Whitehaven defeats White Station, will play Memphis Central for district title
Whitehaven’s defensive tenacity frustrated White Station from the jump, resulting into turnovers and easy scores on the break for the Tigers. After a close first half, Whitehaven pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to the 66-45 victory to…
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Continue ReadingWhitehaven’s defensive tenacity frustrated White Station from the jump, resulting into turnovers and easy scores on the break for the Tigers.
After a close first half, Whitehaven pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to the 66-45 victory to setup a District 16-AAA Tournament Championship showdown with Memphis Central, which defeated Memphis East, 56-49, on Tuesday night.
The Tigers had five players to score in double figures.
Here are 3 observations from Whitehaven’s win over the Spartans:
The Tigers’ defense is their offense
From the start of the game, Whitehaven pressed White Station’s guards and forced them into turnovers. The Tigers took advantage of those turnovers and turned them into easy scores on the other end. Whitehaven has played like that all season long and has always thrived on speeding the game up and forcing turnovers. When the speed of the game goes in the Tigers’ favor, they’re pretty much unbeatable and special to watch.
Whitehaven had 5 players to score in double figures
The Tigers are unselfish. Every player on the floor gets opportunities to score. Senior guard Kavion McClain led Whitehaven with 16 points. He had a monster dunk late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. Senior guard Ragi Phillips finished with 12. Sophomore guard Kristain Spencer added 11, including a dunk on the break. Spencer was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim. Senior guards Jesse Payne and Alvin Miles each finished with 10.
Whitehaven made Amauri Abner work all night
The Tigers didn’t allow senior guard Amauri Abner to get easy looks from the outside. Whitehaven face-guarded him for the entire game and contested all of his shots at the rim. Abner led the Spartans with 13 points, but those points were difficult to come by. He also had some costly turnovers that went in the Tigers’ favor. Junior wing Davon Barnes added 12.
Recruiting information: Christian Brothers University was in attendance Wednesday night to see Payne, McClain and Miles. Payne has already been offered by the Bucs.
Other notes: Whitehaven will have its hands full with senior forward Xavier Joubert, who’s coming off a 16-point performance in the Warriors’ win over the Mustangs. Sophomore point guard Amarr Knox has emerged as one of the best scoring guards in the city of Memphis. On any given night, he can score between 25-30 points.