By Kailee Dick
Girls
The White County Warriorettes defeated Central Magnet Friday night, 68-52.
The Warriorettes started off strong as they went on an 8-0 run to open the game. Celeste Reed was a key factor as she scored three out of the first four buckets with the fourth bucket by Bella Winningham as Sparta ended the first quarter with a 20-7 lead.
Central Magnet rebounded in the second quarter as they outscored the Warriorettes 16-13 as White County led at halftime, 33-23.
“I thought we played hard,” said White County head coach Michael Dodgen. “We had not played in 11 days, so I was a little concerned about the rust and not being focused and sharp. I thought we came out and played really well. I thought we started well. We rebounded the basketball tonight as good as we have in a log time. I thought we did a good job of executing our stuff and we played hard from start to finish.”
The Warriorettes start the second half focused as they outscored Central Magnet 22-11 in the third quarter to take a 55-34 lead into the final frame.
The offensive rally did not stop in the third as Gracie Clark finished a fast-break layup with 5:58 remaining to make the score 58-39. With 2:40 left, Celeste Reed hit another shot to extend the lead by 20 points. The Warriorettes close out a 68-52 victory.
“I thought early on she (Celeste Reed) just played, she scored, and she was just dominant inside,” said Dodgen. “They went one-on-one with her and she was very physical with the way she played tonight, and that is the way she is going to play every night. This is probably the first time in a long time she has not been doubled or tripled teamed. She did a good job and set the tone early, especially with the first four possessions.
“Overall I am proud of our effort,” Dodgen added. “I thought we had a lot of energy from Gracie Clark, and I thought Lakleyn Gratsy saw the floor really well tonight. She did a good job and took the opportunities when they presented themselves.”
White County (68): Celeste Reed 18, Ava Jones 12, Gracie Clark 12, Bella Winningham 11, Lakelyn Gratsy 6, Ashlyn Selby 5, Kyra Fox 2, and Pyper Price 2
Boys
The White County Warriors fell to Central Magnet Friday night, 66-51.
White County took a 5-4 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter via a Lucas Dickerson three-pointer. Jackson Young extended the Warriors’ lead as he hit a corner three to extend the Warrior lead to 11-6. Central Magnet dialed in from there as an 11-0 run gave them a 17-11 lead over White County to end the first quarter.
The Warriors stayed within striking distance as a Dickerson three-pointer tied the game at 26-26 with 2:30 left in the second quarter.
The Warriors continued to battle in the half but still continued to trail. Sparta trailed by 10 points with 5:20 left in the third quarter following Lucas Smith basket.
A Cole Sims basket put White County within four points of Central Magnet with 2:33 left of the third quarter, but the run wasn’t enough as Central Magnet pulled away in the fourth quarter to win by a 66-51 final score.
White County (51): Cole Sims 12, Lucas Dickerson 9, Nate Griffin 7, Lucas Smith 7, Kolby Young 5, Gage Stephenson 4, Jackson Young 3, Keaton Sparkman 2, and Mason Steele 2.
