The name of the game in postseason basketball play is win and advance.
The Apalachee High School boys basketball team did just that Tuesday night. After a somewhat sluggish first half, the Wildcats moved into a higher gear in the final two quarters to eliminate visitng Habersham Central 49-33.
AHS will face Heritage Saturday in the second round of the Region 8-AAAA tournament in a game played at Winder-Barrow High School.
“We did a much better job in the second half,” Wildcat coach Kevin Morris said. “We did well on the boards and limited their rebounding. They didn’t have many offensive rebounds.”
Dennis Whitley (15 points) and Chaun Gresham (14 points) paced AHS offensively. Morris said he was glad to see Whitley have a standout game from the floor.
Devaughn Kilgore added six points in Tuesday’s opening round win while Dillon Moon finished with five points.
Leading by only a point at halftime, the Wildcats built a nine-point cushion after the third quarter before closing the door on Habersham in the fourth.
“We did a better job defensively in the second half as well,” Morris said. “We pressed the ball in the passing lanes. We helped each other on defense. They had very few attempts that were not contests.”
The AHS coach was also pleased with the patience his team displayed on offense.
“I told the players when we made four or five passes we would make wide-open layups,” Morris said. “Being patient is the key for us.”
Up next for the Wildcats will be Heritage Saturday at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will be guaranteed a trip to the state tournament.
The Patriots are coached by Hall of Famer Ron Bradley, the state’s winningest coach.
Bradley was in attendance Tuesday night in Winder scouting the AHS-Habersham game in preparation for Saturday.
