New play leads to Wildcat win over rival Mustangs
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
DODSONVILLE — A play designed during the final time out was perfected by the Whiteoak Wildcats, Friday night against the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs. The play helped cap off a double-digit second half comeback, giving the Wildcats their first win of the season (a Southern Hills League win), 48-45 at LCHS.
The final play, similar to a play WHS head coach Tom Wessner wanted to put into use earlier in the week, began with Logan Morris throwing the ball inbounds to Joe Michael, who in-turn passed to Gage Carraher. Carraher passed to Doc Seip, who threw the ball back to Morris, with Michael finally regaining possession back near the hoop.
Michael, who was under heavy pressure, maneuvered just enough to get past the LC defense, gritting his teeth as he tossed the ball (while being guarded), at an awkward position to the basket for the go-ahead two points with 4.5 seconds remaining in the fourth.
LC (0-1, 0-2) had one last opportunity, (after two free throws by Mike Carraher put WHS up by three), but the 3-point attempt, from the half-court line, fell short of tying the game.
WHS was led by Mike Carraher with 10 points, followed by Michael with nine and Seip with eight. Dylan Noll led LC with 12 points, followed by Dallas Puckett with 10.
The comeback by the Wildcats erased a 14-point first half deficit.
"There is a play I've been thinking about putting in. I just never got around to it this week, so we drew up a play we never ran before (during the timeout), but our kids did a very nice job, Wessner said. "They concentrated, and ran the play very well. We got the shot we wanted, and got the ball to the person we wanted to shoot it."
The comeback by the Wildcats (1-0, 1-2) was the opposite of what happened to them on Tuesday night at their home court against Oak Hill, as the Wildcats lost a 14-point halftime lead.
"It was the mirror image of tonight. We did everything well, but it is kind of ironic. We were up 14 at the half on Tuesday, and Oak Hill outscored us by 17 in the second half. Tonight (Friday) we were plus 17 in the second half. It was the direct opposite of what we did a couple days ago." Wessner said.
The comeback by WHS began in the third with a dominating 12-0 run that lasted for almost seven minutes.
Gage Carraher made the first WHS point with a free throw, followed with two points from Michael.
As WHS trailed by single digits later in the frame, Michael connected with a 3-pointer, with the pass from Morris. The WHS defense continued to press and use man-to-man in their defensive scheme, forcing LC into turnovers. Seip took advantage with points in the paint, putting the Wildcats within two points of LC.
The Mustangs answered with four straight points from Puckett and Sahin Gragg.
LC started the final frame up three points (34-31), but following a charge taken by the Wildcats, their lead was cut to a single point with a layup, while being guarded, by Seip. WHS took the lead for the first time since the opening basket of the first quarter at the 6:08 mark of the fourth, via put back basket by Seip.
The Mustangs regained a 42-38 lead with just under six minutes left in regulation, but later in the fourth frame, Wes Stratton sank two free-throws cutting the LC lead to one. That didn't last long with Puckett extending the LC advantage to two with a free-throw. With 40 seconds left, Gage Carraher drained a 3-pointer, putting WHS up by one point (45-44) bringing the WHS fans to their feet, along with a fist pump in celebration by Carraher. Waits tied the game at 45 with a clutch free throw.
The dominating effort by WHS in the second half, compared to the effort by the Mustangs in the first half.
In the early minutes of the first quarter, Fawley sank a 3-pointer, and Steven Collins converted a free throw to give the host Mustangs a 4-2 lead. With points from Noll, the Mustangs went on a tear, outscoring WHS with a 13-2 run to end the first. In that run, Fawley made his second 3-pointer, with Noll, Puckett and Collins also adding to the lead.
LC scored 13 points in the second quarter, with Noll and Waits adding four points each to the Mustangs' lead.
"Our intensity changed from the first half to the second half," Wessner said. "We were walking, lethargic and at some point we have to make some things happen for ourselves. Tonight, (in the first half) we just reacted. We were going to let them do something, and we were going to do something else, instead of taking the ball out, moving and making them (LC) make mistakes."
The win lifts WHS to 1-2 overall (1-0 in the SHL). LC falls to 0-1 in the SHL and 0-2 overall.
