WCHS grabs road win

The Warriors and Warriorettes traveled to Rhea County, on Jan. 22, for their third district game. Both teams brought home big wins.

The Warriorettes got the tip but didn’t score until 6:25 as Gracie Dodgen made a layup in transition. Thirty seconds later, Morgan Quick popped a 3. The Warriorettes got up 5-0, and Rhea called a timeout. After the timeout, Rhea fouled, and Sparta had the ball under the goal. Mia Murray was left wide open on the backside. Murray also stole the ball from the Lady Eagles and advanced it up to Dodgen for another transition layup. Halfway through the first, the Lady Eagles scored their first points being a two-pointer. Around 3:39, Alaina Stiles blocked a shot, advanced it to Addison Frazier, who then passed it to Murray for 2. Stiles turned around and got a steal. This time, she threw it up to Dodgen for another transition layup. This put the Warriorettes up 13-2, with just under three minutes left in the first. Rhea got an offensive put back to give them four points on the board. Stiles grabbed an offensive rebound and got fouled going up. She went to the line and made 1/2. Stiles also fouled on the other end, and Rhea hit both. About a minute later, Stiles grabbed a rebound, dribbled down the floor, and passed to Nia Powers for 2. Rhea hit a 3, but that was the last they scored in the first. Murray made a jumper from the middle of the paint off an inbound, and Dodgen drained a 3 at the buzzer. After the first, the score was 21-9 White County.

The Lady Eagles were sent to the line at the beginning of the second. They hit both free throws and turned right around and made a 3 to cut the difference to seven. Celeste Reed got an offensive rebound and passed to Powers, who then completed an And1. Rhea made the next six points, and the Warriorettes made a layup and a free throw. At 5:24, the score was 27-20. Both teams traded possessions. Murray got her own rebound twice and finished the third shot. Rhea made another three, but, 30 seconds later, Dodgen stole the ball and laid it up. White County got the ball back when Rhea fouled. Murray made a post move and finished her shot, allowing the Warriorettes to lead 33-23. With less than two minutes, Rhea made a three and then finished both shots of a one-and-one. Rhea made another basket, but Dodgen and Stiles both hit 3s to close out the half at 39-30.

Both teams had back-to-back turnovers starting the third. At 6:45, Rhea was fouled and made 1/2. Murray was also fouled and went 1/2 from the line. Soon after, Dodgen hit a 3. Rhea made a 3 on the other end. Murray made a floater off an inbound play to increase the score 45-34. The Warriorettes made the next seven; Dodgen hit a pair of free throws, Powers made a layup, and Murray sank a 3. Halfway through the third, Rhea got the ball on the sideline and made a 3 when the ball came in. Rhea scored one more time, a 3, before the quarter ended. With three minutes left, Dodgen had blocked a shot and went 2-on-1 with Powers who finished the layup. Powers also finished an offensive put back. Quick stole the ball and passed to Reed who completed her And1. Rhea turned the ball over and fouled Murray. She made both before going into the fourth. Despite their best efforts, Rhea could not stop the Warriorettes and trailed at the end of the third, 63-40.

The Lady Eagles possessed the ball going into the last quarter of the game but turned it over. Murray finished an offensive rebound on the other end of the floor. Rhea also finished an offensive rebound right after. Powers made the next four points: a layup and then two free throws from running the floor. Rhea went 1/2 from the line, but Dodgen went down the floor and sank a 3. The Lady Eagles missed a scoring opportunity, and Lexi Golden came in and capitalized by making a 3 of her own. Right under four minutes, K.B. Frasier stole the ball and laid it up. Taylor Rittenberry tipped the ball, Golden went the other way with it, and Nautica Brown was fouled going up, making 1/2. Golden stole the ball and advanced it to Andi Haston who got fouled and made 1/2. Another Rhea County turnover gave White County the ball. Karley Gentry came in and nailed a 3. Reed was fouled and went 2/2, closing out the game 84-43. Murray finished with a double-double.

