White County High School basketball teams traveled to Warren County to start their district play, on Jan. 12, 2021.
The Warriorettes tipped off with the Lady Pioneer to start off the night. White County got the tip and Mia Murray opened up with a jumper within the first five seconds. Warren County drives but gets blocked by Morgan Quick. The Warriorettes go to the other end and Addison Frazier assisted Quick with a 3 in transition.
Warren and White counties traded possessions and turnovers. An offensive foul was called on Warren, and White County took advantage of it; Alaina Stiles cut, and scored a layup. This forced a Warren County timeout. At the 5:40 mark, the score was 7-0 White County.
After the timeout, Warren County’s Shelby Smartt drove the lane and hit a floater. Two fouls on the Lady Pioneers led to an inbound basket by Alaina Stiles. Warren’s Mia Hobbs is assisted on the other end for 3. At 4:50, Warren County’s Hobbs drove in and was blocked by Stiles, but Warren County got the offensive rebound for their first two points on the board. The Warriorettes moved the ball and found Gracie Dodgen in the corner for 3. Warren County turned it over, and White County’s Quick drained a three: score was 15-7.
Stiles drove the lane and kicked to Murray for 2. White County led 17-7, with 1:36 to go in the opening quarter. The Lady Pioneers had trouble converting their possessions to points. The Warriorettes scored the next five points. Stiles found Nia Powers backdoor for 2. Frazier then brought the ball down and hit Quick in the corner for 3. Warren County shot from the block, and a foul was called at the buzzer. The Lady Pioneers went 2/2 at the line. The end of the first period the score was 22-9 White County.
Warren County possessed the ball beginning the second. The Lady Pioneers’ S. Smartt was fouled, and Warren County inbounded it but could not convert. The Warriorettes took the ball to the other end, got the ball inside, but then kicked it out to Dodgen for 3. Warren County turned the ball over, and White County’s Murray drove it all the way until the defense picked her up, and she kicked it to Stiles for 2.
With 5:59 remaining, White County’s Reed fouled a Lady Pioneer where the ball was placed on the sideline. Warren County couldn’t get a shot to fall, so White County’s Dodgen dribbled down and moved the ball so Powers could go up and get fouled 1/2. Stiles stole the ball and euro-stepped to Murray. Warren County bounced back with a 3 by Perkins to make the score 30-12. Perkins also stole the ball the next trip down and was fouled on the way up making 1/2. The score was 30-13, with 4:42 remaining in the half.
White County’s Stiles got the ball inside and went up getting fouled 1/2. Warren’s Winfree knocked a 3 down. The next possession, Quick used a baseline drive to get the ball to Dodgen for a corner 3. Around the four-minute mark, Stiles blocked a Lady Pioneer shot and Dodgen dribbled down and was fouled on her own rebound. She made both, making the score 35-16. Smartt split White County’s defense and passed to a teammate for 3. White County’s Dodgen missed a 3 on the other end, but Powers got the offensive rebound and put it back for 2.
Warren County’s Cantrell got back-to-back offensive putbacks to change the score to 38-23. White County’s Powers made the next four points and would also finish with a double-double (13pts, 10rebs). She went up for two and then made both free throws for a one-and-one. Warren County moved the ball around and finally got a foul called. Hobbs made the first of the one-and-one but missed the second.
Both teams hit a scoring lull, in which the next point wouldn’t be scored for almost two minutes. A Lady Pioneer knocked down a pair of free throws, and the White County’s Dodgen hit a 3 off of the sideline inbound, with three seconds in the half. The Warriorettes led 45-26 at the half.
Warren County did not give up. Smartt opened the third quarter with a 3. About a minute later, Campbell hit a backside layup. Two minutes in, White County’s Stiles grabbed an offensive rebound and put it up for 2. Another scoring lull arrived for both teams. Warren County’s Campbell broke this lull with another layup. The Warriorettes’ Dodgen scored a layup courtesy of a steal by Murray. The score was 49-33, with 3:41 left in the third.
A few missed shots and White County’s Reed got an offensive rebound fouled going up. She made 1/2. Warren’s J. Smartt was also fouled and went 1/2. White County’s Frazier assisted Powers in getting fouled and knocking down both. Warren County drove, and Reed blocked it, but they scored off of their inbound play; 52-36. With less than two minutes, White County’s Dodgen drained a 3. Winfree did the same on the other end. Murray made a short jumper with a little more than twenty-five seconds left. The Lady Pioneers stole the ball but missed a shot at the buzzer. The end of third the score was 57-39.
White County missed the first shot of the fourth quarter. Warren County called a timeout, but after Stiles found Dodgen down the floor for a 2. Around the six-minute mark, White County’s Murray knocked down a 3 to put the Warriorettes up 62-39. A few possessions later, White County’s Quick knocked down a three as well. Warren’s S. Smartt drove for 2. White County’s Dodgen and Powers went 2-on-1 and landed Powers a bucket. Warren County had a few offensive rebounds but could not make the shot. On the other end, Quick drained a long 3, which increased the score 70-41. The Lady Pioneers made a quick bucket, but 3s by Dodgen and Haston gave White County a 33-point lead.
Warren County made four more points in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. Nautica Brown stole the ball which allowed Taylor Rittenberry to get fouled and complete 1/2 free throws. Lexi Golden entered the game and hit back to back 3s. This sealed the game at 83-47 for the Warriorettes’ convincing win.
