Defense was the name of the game for the Lady Pioneers in their home opener. They started with a first-quarter shutout and ended with six minutes of silence from Tullahoma West’s offense in a 35-12 blowout at home.
With a new season and a new roster, the faces changed throughout the game, but the Lady Pioneer intensity didn’t. Coach Tyra Rubio threw waves of players at Tullahoma West, going nine deep and never seeing a drop-off defensively on a night where the Lady Pioneers were outsized in the paint, but never out-hustled.
“I feel like these girls really just want to win. So it doesn’t matter who we put on the court, they’re always ready to go,” Rubio said. “And I feel like you could tell when you sent somebody in, it was no different. They just picked up where the first five left off.”
Big post Nyomi Conley was Tullahoma’s target anytime the team could get settled in offensively, but those chances were few and far between. Ava Carden, Abby Blankenship and others took their turns battling Conley in the paint, but it was usually a moot point as the team’s speed and tenacity at guard made life tough for Tullahoma in the back court.
Hailey Geesling, who paced the Lady Pioneers with 11 points, was spearheading the defensive attack, while LB Guthrie - who showed she can score on the hardwood about as well as she did on the soccer pitch - worked her way into nine points by turning steals into layups.
Blankenship battled her way to seven points, including a pair of tough second-half layups while being fouled, as Warren County had a trio of scorers to handle the offensive load.
It was made easier by a defense that helped spot the team a double-digit advantage within six minutes. WCMS held a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, giving the home team a cushion it maintained through a quieter second period.
Geesling and Guthrie each drilled early triples during the run, while Carden got a layup and Blankenship sank a pair of free throws as the Lady Pioneers went up 14-5 at halftime.
The offense picked up after the break. Warren County scored 11 points in the third to stretch its lead to 25-12, then finished with a 10-0 fourth. Geesling was flying in transition for layups - scoring six points in the second half - while Willow Kennerly had a big take to the rack for a layup and Emily Ramirez got a late steal and score to get involved in the blowout too.
Nia Rich rounded out the scoring with a third-quarter free throw.
While WCMS has taken a firm grip in the series against Tullahoma, Rubio didn’t enter the night thinking past success would be a guarantee for future wins. Instead, the second-year coach wanted opening night to be a blank canvas and WCMS ended up painting a pretty picture by the end of the night.
“Honestly, I had no expectations. We played in the summer and I know we beat them then, but that doesn’t mean that we’re gonna beat them today,” Rubio said. “The only expectation was to win. Other than that, I didn’t care how we got there.”
Warren County will try for a perfect first week Thursday night on the road when it takes on Tullahoma East at 6 p.m.
