The WCHS Warrior basketball team was busy last week with three games to conclude their regular season. The Warriors took on district foes Upperman and Livingston Academy before ending the season by hosting Signal Mountain on Senior Night. The Warriors took a loss in Baxter, fought hard and came up just a bit short when they hosted LA, and ended their regular season with a big win on Senior Night. The Warriors finished the regular season with an overall record of 11-12 and 5-5 in district play.
In the game against Upperman, on Feb. 5, junior Tripp Pinion led the Warriors with 12 points and three assists. Junior Gage Stephenson had 8 points and led the Warriors with seven rebounds. To round out the scoring, freshman Cole Sims had 7, junior Nate Griffin scored 3, junior Lucas Dickerson scored 3, and senior Jackson Young scored 2. The final score was 35-47 in favor of Upperman.
On Feb. 8, the Warriors played a hard-fought game against LA that was tied three times and saw three lead changes. The Warriors found themselves down by their largest deficit of 11, with about four minutes left in the third quarter. Despite this, the Warriors never backed down and rallied to pull within 3 points, with only 12 seconds remaining in the game. The Warriors were forced to foul, and, after two successful free throws, the Warriors were down by 5 with only two seconds remaining. The game ended with a final score of 50-55.
The Warriors welcomed a tough Signal Mountain team to The Roy for Senior Night, on Feb. 9. Both teams came out firing offensively and the Warriors found themselves down by 4 at the half. The second half gave them even more offense, with the Warriors picking up their pace and erasing the scoring deficit. By the fourth quarter, the Warriors had taken the lead and extended it to as many as 10. Signal Mountain never eased up and kept fighting, but the Warriors proved to be too much. They went on to win by a final score of 70-63.
Tripp Pinion had possibly his best game of the season, peaking at the
right time as the Warriors head into tournament play. He led the Warriors with 27 points, five rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Cole Sims had 17 points, four boards, and two assists. Lucas Dickerson had 14 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Other Warriors to log points in the game included Jackson Young with 5, Gage Stephenson with 5, and Lucas Smith with 2.
Several Warriors were recognized for their outstanding performances and play throughout the season. Tripp Pinion was named as 1st Team Defensive Player of the Year. Gage Stephenson and Lucas Dickerson each earned Honorable Mention awards. Cole Sims earned 3rd Team All Freshman and All Defensive Team honors.
With the regular season coming to a close, the Warriors now direct all their attention to post season play. They begin as the #4 seed in the district tournament and will play Cumberland County in the first round on Feb. 16, at 8:30 pm. The winner of that game will meet the #1 seeded Upperman Bees on Feb. 17, at 8:30 pm. The winner of that contest will advance to the district championship game to be played on Feb. 20, at 9 p.m.
All district tournament games will be held at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.
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