Warriors win Regional Championship for first time since 2015

White County Warriors found themselves playing a familiar foe in the Region 4AAA Championship Game.  Their opponent was the Stone Memorial Panthers.  The Warriors lost the first two matchups of the season by a combined 29 points.  The third matchup came in the 7AAA District Tournament where the Warriors beat the Panthers on their home floor 50-48. 

The Warriors are playing great team basketball at the end of the season.   The White County student section was loud and proud, on March 1, as the Warriors and Panthers were set to do battle in the Hooper Eblen Center, on the campus of Tennessee Tech. The Warriors appeared to save their best performance of the season for the championship game.  They were dominant on both ends of the court. 

The Warrior defense was especially strong.  Jakeb Davis was tasked with slowing down 7AAA district player of the year Matthew Bilbrey.  Davis was in Bilbrey’s face all night long.  He would guard him 90 feet from the basket with an intensity that seemed to throw the star player off his game.  Davis’s teammates were just as committed to playing hard all over the court.

The Warriors came out at the beginning of the game and played with passion and a determination that wouldn’t be denied.  Thomas Paul scored on a drive to the basket. Tripp Pinion continued his excellent play by blowing by defenders and getting to the basket for repeated layups.  Thomas Brock and Davis hit long distance bombs.  Japheth Richmond battled in the paint securing rebounds and scoring.  Pinion hit a dagger of a 3 at the first quarter buzzer, and the Warriors led 19-8.

Brock got the second quarter started with another long 3-pointer. Guards Pinion and Christian Henderson put on a clinic on driving the ball to the hoop for a stretch of the second quarter.  Pinion made his way down the lane, spinning and ducking, twisting, and turning and scoring with both his left and right hand. Henderson saw an opening and sprinted to the basket so quickly that the Panthers couldn’t respond.  The Warrior defense held the highly-ranked Panthers to just 16 points in the first half.  The score at the break was 30-16 in favor of the Warriors.

The Warriors have had a bad habit this season of giving up large leads.  They came out determined in the third quarter to not let that happen again.  Pinion scored the first two baskets for the Warriors in the second half. Davis made a huge play in the game as he nailed a 3-pointer while being fouled.  He made the free throw for a 4-point play. The Warriors continued to pull away. The Stone Memorial fans seemed to be in shock.  Davis and Brock hit more deep 3’s. Paul grabbed rebounds and scored close to the basket.  The score after three quarters was 46-24.

Henderson scored to start the fourth quarter.  The Warriors then stole the ball from the Panthers and found Richmond racing down the court for a rim-rattling dunk.  Frustration began to build for Panthers.  Their coach received a technical foul that led to more points for the Warriors.   The Panthers kept playing hard and scored as many points in the fourth quarter as they had in the previous three.  The Warriors kept scoring as well. They never let their foot of the gas. Paul took care of much of the scoring in the final quarter as he poured in 11 points.  The fans went crazy as the seconds ticked away.  The Warriors were champions.  They will host Austin East, March 6, 2023, in Roy Sewell Gymnasium, with a chance to make their way to the State Tournament, in Murfreesboro.

Pinion led the Warriors with 20 points. Davis scored 16 points, and Paul scored 15 on the evening.  Brock had 9 points. Richmond scored 6 points, and Henderson had 4 points.  Davis, Brock, Richmond, and Paul all made the Regional Tournament Team.  Pinion was named the Tournament MVP.