After going 3-6 overall through the first 9 non-region games, the Warriors easily could have been discouraged. Several of those games were games in which a late fourth-quarter lead vanished, or the team lost in overtime. Still, White County hung in there and used their tough non-region slate to set up a 3-0 start within region play.

“Obviously our record isn’t overall what we’d hoped it would be at this point,” says star senior Jadon Yeh. “We had some tough non-region games, and I think that’s a big part of what we’ve done the last couple of years. Play really tough non-region games, that way we’re prepared for the region schedule. We want to be not our best in November and December, but at our best in January and February.”

The 3-0 start included a one-point win over West Hall that has been a huge boost to the team.

“Honestly, I think that one was really important,” says junior forward Noah Futch. “The other losses that we had really don’t matter because they weren’t region games. The West Hall win, region win, that’s big.”

The Warriors learned a lot about themselves in the non-region close games.

“Our fight has been there,” adds Yeh, pointing to the Tallulah Falls OT loss and close games against Habersham Central and North Hall. “We’re a gritty team. Just continuing to play until the buzzer goes off, and showing that fight and grit that we know we have.”

The Warriors are a team that average 55.6 points per night, and are guided by Yeh and Futch, who has taken a big step up in his role.

White County is now 6-6 overall and 3-0 in region play, with sights set on winning a region championship.