Top 3 in the State!

The Wheeler Varsity Boys Basketball program has started their season off with a bang! Although having the satisfying record of 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the region is excellent, being ranked number 3 in the state and number 89 in the nation, is even better. Despite the one loss against Meadowcreek, the team has found a way to bounce back and keep a nine-game winning streak alive. Wheeler has stepped over a few highly anticipated teams along the direction of earning their spot of number 3 in the state.

 The first highly anticipated team Wheeler beat was the Norcross Blue Devils. Norcross ended the 2017-2018 season as being ranked number 4 in the state and number 86 in the nation. Knowing this information, Wheeler knew they had a lot of work to do to prepare for this game. The Wildcats started the game stable, aggressive, and dominate. It is safe to say that the intense and crazy energy from the gym helped Wheeler easily take the lead against the Blue Devils and keep it the entire game. The Wildcats defeated the Blue Devils with a score of 62-55, the key players of this game were Roscoe Eastmond with 16 points and Sam Hineand Charles Smith IV with 10 points apiece

On the 23rd and 24th of November, Holy Innocents hosts an annual tournament called Hoopsgiving. This is an elite tournament showcasing multiple of the premier programs in Georgia. During this tournament, Wheeler had one of the most talked about games of the entire tournament, Wheeler versus Holy Spirit Prep. One of the Cougars key players is Anthony Edwards, who is top ten nationally ranked in the 2019 class. In an intense game that went into overtime, Wheeler found a way to pull another victory over the Holy Spirit Cougars, with a score of 76-69. The Wildcat high scorers were; Malachi Rhodes with 15 points, Charles Smith IV with 21 points, and Kenny Burns III with 18 points.

Although Wheelers’ conference may be small, it is full of super talented teams. One of the biggest contestants in this conference is Westlake High School. On Friday, December 7, the Wildcats made they made their way to Westlake for their second conference game of the season. The game went back and forth, at one point of the game Westlake had the lead and then seconds later Wheeler would. With seconds left within the game, Wheeler’s win would depend on the senior point-guard, Roscoe Eastmond, as he had the final free-throws of the game. Luckily, Eastmond hit them both and secured the win for the Wildcats with a score of 63-62. This game showed how Wheeler slowed the game down and took control. The high scorers of this game were; Sam Hines with 17 points, Kenny Burns III with 10 points, and Malachi Rhodes with 11 points.

To fulfill their goal of staying nationally ranked and staying ranked in top 3 in the state the Wildcats must keep their winning streak alive. Some upcoming games to look forward to are; Wheeler versus McEachern in the Tournament of Champions Showcase on December 15 and a rematch game against Westlake High School on January 23. Make sure to come and support the Wildcats as they keep playing through the season and keep their winning streak alive.