The Wildcats will play on the road again on Tuesday, facing SHL foe and Highland County rival Fairfield, with the freshman game starting at 4:30 p.m. LC will play again on Tuesday as they travel to face the Ripley Blue Jays.[[In-content Ad]]
The final play, similar to a play WHS head coach Tom Wessner wanted to put into use earlier in the week, began with Logan Morris throwing the ball inbounds to Joe Michael, who in-turn passed to Gage Carraher. Carraher passed to Doc Seip, who threw the ball back to Morris, with Michael finally regaining possession back near the hoop.
Michael, who was under heavy pressure, maneuvered just enough to get past the LC defense, gritting his teeth as he tossed the ball (while being guarded), at an awkward position to the basket for the go-ahead two points with 4.5 seconds remaining in the fourth.
LC (0-1, 0-2) had one last opportunity, (after two free throws by Mike Carraher put WHS up by three), but the 3-point attempt, from the half-court line, fell short of tying the game.
WHS was led by Mike Carraher with 10 points, followed by Michael with nine and Seip with eight. Dylan Noll led LC with 12 points, followed by Dallas Puckett with 10.
The comeback by the Wildcats erased a 14-point first half deficit.
"There is a play I've been thinking about putting in. I just never got around to it this week, so we drew up a play we never ran before (during the timeout), but our kids did a very nice job, Wessner said. "They concentrated, and ran the play very well. We got the shot we wanted, and got the ball to the person we wanted to shoot it."
The comeback by the Wildcats (1-0, 1-2) was the opposite of what happened to them on Tuesday night at their home court against Oak Hill, as the Wildcats lost a 14-point halftime lead.
"It was the mirror image of tonight. We did everything well, but it is kind of ironic. We were up 14 at the half on Tuesday, and Oak Hill outscored us by 17 in the second half. Tonight (Friday) we were plus 17 in the second half. It was the direct opposite of what we did a couple days ago." Wessner said.
The comeback by WHS began in the third with a dominating 12-0 run that lasted for almost seven minutes.
Gage Carraher made the first WHS point with a free throw, followed with two points from Michael.
As WHS trailed by single digits later in the frame, Michael connected with a 3-pointer, with the pass from Morris. The WHS defense continued to press and use man-to-man in their defensive scheme, forcing LC into turnovers. Seip took advantage with points in the paint, putting the Wildcats within two points of LC.
The Mustangs answered with four straight points from Puckett and Sahin Gragg.
LC started the final frame up three points (34-31), but following a charge taken by the Wildcats, their lead was cut to a single point with a layup, while being guarded, by Seip. WHS took the lead for the first time since the opening basket of the first quarter at the 6:08 mark of the fourth, via put back basket by Seip.
The Mustangs regained a 42-38 lead with just under six minutes left in regulation, but later in the fourth frame, Wes Stratton sank two free-throws cutting the LC lead to one. That didn't last long with Puckett extending the LC advantage to two with a free-throw. With 40 seconds left, Gage Carraher drained a 3-pointer, putting WHS up by one point (45-44) bringing the WHS fans to their feet, along with a fist pump in celebration by Carraher. Waits tied the game at 45 with a clutch free throw.
The dominating effort by WHS in the second half, compared to the effort by the Mustangs in the first half.
In the early minutes of the first quarter, Fawley sank a 3-pointer, and Steven Collins converted a free throw to give the host Mustangs a 4-2 lead. With points from Noll, the Mustangs went on a tear, outscoring WHS with a 13-2 run to end the first. In that run, Fawley made his second 3-pointer, with Noll, Puckett and Collins also adding to the lead.
LC scored 13 points in the second quarter, with Noll and Waits adding four points each to the Mustangs' lead.
"Our intensity changed from the first half to the second half," Wessner said. "We were walking, lethargic and at some point we have to make some things happen for ourselves. Tonight, (in the first half) we just reacted. We were going to let them do something, and we were going to do something else, instead of taking the ball out, moving and making them (LC) make mistakes."
The win lifts WHS to 1-2 overall (1-0 in the SHL). LC falls to 0-1 in the SHL and 0-2 overall.
The Wildcats will play on the road again on Tuesday, facing SHL foe and Highland County rival Fairfield, with the freshman game starting at 4:30 p.m. LC will play again on Tuesday as they travel to face the Ripley Blue Jays.[[In-content Ad]]