FLORENCE — Last Friday, Wilson and West Florence played a close game for one quarter before the Tigers rolled to an easy win.
On Friday, the two squads met again in boys basketball action. And it was a close game for a half before Wilson asserted its dominance in a 56-40 victory.
Despite the win, Tigers coach Bob Wilson was impressed by the vast improvement in Bion Shoemaker’s West team.
“Early in the season, you usually see improvement in a lot of teams. And West made such an improvement in one week,” said Wilson, whose team beat the Knights 80-48 last Friday. “We forced a lot of turnovers against them in the first meeting.
“West is a good team that’s going to give a lot of teams some problems this season.”
In a mirror image of the first meeting, poor Wilson shooting combined with West’s Princeton-styled offense kept the game close and competitive. The Knights and Tigers were tied 10-10 after one period.
In the second quarter, Wilson (7-0) continued to keep the Knights in the game with missed layups and jumpers. Alan-Michael Thompson helped give the Tigers enough offense, however, to hand his team a 27-21 halftime advantage.
Brackett and Thompson found their shots in the third quarter, combining to score 11 points as Wilson opened a 45-28 lead after three.
Thompson finished with 19 points to lead Wilson. Brackett and Trevonte Dixon added 10 and nine points, respectively.
“Shot selection was the key in the second half,” Wilson said. “We moved the ball around more, and I was pleased with that. We made better shots.“
Jonathon Gardner led West Florence (1-4) with 13 points, and Jason Ham followed with 11.
“We are getting better,” Shoemaker said. “My team always struggles at the beginning because the system is so complicated.
“But when we get to the Carolina Classic, our players are going to get better because we practice it more.”
Wilson hosts Mullins on Tuesday, while West hosts Darlington on Wednesday.
Girls
Wilson 55, West Florence 17
Even without coach Ann Talbert on the sidelines because of illness, the Tigers (3-0) mixed relentless defense with a balanced offense to hammer the Knights for the second time in seven days.
“They were inspired by her, not me. They wanted to play for her tonight,” said Wilson assistant Corey Morrison, who is 3-0 coaching in Talbert’s absence.
“They’re a work in progress, and they continue to get better.”
Courtney McClain scored 10 points to lead Wilson, who has outscored West 120-38 in two games this season. Lauren Green added nine points. Brittany Davis and Tish White each followed with seven.
Wilson’s defense stifled West’s young squad to the point of frustration. The Knights (1-4) didn’t reach double digits until Megan Gold’s putback of a miss at the 3:29 mark of the third period.
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