Certain basketball teams live and die by the 3-point shot, and West Wilkes was living it up against Surry Central on Feb. 15.
The Blackhawks knocked down 12 3-pointers while shooting better than 46% from beyond the arc to defeat the Surry Central 69-59. This came just two days after West Wilkes made 13 3-pointers in an 87-56 victory against Forbush.
The win gives the Hawks the edge over the Eagles in their season series.
West Wilkes (13-12), the No. 2 seed in the Foothills 2A Conference Tournament, advances to the championship game to face No. 1 North Surry (24-1) on Feb. 17. Surry Central falls to 18-7 overall and will face East Surry (12-11) in a third-place tiebreaker.
West has now won seven of its past eight games after starting the season 6-11. The Blackhawks’ only loss in the past 30 days was a 102-60 defeat at the hands of North Surry.
West Wilkes had the game’s two leading scorers: Andin Ashford with 22 points and Harrison Holbrook with 21 points. Holbrook scored all his points in the first half, while Ashford scored 18 of his 22 in the second half.
Even with West’s wild shooting numbers, Surry Central only trailed by four points with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Central had to adjust its lineup in the second half after forward/center Josh Pardue left the game with an injury in the second quarter. Pardue is one of four Eagles averaging double-digit points, leads the team in offensive rebounds and blocks, and is third in assists. His 2.4 blocks per game ranks No. 4 in the 2A West and No. 28 in the state overall.
Pardue had five points, five rebounds, two steals and three blocks when he left the game at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter.
Jacob Mitchell, Central’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, and leading scorer Tripp McMillen split duties at center in Pardue’s absence, though McMillen usually plays small forward/point forward for the Eagles. The pair combined for eight points and eight rebounds in the third quarter, but Central had trouble keeping up with a West team that hit five 3-pointers in the same span.
The Blackhawks’ moved to a 2-3 zone to make attacking the basket that much harder on the Eagles. Guards Ayden Wilmoth, Adam Hege and Mason Jewell each hit jump shots in the quarter, while Hege and Wilmoth each added 3-pointers.
Central went down 58-47 after West Wilkes’ Daniel Lambert hit a 3-pointer. Jewell responded by scoring off an offensive rebound, which sparked a 7-2 run for Central that saw McMillen score inside and Wilmoth knock down his third triple of the night.
Even after West scored again, Hege drilled a 3-pointer and Jewell converted an old-fashioned 3-point play. Jewell’s made free throw with 2:12 to play cut the Blackhawk lead to 63-59.
Central wouldn’t score again in the game. The Eagles missed three 3-point attempts and turned the ball over twice in the final two minutes, meanwhile West’s Ashford scored the final six points.
McMillen and Mitchell each finished with double-doubles. McMillen had 14 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high 5 assists, while Mitchell had 12 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Jewell led Surry Central with three steals, and Pardue led the way with three blocks despite not playing the second half.
Scoring
(3) Surry Central – 16, 14, 16, 13 = 59
(2) West Wilkes – 17, 19, 19, 14 = 69
SC: Tripp McMillen 14, Jacob Mitchell 12, Ayden Wilmoth 11, Mason Jewell 7, Josh Pardue 5
WW: Andin Ashford 22, Harrison Holbrook 21, Daniel Lambert 13, Jaheim McDougald 6, Jayden Walker 5, Cal Crumpto 2
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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