Dodgen: 22pt-1ast-2stl-2rebs

Murray: 18pt-3ast-3stl-10rebs

Powers: 18pt-2stl-6rebs

Frazier: 10ast-7rebs

Reed: 7pt-1stl-4rebs

Stiles: 6pt-4ast-2stl-4rebs

Quick: 3pt-2ast-2stl-2reb

Gentry: 3pt-1reb

Golden: 3pt

Frasier: 2pt-1ast

Brown: 1pt-1reb

Haston: 1pt

McDonald: 1ast

Rittenberry: 1reb

The Warriors struggled a bit during the first quarter. They did not score until 5:59, when Tanner Paul made a layup. Right after, Kade Clark powered up a layup as well. Daniel Gentry stole the ball and passed to Tanner Paul, where he shot faked and scored. The Warriors were up 6-0 at 5:11, which forced Rhea to call a timeout. After the timeout, Clark grabbed a rebound and took it all the way down the floor where he made a spin move and made his shot. Rhea made a jumper to put them on the board. They also made one free throw after getting fouled the next time down. Clark did another spin move that put the Warriors’ score at 10. They didn’t score the last three minutes of the first, but Rhea scored six. Going into the second, Sparta was up 10-9.

Rhea possessed the ball beginning the second quarter and made a 3. Rhea took the lead for a short amount of time. Clark got hurt on the next play and didn’t play the rest of the game. A technical foul was called on Rhea County. Jake Davis shot the free throws but only made one. White County called a timeout as they trailed one. After the timeout, the Eagles were fouled and went 1/2 from the line. A Warrior inbound led to Davis scoring 2. Thomas Paul stole the ball on the next play and was fouled taking it up. He made 1/2 allowing the Warriors to take back the lead, 14-13. Thomas Paul blocked a Rhea shot, but was called for a foul. Rhea went 1/2 and on the second, Cameron Stephens was fouled. He made the first shot of the one-and-one. He missed the second, but Davis secured the rebound and kicked it to Thomas Brock for a 3. Both teams traded possessions and Tanner Paul put back an offensive rebound with 2:43 left in the second. Twenty-five seconds later, Thomas Paul drained a 3. Rhea made a 2, but so did White County’s Tanner Paul on a drive. With 30 seconds left, Rhea County made another layup. Tanner Paul was fouled, with 7.6 seconds left in the half and made both. The Warriors led 27-18 going into halftime.

Rhea got the ball again to start the third quarter, but Japheth Richmond stole it, and passed to Thomas Paul, who passed right back to Richmond for a layup. At 7:26, Rhea banked a 3 and wouldn’t score again for three minutes. During those three minutes, Tanner Paul made five free throws. Richmond also did another give and go with Thomas Paul. Davis stole it as well and laid it up. Rhea called a timeout as the Warriors led 38-21. After the timeout, Rhea hit one free throw. Davis knocked down a 3 on the other end, 41-22. Rhea completed an And1 and then hit a backside layup. Richmond stole the ball and Thomas Paul scored the layup. Richmond blocked a shot, and Thomas Paul made a layup off an offensive rebound. This ended the third with the Warriors ahead 45-27.

During the fourth quarter, White County missed two scoring opportunities, so Rhea went down and finished a 2. Thomas Paul stole it and passed to his brother for 2. The smack was heard, but no foul was called. Despite the calls, the Warriors finished strong. Rhea went back down and made another 2. Tanner Paul was fouled again and made both of his free throws. The Eagles made back to back 3-point baskets, one being an And1 and the other a shot from the arc. Stephens finished a layup for the Warriors, putting them up 51-37. Rhea made another basket, and the Warriors called a timeout. After the timeout, White County had lots of ball movement and then hit Tanner Paul for an And1, which he completed. At 2:09 Rhea called a timeout after hitting a jumper. Tanner Paul finished a layup assisted by Gentry. Stephens stole the ball and passed it up to Thomas Paul for a layup. Gentry rebounded the ball and kicked it out to Stephens, who then assisted Tanner with a jumper. Rhea shot and made 1/2 free throws with 17.5 seconds left.

The Warriors put the Eagles away with a 60-42 win.

Ta.Paul: 26pt-1ast-2stl-7rebs

Th.Paul: 10pt-4ast-7stl-4rebs

Davis: 8pt-1ast-2stl-4rebs

Clark: 6pt-2ast-2stl-4rebs

Richmond: 4pt-2ast-3stl-1reb-2blk

Stephens: 3pt-2stl-3rebs

Brock: 3pt-1ast-1reb

Gentry: 1ast-1stl-6rebs