Watson Chapel boys, girls beat visiting Warren in high school hoops

A halftime deficit didn’t stop Watson Chapel from picking up its third straight win Wednesday evening.

The Wildcat basketball team defeated Warren 63-55 at home with a third-quarter rally.

Coach Jevon Barnes said the Wildcats responded well in the second half after falling behind.

“We attacked the gaps better, was a little bit more stronger with the ball, and we finally started making some of those shots. Elijah Anderson made a few 3s that kind of opened up some things. We got a chance to utilize our bigs better.”

Watson Chapel (11-11, 7-2 in 4A-8) had four players finish in double figures. Armon Leavy led with 14 points. Kaylon Cannon scored 12, Joseph Dockett scored 11, and Jabaree Smith finished with 10.

Warren (6-4, 6-3) got 24 points from A.J. Jordan and 19 from Tramond Miller. Jordan’s shooting helped the Lumberjacks take the lead, but the Wildcats got him into foul trouble. He fouled out with 4:13 remaining in the game.

Barnes said getting Jordan into foul trouble was part of the plan.

“He’s really good, and they look for him,” Barnes said. “His presence on the court is just dynamic for them, so if you can get him out, the morale of their team kind of changes. So, that was our game plan from the beginning. We have to find some type of way to get him out the way.”

The Wildcats scored first, but Warren went on a run to take an 11-7 lead. The Wildcats cut it to 13-11 by the end of the first, then scored the first 6 points of the second to take the lead. The teams battled back-and-forth, but Warren led 29-24 at halftime after scoring the final 5 points of the half.

Leavy, a senior, said a 5-point halftime deficit is nothing to the Wildcats.

“This isn’t our first time being down,” Leavy said. “We done seen way worse. We been trained for this. We’re built for this. Being down 5 ain’t nothing to us. We came back, and we kept working. Didn’t give up at all.”

Watson Chapel hung around early in the third quarter before taking a 39-37 lead with a quick 6-0 run, forcing a Warren timeout. The Lumberjacks took the lead from the free throw line, but a free throw by Dockett and a shot by Leavy in the final two minutes of the third put the Wildcats back in front, and they led 46-43 after the third.

Jordan opened the fourth with a game-tying 3-pointer, but Dockett and Anderson hit shots to put Watson Chapel in the lead for good.

The Wildcats led by as much as 10 points in the fourth. Two late free throws by Smith made it a three-possession game with 27 seconds to play, and Watson Chapel closed out the win.

GIRLS

Watson Chapel 49, Warren 18

For the second straight day, the Watson Chapel girls basketball team played stifling defense to pick up a dominant conference win.

Watson Chapel took down Warren 49-18 at home Wednesday afternoon, one day after dominating Crossett 39-2 on the road. Wednesday’s game was originally scheduled for Jan. 19 but was postponed due to winter weather.

Lady Wildcats coach Leslie Henderson said she has been pleased with the defense in these past two games.

“We’ve been working on our press, whether it’s a man press or a zone press,” Henderson said. “Really been preaching that as far as angles and trying to stay out of foul trouble. We do kind of get a little foul-prone, so we’ve been working hard on it.”

Sophomore guard Maranda Emerson led Watson Chapel (19-6, 8-1 in 4A-8) with 14 points. Kha’leyce Cooper followed with 9, and Jayla Rodgers scored 8.

Warren (3-12, 2-7) never led. Watson Chapel scored the first 6 points and went on to lead 20-4 after the first quarter. The Lady Wildcats ended the quarter on a 12-0 run partially fueled by two Emerson 3-pointers. Watson Chapel’s scoring slowed down temporarily to start the second quarter but picked up in the final 2 minutes, which saw the Lady Wildcats end the half on a 10-2 run and lead 39-9 at halftime.

Officials instituted a running clock for the second half. Watson Chapel led 43-15 after the third quarter. In the fourth, Alexiah Anderson and Maya Peoples came off the bench to hit 3-pointers.

After playing two games in two days, Watson Chapel will return to action Friday at home against Stuttgart. Henderson said the Lady Wildcats have more depth than some other teams, which will help them keep the players fresh during this busy week.

“Last night, we just got lucky that it wasn’t a tough game and I got to play everybody again,” Henderson said. “Tonight, I got to play everybody, so that helps in this kind of week.”