Wilde Lake boys basketball defeats Long Reach, 86-76, in overtime to capture regional title

Mar. 3—Wilde Lake boys basketball coach Jay McMillan has preached the importance of composure throughout the season, telling his players not to get too high or too low.

That composure was needed in Thursday night's Class 3A East Region II final. In a game defined by runs, the No. 2 seed Wildecats made the biggest move when it mattered most, outscoring top-seeded Long Reach 16-6 in overtime to secure an 86-76 victory.

The Wildecats will host a Class 3A state quarterfinal on Saturday against an opponent to be determined.

Wilde Lake was seven seconds away from winning in regulation, but Long Reach had other ideas. Out of a timeout, senior Christian Dean buried a deep, game-tying 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining to force overtime. The Lightning faithful were buzzing, and Long Reach entered the extra period with all the momentum.

It didn't last long. After defeating the Lightning, 75-70, in overtime during the regular season, the Wildecats once again took charge late to get past their county rival.

"I'm very proud of this group, I love the guys," McMillan said. "We as a coaching staff all love the guys. It's a joy to come to practice every day and coach, a joy to be around them. This regional title is another for one for our school community and everyone that played basketball at Wilde Lake. We had a lot of alumni here tonight, so I'm very pleased that we are able to get this win and get this title for them."

Long Reach scored the opening basket of overtime and had an opportunity to extend the lead to four. However, the Lightning's transition layup and follow attempt both rimmed out, allowing Wilde Lake (21-3) to secure the defensive rebound. On the ensuing possession, senior Nathan Hiteshew drilled a corner 3 in front of the Lightning student section while blanketed by two defenders. That put the Wildecats back on top, 73-72, and they never relinquished the lead.

"It was a big shot in the game and knowing I put in the work to hit shots like that," Hiteshew said. "Just trying to stay calm the whole game and I knew we'd be good."

Long Reach (21-3) took a 14-11 lead after one quarter, feeding off the energy off the home crowd. The Lightning extended the lead to seven with 6:36 remaining in the first half as Dean finished a 3-point play. Wilde Lake outscored Long Reach 20-5 the remainder of the first half, including a 13-0 spurt the final three minutes, to take control. Using their size and strength, the Wildecats attacked the paint with Xavier Gilliam and Dylan Gooden. Both post players' success gave Wilde Lake an eight-point halftime lead.

Then it was Long Reach's turn to respond behind its defense. The Lightning forced several turnovers from their backcourt trap, igniting a 19-0 run in the opening four minutes of the second half. Dean fueled that spurt with eight of his team-high 25 points, including a pair of 3s that gave Long Reach its first double-digit lead of the game.

"That's who we are," Lightning coach Andrew Lazzor said. "Last year, when we beat them in the playoffs, we were down 18 with two minutes to go in the third and it was the same kind of stuff to make that run. We did the same thing here, but that's only sustainable for so long because you can't run at that speed all game long. It's impossible to maintain that speed all half, and they made some adjustments."

Sensing the game slipping away, Wilde Lake turned to two of its leading scorers. Both Hiteshew and Kain Corkeron drilled 3s inside the final minute to bring the Wildecats within four entering the final quarter. Gilliam's return from an injury suffered earlier in the frame also played an integral part in the late-quarter surge.

The fourth quarter was littered with lead changes and big-time shot making by both sides, with neither team able to pull away. RJ Barnes and Dean sparked Long Reach's offense, while Gilliam scored nine of his 20 points in the period and kept possessions alive with critical second-chance opportunities. The junior scored Wilde Lake's final basket of regulation, extending its lead to three inside the final 15 seconds.

"Just digging deep, I think about me going out and how my teammates have to play without me," Gilliam said. "Digging deep and getting that extra rebound or making that extra hustle play, I feel that really fuels me on the inside. I know that everybody doesn't want to make the hustle play, nobody wants to dive on the floor. I know that I'm going to go and dive on the floor."

After Dean's game-tying 3, Wilde Lake remained unfazed and stepped up as a unit in overtime. Ethan Jackson, who primarily functions more as a facilitator, also made a contested 3, followed by a transition layup from Corkeron that pushed the lead to five. Hiteshew added a second 3, capping off an 18-point night, as Wilde Lake's bench and crowd sensed the regional title in their grasp.

Less than 90 seconds later, the final buzzer sounded as McMillan high-fived his entire coaching staff and embraced assistant Deon Wingfield. The celebration continued onto the court and into a classroom as the Wildecats danced with their regional title plaque.

"It's something I've been looking forward to since starting high school," Corkeron said of the regional title. "It got taken away my freshman year due to the coronavirus pandemic. So, it was good to come out here and achieve what we've been working to do, but we're not done yet."