Apalachee High School boys basketball coach Kevin Morris was hoping Saturday’s win against Heritage might provide a spark for his team.
It appeared the spark was still burning Tuesday night as the Wildcats defeated visiting Cedar Shoals 46-32 in a defensive struggle.
“Defensively, we played really well,” Morris said. “To hold them to 32 points is an accomplishment.”
How effective was the AHS defensive pressure Tuesday? Consider the fact Cedar Shoals was just 5-of-30 from the floor in the second half and had only one basket in the fourth quarter.
Morris decided to give the Jaguars a different look and went to a zone.
“When we got up we tried to steal a few minutes,” the Wildcat coach said. “They didn’t attack the zone to start with. It took them some time to adjust. It was the first time in years we’ve played a zone. No one expects us to come out playing it.”
Morris said John Ansley played well on the defensive end, especially in the fourth quarter, at the top of the 1-3-1.
The game was sluggish offensively throughout. Neither team scored until the 5:02 mark of the first quarter. AHS led 8-2 after the first eight minutes and 14-10 at halftime.
The Wildcats moved in front by eight points after the third quarter and outscored Cedar Shoals 17-11 in the fourth.
Ansley finished with a game-high 14 points while Nelson Gibson added 11. DeVaugn Kilgore finished with seven and Rakim Peters added six.
The AHS coaches praised the effort of Dennis Pritchard coming off the bench running the point and having two assists and two steals.
Morris did not like the fact his team was just 8-of-23 from the free throw line.
