Warren scored and got fouled-shot and made the free throw. The Warriors didn’t score until 4:10 in the second, but the Pioneers scored 9. Tanner Paul scored two and made the first points of the second quarter for the Warriors. Warren went to the other end, and Taylor completed an And1. This allowed the Pioneers to take a 10-point lead. A foul from the Pioneers allowed Gentry to score 2 off an inbound play. Around the three-minute mark, Warren turned the ball over and fouled. The Warriors had a one-and-one opportunity but missed the first free throw. A minute later, Slatten drove to the rim for 2. After that, Warren scored back-to-back. The Warriors were fouled and sent to the line for another one-and-one opportunity but missed the first again. With 20 seconds left in the half, Slatten made a jumper. Warren’s Taylor made a 3 on the other end, but was then called for a technical foul. Slatten shot the free throws and made them both, with 0.5 seconds on the clock. The Warriors trailed 28-39 as they headed into the locker room.

Warren had the ball to start the third and scored 2. A minute in, Tanner Paul drained a 3. Warren scored 2 more, and Slatten got fouled and went 2/2 from the line. Both teams traded possessions and turnovers. Around 4:46, Tanner stole the ball and gave it to Slatten for 2. Twenty seconds later, Taylor made a bucket for the Pioneers and also got fouled, making his free throw for the And1. Tanner Paul got another steal and passed it to Slatten, who was fouled and made both of his free throws. The Warriors still trailed 37-46. With 2:48 remaining, Taylor scored 2 more for the Pioneers. After a few questionable calls, Davis took a charge to get the ball back for the Warriors. Slatten was fouled after the inbound and went 2/2 from the foul line. Warren had the opportunity for a one-and-one but missed the first one. Richmond grabbed the rebound and passed it to Tanner. The ball then made its way back to Richmond who made a 3, but the officials deemed the shot after the buzzer. The Warriors still trailed 39-48.

Sparta started with the ball beginning the fourth quarter. They missed two shots right off the bat. Slatten knocked the ball loose and dove on the floor after it. As soon as he threw it up to Tanner Paul, a timeout was called, but it didn’t seem to have come from the coach. The Warriors got the ball back on an inbound and Tanner Paul was fouled, making 1/2. This cut Warren’s lead by 8, but then the Pioneers were fouled and made both of their free throws, taking the lead back to 10. The Warriors hit the ball out of bounds and Warren scored 2 off their inbound play. On the other end, Davis drained another 3 around 6:17. Twenty seconds later, Cummings completed an And1 for the Pioneers. Soon after, Slatten stole the ball and laid it up. The Warriors had another one-and-one opportunity but missed the front end of it. The Pioneers got fouled and made both of their one-and-one shots. Warren called a timeout with 5:11 to go and up 56-45. Sparta turned the ball over, and Warren went down and made a 3. Right after, Thomas Paul drained a 3 as well. With 3:43 left, Warren’s Cummings scored 2, and Sparta called a timeout. After the timeout, Slatten scored 2. Warren went to the other end and shot a layup. The Warriors scored the next five points – Tanner Paul stripped a 3, and Slatten stole it and got fouled, going 2/2 from the line. Warren scored 2 points at 2:20. Davis stripped a 3 ten seconds later. The score was 58-65 in the Pioneers’ favor. Right at two minutes, the Warriors fouled and sent the Pioneers to the line. Both shots were made and Warren called a timeout. After a few offensive rebounds, Slatten was fouled and went 1/2. At 1:05, Warren went to the line as well and made 1/2, then called a timeout. Sparta had the ball, with 1:05 left in the game, and was down 59-68. Slatten scored 2. The Pioneers tried to throw the ball in but got a five-second call. The Warriors had the ball back, and Tanner Paul laid it up. Sparta called a timeout as they trailed 63-68, with 46 seconds to go. Ten seconds later, Slatten stole the ball and went for 2. It was now a 3-point game, 65-68. Warren County held the ball, so the Warriors had to foul. The Pioneers went 5/6 from the line in the last 20 seconds of the game, winning 73-65. The Warriors placed second, and they will play at home, on Saturday, versus Walker Valley, at 7 p.m., for the first round of region play.

Slatten: 28pt-5ast-6stl-9rebs-1blk

Ta.Paul: 17pt-6ast-3stl-7rebs

Davis: 12pt-2ast-1reb-1chg

Gentry: 5pt-1reb

Th.Paul: 3pt-1reb

Richmond: 1ast-2rebs-1blk

Stephens: 1stl-1reb

Brock: 1reb