WCHS Warriors and Warriorettes split doubleheader with Cumberland County

On Jan. 17, the Cumberland County Jets and Lady Jets flew into Sparta to do battle with the White County Warriors and Warriorettes.  A good crowd packed Roy Sewell Gymnasium to witness the contests.  The ladies would take the court first, then the Warriors and Jets would do battle. 

The Warriorettes got off to a very slow start in their game against the Lady Jets. The first quarter was characterized by sloppy play, turnovers, and missed shots.  The post-game for the Warriors led the way in scoring thanks to Nia Powers and Celeste Reed.  Where the Warriorettes really struggled was in the backcourt.  The Lady Jets would put pressure on the ball as the Warriorettes brought it up the court. The turnovers caused by the pressure put White County in an early hole on the scoreboard.  The Lady Jets took a 14-9 lead going into the second quarter.

Karley Gentry hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter, but the rest of the points came from Reed and Powers.  Of the 25 points that the Warriorettes had at halftime, 20 were scored by the two post players.  The Warriorettes desperately need to find a consistent third and fourth option to go along with their strong inside duo.   Although the Warriorettes picked up the scoring in the second quarter and were able to draw within a couple of points, the Lady Jets still led 27-25 at the break.

The third quarter was not a pretty one for the Warriorettes.  Turnovers and poor shot selection resulted in the home team scoring only 7 points in the quarter.  The Lady Jets steadily increased their lead with great defense and timely scoring.  The score after three quarters was 40-32 in favor of the visitors.

Lexi Golden got hot from 3-point range in the final quarter.  Celeste Reed battled to the final buzzer.  The Warriorettes got the score to within 4 points, with a minute to go.  Cumberland County would not be caught, however, and won the game by a score of 54-47.

Celeste Reed led the Warriorettes with 17 points. Nia Powers added 12 points.  Lexi Golden had 9 points. Karley Gentry had 7 points, and Ava Jones had 2.

The Warriors took the court next to battle the Jets.  The Warriors got off to an early lead and kept a healthy advantage throughout the game.  Thomas Paul scored early and often in the first quarter.  Thomas Brock scored from both outside and inside.  Christian Henderson was probably the defensive player of the game.  His hustle led to several steals and defensive rebounds.  The score after one quarter was 21-10 in favor of the Warriors.

Christian Henderson, Thomas Brock and Tripp Pinion all hit 3-pointers in the second quarter.  Henderson and Jakeb Davis scored around the basket and the Warriors carried 34-25 lead into halftime.

The third quarter saw the Warriors increase their lead.  Pinion made some great spinning drives to the basket. Japheth Richmond and Jakeb Davis hit 3-pointers. Richmond also took advantage of his size and played strong around the basket.  The score after three quarters was 53-39.

The final quarter had the Warriors cruising to a victory.  Logan Dickerson hit a long 3-pointer.  Both Thomas Paul and Thomas Brock scored two baskets in the fourth.  Coach Mitchell was able to empty his bench and several young players got valuable experience.  The final score of the game was 70-51.

Unofficial scoring had Brock with 15, Paul with 15, and Henderson with 10.  Richmond had 9 points. Both Davis and Pinion had 8. Logan Dickerson had 3 points, and Lucas Dickerson had 2 points.