Whitehaven is heading back to state with win over Bartlett
For the second-consecutive season, Bartlett had home court advantage, with the opportunity to go to the state tournament. But for the second season in a row, Whitehaven, led by its head coach Faragi Phillips, stood in the Panthers way. The…
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Continue ReadingFor the second-consecutive season, Bartlett had home court advantage, with the opportunity to go to the state tournament.
But for the second season in a row, Whitehaven, led by its head coach Faragi Phillips, stood in the Panthers way. The Tigers won at Bartlett last season without their best player Matthew Murrell. But this season, Whitehaven had Murrell, who dropped 18 points on the Panthers in the 65-49 win Monday night.
The Tigers (24-7) are heading back to the TSSAA 3A State Tournament for the second-consecutive season and has done so by Bartlett’s expense. Whitehaven had to fight off a third quarter surge by the Panthers, who were led by senior point guard Sylvester Thompson. Thompson scored 10 points and got a handful of steals in the third quarter to help Bartlett erase a 29-15 deficit that quickly went to 33-17 after junior point guard Kavion McClain knocked down a 3 from the right wing.
The Panthers (31-3) took their first lead – 38-37 – since the early minutes of the first quarter off a 3 by senior point guard Wynne Brown Jr. But Murrell quickly put the Tigers back up 41-38 after he connected on a 3 as the final seconds of the third quarter ticked off the clock.
Murrell drained another 3 in the early minutes of the fourth quarter to push Whitehaven’s lead to 49-40, then two free throws by McClain made it 55-43. By that time, Thompson had fouled out for Bartlett, and the Panthers couldn’t seem to get anything going offensively. Some of the fans who came to support Bartlett’s postseason run started heading for the exits as the Tigers kept building their lead.
“You have to play the game. You can’t go by records, you can’t go by what people are saying,” Phillips said. “You have to game plan, you have to execute your game plan. You have to be disciplined, and I would like to think we did those things better than Bartlett tonight.”
Outside of the nine turnovers Whitehaven had in the third quarter, the Tigers outplayed the home team. After senior forward Rodney Mason Jr. knocked down a 3 to give the Panthers an early 6-3 lead to start the game, Whitehaven ran off 15 straight points that included two 3s by junior point guard Antwan Smith and one by Murrell, who got his 3 off a steal at midcourt as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers’ defense was just as impressive as their offense. Whitehaven forced Bartlett into 23 turnovers and was all over the glass. The Tigers limited senior forward and 3A Mr. Basketball finalist Antavion Collum to just six points.
Thompson and Brown Jr. led the Panthers with 12 points, but it wasn’t enough as Bartlett’s season, filled with championship aspirations, came to a halting end.
“We gave up nine offensive rebounds in the first half, and out of the nine, they scored four times,” Panthers head coach Dion Real said. “They just out-toughed us on the offensive glass.”
Senior forward and Georgia Southern commit Jalen Cincore didn’t score a single point in Monday night’s sectional game, and most of the turnovers came by the hands of the Panthers’ guards.
Junior guard Jesse Payne and McClain each had 10 points for Whitehaven.
Hard foul
In the third quarter, Murrell went up for a one-handed dunk, but Collum fouled him in mid-air, and Murrell came down hard on his head. Murrell sat on the floor, with his head down for at least three minutes before coming off the floor. Coach Phillips was furious and went after Collum. Phillips had to be restrained by his coaching staff and players. Phillips was given a technical foul.
Collum was called for an intentional foul.
After Murrell got up, he was still dazed by the fall and couldn’t shoot his free throws. Kevon Mullins took his spot at the foul line, going 1 for 2.
Postgame celebration
After the final buzzer sounded, the entire Whitehaven team plus one of the assistant coaches mobbed towards Bartlett’s student section. The students retaliated by throwing bottles at the players and coach. The two groups were separated by Bartlett Police Officers and faculty members of the school. Some of the parents were even saying coach Phillips started the mob, but video footage that made its way onto social media didn’t show Phillips being the leader.
Coach Real, kind of, talked about the incident as he was saying good things about his senior class.
“No one walking across the stage, no one walking across the court can take away what our guys have done the last four years,” Real said.
Bartlett is graduating 12 seniors off this year’s team and coach Real feels this senior class is one of the best group of kids he has coached during his time as a high school basketball coach.