Complete game effort was the answer that kept the Wildcats one step ahead of Reagan
The Wildcats didn’t jump out to its usual patented pressing, trapping style defense, but instead, waited until the second quarter when the Bulldogs appeared fatigued.
Always threatened but never relinquished the lead, the Wheatley Wildcats answered every question the Reagan Bulldogs threw out. Tied at 58 with 2:30 left in the third quarter, the Wildcats opened an eight point lead to end the quarter, 68-60 and escaped with an 85-77 victory over a no-die Bulldog team on Wednesday night at Delmar Field House.
Up 74-70 with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, Wheatley didn’t secure the win before fighting off a pesky Bulldog rally, that watched junior guard Thomas Fields’ 3-pointer pull Reagan with one, 74-73. However 6’7” power forward Tavario Miller, quickly off the inbound pass, dropped back in position for a crowd pleasing dunk which took the steam out of the Bulldogs and eventually stretched its lead to eight points, 81-73, including five straight points from backup guard David Williams which ignited the run.
“We try to wear down people,” Wheatley’s coach Willie Patrick said. In the fourth quarter they didn’t have the legs they had in third quarter to shoot the ball the way they did.”
The Wildcats held a decisive edge on the boards, 34-16.
“We know we’re going give up rebounds; we’re a guard oriented team. But we got to get a little tougher down there if we expect to win,” added Reagan’s Coach Aaron Proctor.
Pounding the glass, Miller led the Wildcats with 23 points and 17 boards, Shawn Johnson added 13 and Ronald Johnson chipped in 12 to help secure the victory.
“I was able to get in position for the rebound, by knowing which way the ball would come off the rim. Certain shots, bounce certain ways, so I was thinking about that. I’ve been watching NBA star Kevin Love on how he attacks the glass,” Miller added.
Trailing 5-2, Reagan retained its composure after Miller’s short jumper and Johnson deep trey from the left baseline. The answer, an 11-0 run that watched Back-to-back layups by guard Sterling Lampley which were followed by baskets from center Idarien Feagans, Shane Roach and Bryce Mooring to grab a 13-6 advantage.
That seemed to only wake up the Wildcats. A quick time out was followed by a 7-0 run, tying the game at 13. Miller who was productive on both ends of the court, added four points and Johnson drained his second trey.
“Well the last few times we played them (Reagan)” says Tavario Miller Wheatley’s power forward, I was letting their big guy frustrate me. So, I cleared my mind and played through all the physicality’s, all the pushing and stuff. I got a quick block and a rebound that just motivated me to keep it going and I kept attacking them. But also, I picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter.”
The battle went back and forth until Kevon Johnson closed out an exciting first quarter with five consecutive points. A three-pointer and a steal, led to a buzzer beating layup, putting Wheatley up 22-20.
The second quarter was all Wildcats. The reason for running its pressing, trapping defense showed in the form of steals, blocks and points off turnovers. An opening 6-0 run increased the lead to twelve points, 34-22 at the 5:52 mark, after Johnson and Miller scored close range baskets.
Reagan had no answer for Wheatley’s aggressive defense which produced 10 of its 18 steals in the quarter alone, on its way to a 51-34 halftime lead.
“Our kids are used to running and gunning and playing hard. We were out of control, shooting 3-pointers. We started bombing from everywhere,” says Wheatley’s Coach Willie Patrick. But we got back into the system, getting the ball inside and trying to get to the rack. They (Reagan) were worn down and were tired in the second quarter. That’s why we were able to distance our self. But they went in at halftime and got some rest.
The second half featured a much closer battle as the Bulldogs turned the tables on Wheatley. Forced turnovers and steals led to a game tying three-pointer, 58-all from Lampley with 2:30 left. It was short lived as Miller raced back down the court, getting in position to give the Wildcats a 60-58 edge with a bank shot.
“In the first quarter we did what we worked on in practice. In the second quarter, they adjusted, we tried to adjust but they had more energy. It was almost like they hit us and we were stunted. We were just trying to hang on. We had a couple of possession here and there. That second quarter was very tough. We turned the ball over but we talked about it in the locker room. I told them we’re only down eight possessions. When we’re down 13 or 20, we don’t look at points. We look at possessions. We get a stop, bucket here and so on. Then we have some momentum. We talk about being scrappy. Wheatley is going to do what they do. Some of the things we did in the second quarter bit us in the behind. Then in the third quarter we got back-to-back charge calls, couple of big rebounds followed by baskets. We won the second half,” Proctor said.
In the third quarter, Reagan stayed within striking distance down 55-52 and 57-55, receiving most its offensive production from point guard Mooring, who led the Bulldogs with 27 points. But nothing ever kept Wheatley from finding an opening to the rim, whether inside or out, as it built a 68-60 lead to end the quarter.
“We just got out of control and we didn’t stay with the game plan. When we got back in the game, coach told us to keep knocking down shots,” Reagan’s shooting guard Bryce Mooring said. We are all seniors, so we thought we would give it our all and we knew it was our last meeting against Wheatley in district play. We wanted to get this win to make school history.”
In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs would come within a point, 69-68 after Mooring trey and Cesar Melara midrange jumper.
Soon after, a pair of Wildcats steals led to five unanswered points when Johnson took a fast break to the opposite end of the court and lay it up and in. Then Miller followed with an offensive rebound basket while absorbing a foul as he completed a five point swing with the bonus free throw, building a 74-68 lead.
Mooring got Reagan within three, but after never threaten.
“Our energy started from the bench which carried over to the court and we got focused and started knocking down shots. We played our hearts out,” says Mooring.
