Wiggins sparks Wesleyan’s boys
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — The Wesleyan Christian boys needed to light a fire, and Aaron Wiggins provided the spark.
Wiggins scored a career-high 34 points — including 16 points during the pivotal third quarter — as the second-seeded Trojans rallied in the second half to beat seventh-seeded Ravenscroft 81-60 in the NCISAA 3A state tournament quarterfinals Saturday at Wesleyan.
In the girls game, second-seeded Wesleyan built a slim lead in the first half and, keyed by its defense, raced away in the second half to beat 10th-seeded Forsyth Country Day 59-37 and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2008.
“Second half was great; first half we couldn’t check anybody,” Trojans boys coach Keith Gatlin said. “We keep telling our guys: Until they take pride in playing great defense, we’re not going to get where we want to go. The same way we took advantage of their big guy was the same way they did to us. They spread us out.
“We had to play good defense — that’s all it was,” he said of the early second-half run. “There’s no secret. I’ve said it for eight years — if you don’t defend, then you don’t have a chance. ... It wasn’t a boost for us, because we know we can do it. But, when you’re dealing with teenagers, they have to lock in the whole time.”
In addition to Wiggins, Jaylen Hoard (18 points) and David Caraher (13 points) also scored in double figures as Wesleyan (27-4) advanced to face third-seeded Providence Day, which beat High Point Christian in the state championship last year, on Friday at 7 p.m. at Charlotte Country Day.
The Trojans, who were ousted by the Ravens last year in the quarterfinals, trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before pulling within 39-32 at halftime. They scored the first 15 points of the second half — keyed by a flurry of turnovers and baskets — to lead 47-39 with 5:05 left in the third.
“At halftime, we just picked each other up and found our energy,” said Wiggins, a junior in his first season after transferring from Grimsley. “Defensively, we picked it up, got steals and got into the open court. When we get into the open court, it’s really hard to stop us. So, we were able to get good shots, as far as ball movement, and things just came together.
“It was really big,” he said of the defense. “Because, coming out in the third quarter, we forced five or six turnovers in a row. So, just that energy on the defensive end turns into offensive plays. It was definitely a really big factor in getting the win.”
Wesleyan extended its lead to 13 late in the third, then scored on nine of its first 11 possessions to lead by as many 22 points with two minutes left in the game. Ian Dubose scored 17 points to lead Ravenscroft (19-10), followed by Jack Hemphill with 12 points and Chris Barnette with 11 points.
“We played (Providence Day) before without Aaron,” Gatlin said, referencing his team’s four-point win to start the season. “We played well and got the win. But if we don’t defend the basketball, then we’re not going to go where we want to go. So,
we have to defend the basketball.”
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — The Wesleyan Christian boys needed to light a fire, and Aaron Wiggins provided the spark.
Wiggins scored a career-high 34 points — including 16 points during the pivotal third quarter — as the second-seeded Trojans rallied in the second half to beat seventh-seeded Ravenscroft 81-60 in the NCISAA 3A state tournament quarterfinals Saturday at Wesleyan.
In the girls game, second-seeded Wesleyan built a slim lead in the first half and, keyed by its defense, raced away in the second half to beat 10th-seeded Forsyth Country Day 59-37 and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2008.
“Second half was great; first half we couldn’t check anybody,” Trojans boys coach Keith Gatlin said. “We keep telling our guys: Until they take pride in playing great defense, we’re not going to get where we want to go. The same way we took advantage of their big guy was the same way they did to us. They spread us out.
“We had to play good defense — that’s all it was,” he said of the early second-half run. “There’s no secret. I’ve said it for eight years — if you don’t defend, then you don’t have a chance. ... It wasn’t a boost for us, because we know we can do it. But, when you’re dealing with teenagers, they have to lock in the whole time.”
In addition to Wiggins, Jaylen Hoard (18 points) and David Caraher (13 points) also scored in double figures as Wesleyan (27-4) advanced to face third-seeded Providence Day, which beat High Point Christian in the state championship last year, on Friday at 7 p.m. at Charlotte Country Day.
The Trojans, who were ousted by the Ravens last year in the quarterfinals, trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before pulling within 39-32 at halftime. They scored the first 15 points of the second half — keyed by a flurry of turnovers and baskets — to lead 47-39 with 5:05 left in the third.
“At halftime, we just picked each other up and found our energy,” said Wiggins, a junior in his first season after transferring from Grimsley. “Defensively, we picked it up, got steals and got into the open court. When we get into the open court, it’s really hard to stop us. So, we were able to get good shots, as far as ball movement, and things just came together.
“It was really big,” he said of the defense. “Because, coming out in the third quarter, we forced five or six turnovers in a row. So, just that energy on the defensive end turns into offensive plays. It was definitely a really big factor in getting the win.”
Wesleyan extended its lead to 13 late in the third, then scored on nine of its first 11 possessions to lead by as many 22 points with two minutes left in the game. Ian Dubose scored 17 points to lead Ravenscroft (19-10), followed by Jack Hemphill with 12 points and Chris Barnette with 11 points.
“We played (Providence Day) before without Aaron,” Gatlin said, referencing his team’s four-point win to start the season. “We played well and got the win. But if we don’t defend the basketball, then we’re not going to go where we want to go. So,
we have to defend the basketball.”
