Boys prep basketball: Defense carries White Plains past Anniston and into NE Regional
Feb. 14—ANNISTON — White Plains coach Chris Randall preaches defense from the time the program's players enter the seventh grade until they lace up their sneakers for the final time.
After beating Anniston 46-33 in a Class 4A sub-regional to punch their ticket to the Northeast Regional, the Wildcats showed their coach that his words don't go unnoticed.
"This is as good of a defensive game as any team that I've ever coached has played," Randall said. "We pride ourselves on defense."
White Plains held the Bulldogs to four points in both the first and third quarters in the win, with seemingly every player taking charges or pulling in a rebound.
"Defense is how we measure how much you care about us," Randall said. "If you're not willing to guard, if you're not willing to take a charge, then you don't really care about winning."
Added Randall: "When those guys are bought into their roles and they buy into the game plan, it's fun to watch. Everybody was bought into the game plan; everybody did their job."
As Randall praised Josh Wheeler for his defense in the team's win, Wheeler said that might not have been possible last year.
"Last year, he would take me out on defense," Wheeler said. "I knew I had to improve my defense to stay out there."
Along with his defensive play helping lead the Wildcats to a win over one of their rivals, Wheeler provided eight points in the matchup that included two fourth-quarter 3-pointers.
"The longer the possessions, the better chance we have," Wheeler said. "We've got to hold them on defense and be patient on offense."
A low-scoring first quarter from both teams saw White Plains and Anniston tied at with just four points apiece at the end of the period.
Wheeler got the first points of the game with a layup with 6:09 left in the first period. Anniston's first came over two minutes later with a layup from Isaiah Allen.
Luke Bussey hit the first 3-pointer of the contest with 3:26 left in the second quarter to give White Plains a 10-6 lead.
White Plains closed out the third quarter on a 6-0 scoring streak led by Silas Hines' four points in that time.
Anniston's scoring hiatus that started in the middle of the third quarter was snapped by a 3-pointer from Jacorey Leune with 7:31 left in the contest.
"They play us like that every year," Anniston coach Torry Brown said. "We just couldn't make any shots and you have to give them credit. They limit us to one shot, so we didn't get any second-chance opportunities and didn't get any easy buckets in transition."
As White Plains prepares to face Etowah at Jacksonville State's Pete Mathews Coliseum, Wheeler said that the team's experience at Jax State will help them be prepared for the Northeast Regional.
"We've played at Jax State a few times this year," Wheeler said. "I think we'll be ready."
