Wildcats' 2nd half rally leads to SHL win over Warriors
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MOWRYSTOWN — The Whiteoak Wildcats like to keep things close thus far this basketball season. In fact, a third-quarter scoring outburst by senior Joe Michael, along with a tough effort against the Eastern Brown Warriors in the final frame, gave the Wildcats their third straight Southern Hills League win, Friday night at their home court.
The Wildcats have now won their last three games in dramatic fashion. They defeated the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs in the final minute, the Fairfield Lions in overtime, and now the Warriors, with a second-half rally.
That wasn't the case in the first half when WHS was held to 11 points. It can be said it was the calm before the storm, which occurred in the second half.
"I thought obviously our man (defense) wasn't working (in the first quarter), so we went to zone in the second quarter. They (EB) only scored six (in the second), and I think defensively we were fine," WHS head coach Tom Wessner said. "Offensively we were very stagnant. The places we wanted to get the basketball, I give them a lot of credit, they weren't letting us get the ball where we wanted to get it.
"But then again, (in the first half) we weren't taking our time to get the ball where we wanted it."
The Wildcats (3-0, 3-2) opened up the third frame with just 11 points scored in the first half, including a two-point effort in the second quarter. Michael took over in the third, scoring 15 points in the frame. In the quarter, the senior post player scored 14 straight WHS points, where he made five shots from the floor, along with 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Michael led all scorers with a game-high 22 points.
"He took more of that leadership role at halftime, and we have been working on where to get the basketball," Wessner said. "In the first half, he was just a step late where he needed to be to get the basketball, but then he got right where he was supposed to be, got on the ball and did what he's supposed to do with it."
Michael scored first 14 seconds into the start of the third with a jumper, followed with two free throws on the next trip down the floor. With 5:49 left in the quarter, Michael made two more free throws, then he controlled the paint with four straight buckets. His basket to take the lead at 23-22 came with a pass from Logan Morris. Morris finished with six points.
Doc Seip, who finished with seven points, put the Wildcats up 28-24 with 1:12 left in the third by sinking a jumper.
But then came the wild fourth quarter, with the Warriors and Wildcats leaving everything on the court.
As the noise in the gym at WHS reached the highest it had been all game, the Wildcats increased their lead to 31-24 with 6:29 left on the scoreboard.
After each team exchanged baskets, the Warriors took over, scoring eight consecutive points, six off free throws, and tying the game at 35. In the fourth, Eastern's Jordan Dayne was 8-of-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, finishing with a team-high 19 points.
Seeming as though the momentum was about to switch over to the side of the Warriors with four more points later in the fame, two points due to capitalizing on a technical foul by the Wildcats, it was WHS who ground out more points, showing poise like they did during their previous two games.
With the Warriors leading 39-37, Morris tied the game with put back points, and Seip made another inside layup for the Wildcats. His two points came after members of both teams dove for the ball on the floor.
Seip's two points put WHS up 41-39 with the scoreboard showing .54 seconds left in regulation.
EB missed their ensuing shot, and Michael rebounded. The Wildcats lost possession and forced a turnover via a blocked shot by Michael, as he drew a foul with 9.2 left in the game.
The Warriors had one final opportunity to tie the game but were called for traveling on their side of the court.
The excitement in the second half wasn't so much for WHS in the first. WHS trailed 16-9 after the first quarter, and trailed 22-9 with 1:39 left in the first half. Their lone two points in the second were free throws from Wes Stratton.
For the game, WHS was 13-of-21 from the foul line, and the Warriors were 13-of-19.
"We slowed down when we needed to slow down, and we sped up when we needed to, and that's kind of the thing with us. We seem to do everything backwards. When we want to go slow, we are going fast, and when we are going slow, we want to go fast," Wessner said. "We righted the ship in the second half."
Wessner spoke about playing in three straight close games.
"These kids have confidence that when the end of the game comes, they'll be ready," he said. "They have proved it a couple times ... they can handle the pressure."
The win puts WHS at the top of the Division II in the SHL with a 3-0 mark in league play. Overall, WHS stands at 3-2. The loss drops EB to 1-2 in the SHL and 2-2 overall.
Whiteoak will travel to Hillsboro Thursday, Dec. 23 to face the Indians.
GAME NOTES: Gage Carraher made the Wildcats' lone 3-pointer in the first quarter … Wes Stratton was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line … Each team had six players scoring at least one point … Both teams had quarters where they scored single digits (WHS, two points in the second, and EB, six in the second and four in the third) … There were three combined 3-pointers in the game … WHS won the second half 33-17.