The top scorers for their teams in the game, Kyra Perkins with the ball for Warren County and Jordan Gillies, #12 for Cookeville.
Lady Pioneers Lose 58-52 to Cookeville
The Lady Pioneers faced their former district rival Cookeville at home in a very competitive matchup. There have been too many years in the past when Warren County was not competitive with Cookeville, but that has changed in recent years. Four seniors for the Lady Pioneers have led that turnaround and they had hoped to defeat their old nemesis on the day the Christmas break started. Unfortunately, Warren County could not get a lead and stay ahead of a red-hot shooting Cookeville in the game, losing 58-52.
Warren County started the game with a with small lead in the early stages of the first quarter, but they would not regain the lead until the fourth quarter by squeaking out in front 47-46. Cookeville responded with one of their many 3-point shots of the night to regain the lead 49-47. Warren County tried to stay close, but the sharp shooting Lady Cavaliers keep making baskets to protect their lead.
The player who made a difference down the stretch and during the entire game for Cookeville was Jordan Gillies. She made crucial foul shots that increased Cookeville’s lead in the final moments of the game that sealed the win for the visitors to Warren County High School.
Kyra Perkins was more than just the leading scorer for the Lady Pioneers with 15 points. Perkins made baskets and rebounds when Warren County desperately needed them. Perkins was one of the four seniors starting for Warren County. The other seniors included Mia Hobbs, who played a complete game on both ends of the court, Savannah Winfree who gave the Lady Pioneers a shot of adrenaline with her 3-pointer that cut the Cookeville’s lead to 52-50, and Shelby Smartt who played her usual tough game. Junior point guard Sable Winfree was plagued with foul trouble during the game and Smartt took her place running the offense when Winfree was on the bench.
After the game, Sable Winfree commented, “Well, going into it we all knew that Cookeville was a good team and we had to mentally prepare for them. I think we played well, but there is still some areas we can touch up. The game was determined on who was hitting, and it was them. They were hot the whole game. I just don’t think we ever really found our stride but defensively we played well.”
The star of the game was Cookeville’s Jordan Gillies who had 22 points. Four of her six 3-point shots came in the first quarter. Overall Cookeville made 13 3-pointers which accounted for 67 percent of their total points.
Warren County falls to 7-4 for the season and Cookeville moves to 8-1. The Lady Pioneers play in the White County Sonic Shootout on Monday, and Cookeville is off to a Nike tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lady Pioneers are scheduled to play in a tournament in Washington, D.C. after Christmas.
SCORING
WARREN COUNTY (52): Krya Perkins 15, Mia Hobbs 12, Sable Winfree 8, Savannah Winfree 7, Brienne Kelsey 6, Shelby Smartt 2, Lex Verge 2
COOKEVILLE (58): Jordan Gillies 22, Cassie Gallagher 9, Allie Gillies 6, Charlie Roby 6, Morgan Duffey 5, Isabel Garcia 4, Macy Hudson 4, Emma Horner 2
Pioneers Lose 64-55 to Cookeville
The Pioneers showed signs early in the game of giving Cookeville a battle, but in the second half Cookeville’s dominance took over as the visiting Cavaliers stretched their lead at one point to 20 points. Warren County fought back and continued to cut down the lead, but the outcome was inevitable. On this night, Cookeville was the better team, winning 64-55.
Warren County had difficulty throughout the game getting inside to the basket against a very stingy Cavalier defense. The Pioneers won some one-on-one battles a few times, yet Cookeville had some exceptional individual players who not only blocked shots but could win one-on-one battles on offense.
Alex Van Vuuren had a big night of scoring for the Pioneers with 22 points. Sawyer Seymour made some nifty moves to the the hoop and sank a 3-pointer. Chase Newby showed some exceptional quickness around the basket and made some meaningful shots. Nate Elrod did not get on the scoreboard until the second half, but he was always battling for the ball and pressing on defense. Treyton Terry had some moments of exciting twists and turns on the court, and he was the Pioneers second-leading scorer.
Overall, the intense effort of the Pioneers was not able to overcome the superior athleticism and skills of the Cavaliers. Head coach Josh Heard has two sons on the team and a nephew. Any coach would like to have those three players on their team. Cookeville was able to open up the court and find multiple ways to make baskets. One highlight of the game was Josh Heard dunking the ball on a fast break. All of the Heard clan will return next year, which makes Cookeville a team to watch down the road.
Pioneer senior Braylon Grayson was absent. He was traveling to the high school football Tiki Bowl in Hawaii. The game is Tuesday, December 20.
Warren County is 2-9 for the season. Cookeville’s season record stands at 6-2. Warren County plays again Monday in the White County Sonic Shootout.
SCORING
WARREN COUNTY (55): Alex Van Vuuren 22, Treyton Terry 12, Sawyer Seymour 8, Nathan Elrod 6, Chase Newby 4, Devin Fish 2, Kaden Rutledge 1
COOKEVILLE (64): Josh Heard 21, Jack Oakley 21, Alex Clark 8, Bennett Reeves 6, Dontae Potts-Heard 5, Jalen Heard 3
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