Dodgen: 24pt-3ast-3rebs
Quick: 15pt-2ast-2rebs
Powers: 13pt-5ast-10rebs
Murray: 11pt-4ast
Stiles: 7pt-4ast-4rebs
Frazier: 5ast-5rebs
Golden: 6pt
Reed: 3pt-1ast-3rebs
Haston: 3pt
Rittenberry: 1pt-1ast-2rebs
McDonald: 1ast
Gentry: 1reb
The Warriors opened the tip up with a 3 from Grant Slatten, but the Pioneers’ C.J. Taylor answered back with a 2. After quite a bit of ball movement, Gentry ended up with the ball in his hands and fired a 3. Taylor made another 2 on his end. Slatten dribbled down the floor and hit a quick jumper. Both teams traded baskets for the entire first and majority of the game.
About two minutes in, a Warrior trap led to possession but missed the shot. Down the court, Warren’s Aiden Cummings was found down low for 2. White County’s Slatten brought the ball down and stripped a jumper but missed the free throw for an And1. The score was 10-6 in the Warriors’ favor, with less than five minutes in the first.
Warren County rebounded the missed free throw, went for a drive, and dumped it off to Cummings. He was fouled going up and completed 1/2. Around the four-minute mark, White County’s Tanner Paul blocked a shot into the front row. The Warriors also forced a turnover on that same possession that allowed Slatten to take it all the way for a layup. Another Warren County turnover called for a timeout. The Pioneer’s Taylor was fouled as he was going for a reverse layup. He made the basket and completed his And1.
After a missed Warrior basket, the Pioneers’ Rutledge nailed a 3, which allowed them to take the lead of 13-12. Their one-point lead didn’t last long. Gentry went to the opposite wing and knocked down a 3. The Pioneers drove to the basket but missed the first shot. It was then tipped in by Taylor to tie it at 15. With less than two minutes, Warren County called a timeout during a scramble on the floor. Warren had the inbound, but Kade Clark stepped up and took a charge, giving the ball back to the Warriors. Slatten hit a 3, but Warren’s Spates fired a 3 as well. The score was tied at 18 to end the first.
Warren County started off the second with a 3. Tanner Paul found Clark wide open on the backside for 2. A Pioneer was fouled and made one free throw. On the second, the Warriors traveled down the floor, and Clark recovered an offensive rebound and kicked to Tanner Paul for 2. Warren scored the next six points, four of which were Taylors. They take a six-point lead, which was their biggest of the night. With 4:21 left in the half, Slatten went up and got fouled. He made both free throws. White County called a timeout. After the timeout, Thomas Paul hit a layup. The Pioneers turned the ball over, so the Warriors took it to the other end, and Jake Davis nailed a 3. Warren made another layup around the 1:30 mark, but wouldn’t score the rest of the half. Slatten scored the next, and last, nine points of the half. The score was 38-30 in the Warriors favor going into halftime.
The third quarter started out slow. The first basket was from the Pioneers for 2 at 6:44. Twenty seconds later, White County’s Slatten rose up inside the paint for 2. Another 20 seconds pass, and Warren County’s Taylor scored an offensive put back. Another lull of trading possessions, and a few turnovers ended at 4:09 when White County’s Tanner Paul drove baseline for 2. Warren County’s Taylor, again, scored 2. The score was now 42-36, belonging to the Warriors. Tanner Paul drove baseline again but kicked it to his brother, Thomas Paul, for a 3. After a couple of turnovers, the ball was in Taylor’s hands again and drove all the way for 2. White County’s Slatten got to the middle with less than 30 seconds left in the third and made it. Warren County tried to get a shot off before the buzzer, but it wouldn’t fall. 49-38 Sparta was the score going into the fourth.
Warren County gave Sparta a run for their money in the last quarter of the game. The Pioneers jumped out with a 2, only trailing by 9. White County’s Slatten went to the rim for his 29th point of the game. The next possession, Slatten passed to Clark for a layup. With 5:40 remaining, Warren County’s Cummings powered up a 2. White County called a timeout, and, on the inbound, Clark scored 2. Warren County had the inbound on the sideline. They found Spates come off a screen to the corner for a 3. A missed shot from Sparta let Warren County take it to the other end for 2. Sparta called another timeout. White County had the ball, but Warren County stole it, and Taylor was fouled with a counted basket but missed his free throw. White County’s Slatten got fouled down the floor and made 1/2. Warren’s Cummings got an offensive rebound and put it back to cut the game to a five-point difference. This forced another Sparta timeout. The Warriors tried to move the ball around, but Slatten was fouled and sent to the line 2/2. Warren County scored a basket, with just under two minutes left in the game. Warren County tried to press, but White County broke it. Warren County had a chance to hit four free throws in the last minute of the game but missed all four; however, White County’s Slatten went 6/6.
The Warriors won 64-53, grabbing their first district win.
Slatten: 38pt-3ast-2stl
Clark: 6pt-5ast-1stl-6rebs
Ta.Paul: 6pt-4ast-5rebs-2blks
Gentry: 6pt-1reb
Th.Paul: 5pt-1reb
Davis: 3pt-4ast-2stl-2rebs
Richmond: 1reb
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