Wildcats advance to Area after opening round thriller
The No. 10 ranked Sulphur Springs Wildcats hit the road Tuesday, traveling to Forney to face Lindale in the Bi-District round of the playoffs. Sulphur Springs has made it to at least the Area round of the playoffs in each of the last six seasons, and were looking to extend that streak to seven Tuesday night.
Senior Kordrick Turner got the scoring started in Tuesday’s Bi-District match, driving to the goal and finishing with a right-handed layup. Turner would go on to have seven points in the opening frame alone, in what was a low-scoring 13-12 affair after the first eight minutes of action.
Fellow senior Parker Whisnehunt set the tone for the second frame, by scoring the first four points. He did so thanks to a Malachi Myles assist, before throwing down a huge two-hand slam after a steal on the other end, giving Sulphur Springs a five-point lead early in the second quarter.
Senior point guard Branson Lynn joined in on the action, knocking down a corner 3-pointer with a Lindale defender closely guarding him, giving the Wildcats their largest lead of the night at 20-12. The Eagles of Lindale started to slowly chip their way back into things, however, which was a common theme for the remainder of the night.
Despite trailing by eight points with just a few minutes left in the opening half, the Eagles were able to cut that in half, bringing the score to 29-25 at the end of the first half. The Wildcats had just a two-point lead, before Turner scored one final time in the closing seconds of the half to bring the lead back to four points.
Lindale took the first punch in the second half, when senior Ryder Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to bring it to just a one-point game. The Wildcats answered back with a quick 6-0 run, with Turner scoring in the paint and dishing off an assist to Myles.
Whisenhunt kept the run going with his second huge dunk of the night, this time throwing down a 180-dunk after stealing a ball near half court. Now with the lead at a firm 35-28, Lindale would use a timeout with 6:02 left in the third to try to slow down the Wildcats’ momentum.
The two teams would trade punches for the remainder of the frame, with neither team able to gain much of an advantage over the other. Sulphur Springs was never able to create further separation, but they also never lost momentum, going into the final frame with a 43-38 lead and just eight minutes of basketball left.
With a seventh consecutive trip to the Area round on the line, the Wildcats quickly found themselves only up by three points, as Lindale got a basket to go on the opening possession of the frame. Whisenhunt answered back with a 3-pointer on the other end, putting Sulphur Springs up 46-40 with just 7:06 left to play.
That would be the last basket The Wildcats made for a couple minutes, as Lindale was able to score four consecutive points of their own to bring it back to a two-point game with 4:52.
Just just a few minutes left in one of these team’s season, the Wildcats were able to swing the momentum back in their favor, starting with a score in the post from Whisenhunt, thanks to an assist from Myles. With just 3:04 on the clock Lynn knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 50-44.
The momentum continued to swing in Sulphur Springs’ favor when Turner got yet another bucket, pushing the lead to 52-44 with just 2:14 left on the clock. Despite it looking like Sulphur Springs had this one in the bag, the Lindale Eagles stuck with their motto and never gave up.
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The Eagles started chipping away, getting a pair of buckets to fall, without allowing any points on the other end. With just 26 seconds on the clock, Lindale’s senior Johnson came up with a huge bucket, making it a one-point game at 54-53.
Having no other option, Lindale would foul Lynn with just 15.6 seconds left, sending him to the line for a one-and-one. Lynn couldn’t get the free throw to go, and Lindale got the ball back with a chance to win the game.
With less than 10 seconds on the clock, Lindale drove to the goal, looking to put the game away once-and-for-all. Seniors Lynn and Whisenhunt each tightly contested the man driving, getting in his way and forcing a miss. Senior Cole Theofiledes would come up with the rebound and Lindale never saw the ball again, as Sulphur Springs advanced to the Area round by a final score of 54-53.
Turner led the way for the Wildcats, finishing with team-high’s in points (17) and rebounds (7). He also shot an efficient 7-13 from the field, and dished out a pair of assists, while also having two steals and two blocks.
Right behind him was Whisenhunt who had 15 points on an almost identical 7-12 shooting. Whisnehhunt had a team-high three steals, while dishing out three assists and pulling in three boards.
Lynn was the only other player for Sulphur Springs to finish in double-digits. The senior point guard had 12 points and shot 50% from behind the 3-point line.
Myles had six points and a team-high five assists, shooting 3-5 from the field and pulling in three boards. Theofiledes and Theo McKelvey were the only other scorers for Sulphur Springs, each having two points.
The Sulphur Springs Wildcats will now meet up with the Eagles of Wilmer-Hutchins, a team they have already faced once this season. Way back on Saturday, Nov. 12 the Wildcats got the best of Wilmer-Hutchins, beating them 67-55.
That night, the Wildcats were led by Whisenhunt and Turner, who had 22 points and 20 points respectively. Whisnehunt also had seven rebounds and four assists, while Turner had 15 boards and five assists, both of which were team-high’s. The pair also shot a very efficient 17-24 from the field between the two of them.
“Wilmer-Hutchins has gotten a lot better since the first game of the season,” Coach Brandon Shaver said. “They are extremely athletic and shoot the ball well.”
“We will have to be better at on-ball defense to make sure we don’t give up middle drives,” Shaver added. “This will be a big test for us.”
Friday’s match between Sulphur Springs and Wilmer-Hutchins is set for 7 p.m. at Royse City. For anybody who can’t make it, a live broadcast of the game will be provided on Front Porch News and Chad’s Media.
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