Article by Greg Jaklewicz
Photos Courtesy of WylieSports.com
A 4–0 Run and a Statement Win
It really wasn’t the tournament championship game, but it was.
The Wylie High girls basketball team on Saturday afternoon completed a 4-0 run through the Stanley Whisenhunt tourney in the WHS gym, capped by a 40-32 over Class 5A No. 13 Leander Glenn.
Wylie was ranked No. 16 in the preseason state poll.
Both teams were 3-0 in tournament play coming into the final game on the tourney schedule.
When the 12-team tournament became a 10-team event, the bracket format went to the wayside. But that didn’t matter to coach Duane Hopper, whose team still played the teams he wanted to see test his Bulldogs.
Wylie was 27-6 last year and with its lineup intact, the Bulldogs are expected to be even better this year.
The tournament result moved Wylie farther up the road in that direction.
Hopper Hopped Up
Coming in 1-1 after a five-point loss to a salty Class 3A team, perennial powerhouse Wall, he wanted to see how players would respond to a loss against good competition.
Check. Check. Check. Check.
“Already I think we’re a completely different team,” Hopper said. He learned a lot about his players on the bench because a team needs depth in tournament play.
“I found out we’re pretty deep and we trust more girls … more girls deserve an opportunity,” he said.
Offensively, Hopper is content to see the scoring spread around.
“I think we played really well in transition. That’s our key to success on offense,” he said. “We’ve got to get the ball out and get going. Either create an advantage or create an advantage for the possession.”
Londyn Franklin and Joyah Maroney were named to the all-tournament team.
However, Hopper said the good play didn’t stop with them.
“I think we had other girls deserving of all-tournament, too,” he said. “I would say that everyone at some point this weekend contributed, whether it was for a two-minute segment or whether it was for four games.
“I think there are a lot of different roles on the team. All the girls contributed. Even the ones who don’t fill up the stat sheets or play as many minutes. They did what we asked of them.”
Wylie (5-1) resumes play Tuesday at home against Class 6A San Angelo Central. The homestand continues with games against Waco Midway and down-the-road rival Jim Ned.
(Thereza Enduki)
Gliding by Glenn
Wylie handed Glenn its first loss of the season. The Grizzlies had eked out a 48-47 tournament win against Lubbock-Cooper, which also is 5-1 after the tournament.
In its loss to Wall, Wylie fell behind by five points and the game played evenly the rest of the way. The Bulldogs put Glenn in that same position, taking a 15-3 first quarter lead. Glenn won the next two quarters, and it was a 27-22 game going into the fourth quarter.
Wylie got five points from Franklin and won the final period 13-10 to take the victory. Franklin scored 14 points to pace the Bulldogs. Thereza Eunduki added 8.
“I think we played really, really hard on defense,” Hopper said. “We made it tough on them to make shots.”
Glenn had a size advantage, but Wylie negated that with defense.
The Bulldogs were tough on defense, too.
“I think we struggled a little bit in the half-court” with Glenn’s man pressure, Hopper said. “But we made enough shots to obviously win the game.”
Defense was the theme of all four games. Wylie gave up 134 total points, or 33.5 a game. Hopper can live with his team giving 10 or fewer points a quarter.
(Londyn Franklin)
Thursday & Friday Game Recaps
Birdville – 51-35
The Bulldogs opened tournament play on Thursday with two wins, beating Birdville 51-35 in the morning and then Arlington Martin 54-32 in the afternoon.
Against Birdville, Wylie got 19 points from Franklin, who hit her last six free shots after missing the first two. Maroney chipped in 12 and was 5-of-6 from the line. As a team, Wylie sank 14 of 20 foul shots.
The game was evenly played in three quarters but Wylie outscored Birdville 19-8 in the third quarter to pull away from a 5-point halftime lead.
Arlington Martin – 54-32
A fast start again paid off against Martin, with Wylie leading 17-2 after the first quarter and 32-9 at halftime. Franklin had 15 points and Maroney 8 for Wylie.
Granbury – 68-35
On Friday morning, Wylie doubled up Granbury 68-35. Eduki led the way with 11 points.
Wylie hit 10 3-pointers and 10 players scored. A 23-13 second quarter broke open a tight game.
The Bulldogs sank all four foul shots taken.