WICHITA, Kan.—
By the final quarter of Tuesday night’s game against South, Northwest fans were shouting: “Deny! Deny! D-E-N-Y!” The Grizzlies had stopped South’s defense and made their comeback finish to end it 58-46.
For teams like Wichita South (0-10) competing in the Greater Wichita Athletic League isn’t easy.
“It’s a testament to this league,” Northwest head coach Chris Collins said. “It’s so tough from top to bottom. With teams like South, they don’t get the credit that they deserve. They have great coaching and some really good kids. They put their shorts and their tops on just like we do. You cannot look past any opponent.”
After taking a heavy beating (83-39) against Northwest on Dec. 16, South was coming out with revenge on its mind in Tuesday night’s home game against the Grizzlies.
“The last time we played them, we beat them pretty bad,” senior Kendrick Miller said, “so we knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy.”
For the first few minutes of the night, both teams battled it out for a lead. South was making shot after shot, and it didn’t help that Northwest was making traveling errors and air balls. South was able to finish out the quarter with the 18-11 lead.
“We didn’t come out with enough energy like we were supposed to,” said Miller, who finished the game with nine points.
Their lead continued from there. The only scoring Northwest was able to put on the board was lay-ups, and it still wasn’t enough. It was clear the Titans held the momentum, especially after a deep three at the buzzer to end the half 33-23.
“I didn’t go there yelling and screaming like a lot of people thought,” Collins said about his half-time discussion. “I just reminded them of what we had talked about in pre-game. So yeah, I had something to say, but it was rather brief.”
However brief Collins’ talk was it sparked something in his team. It was a Craig Nicholson (23 points) three-pointer, followed shortly by another Nicholson lay-up with 5:32 in the third quarter, which started the Northwest comeback. By then, the momentum had shifted.
Senior Spencer Gales—who had 17 points at the end of the night—stuffed three consecutive dunks that brought the crowd to their feet. Now it was a whole different ball game.
“We started playing defense in the second half, and that defense turned into offense,” Miller said. “When we got on that run, that’s when I knew we were going to get them.”
And the Northwest guys didn’t lose it in the last quarter. With a collection of stops on the defensive end, the team was able to convert it to baskets.
“I’m pleased with their resilience and their effort. I’m proud of those guys…for bringing that passion. We are a little bit happier than we were 30 minutes ago,” Collins said after the game.
In order to look forward, Collins hopes that his team will be able to continue playing like they did in their very first game against South; a consistent tempo and with the Grizzlies controlling the entire game. Not just half of it.
“It’s just about putting an entire game together, and we have that in us, we have that ability. We’ve got to get better at putting longer stretches together. That’s going to be the key.”
Up next, the Northwest boys will be playing West at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at home.
