Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The White County Warriorettes bounced back from their tough overtime defeat to Cookeville on Friday with a dominant 87-66 win over Van Buren.
Sophomore Celeste Reed started the game off strong, capping a 15-point first quarter with a buzzer-beating layup to give the Warriorettes a 25-15 lead. They added on in the second quarter, outscoring the Eaglettes 27-18 to take a 52-33 lead into the break.
The third quarter saw them open the game up more with a 67-44 lead on the strength of an Alaina Stiles buzzer-beating three-pointer, and they cruised from their to an 87-66 victory over Van Buren.
“We rebounded and played better,” said WCHS head coach Michael Dodgen. “We made some shots from the outside, which we didn’t do (against Cookeville)…we won, but our defense wasn’t very good. I thought we played really good defense in the second quarter, but in the third and fourth, I felt like we just went through the motions. It’s a win coming off of an emotional game last night, so I’m proud of them for that.”
The maturity of White County was on display, as any team might fall prey to a let-down game after a loss like the overtime one against Cookeville. If there was any chance of this being a let-down, they nipped it early.
“I feel like they responded really well,” Dodgen said. “We had some kids do some different things for us that need to be done, and we need to build on it…we’ve got a week to prepare and get ready (for Upperman), but we need to stay mentally focused and mentally sharp.”
The boys game ended in a rather unusual way, as it was called with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter due to some leaky pipes above the gym floor.
Up to that point, the Warriors had controlled the tempo of the game early on and led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter after an and-1 basket that Van Buren failed to convert on.
White County built some momentum up in the second quarter, and once again, it was a last-second score from the hosts that cut the Sparta lead down to 28-19 at the break.
The Warriors stretched the lead to 14 in the third, but this is where the troubles began with the pipes. After a delay that last over ten minutes, the game was ruled a no-contest.
The lack of a win is disappointing, but there were plenty of positive points for Warrior head coach Eric Mitchell to touch on after the game.
“We’re really good defensively,” Mitchell said. “We’re just athletic and quick. We struggle offensively at times, but our defense is what propels us…(Van Buren) is going to be a good team in their district. I’m really proud of our guys for this start.”
The Warriors are sitting in a good spot heading into their first district game next week. For a team that’s seeing multiple players step up into new roles, a 3-1 start is something to be very proud of.
“I think the sky’s the limit and we’ve got a lot more improvement to do,” Mitchell said. “They’ll continue to get better and better, because our practices are competitive. It was hard to practice with Grant Slatten and Kade Clark last year, because no one could stop them…now I can put another five out there that can push the first five.”
Both teams will open district play in Baxter against Upperman next Friday, as the girls tip at 6 P.M. with the boys to follow.
