Wimberley High School’s Coach Mike Whitten came out of the HoopFest tournament prepared for a fight.
Playing to a second place finish while battling against a few strong teams gave his squad experience and momentum going into last Tuesday’s game against an always-strong Boerne Greyhound team. The district championship usually boils down to street fights between Boerne, Wimberley and Fredericksburg — with the 2023 season appearing to be no different.
The Texans stormed out to a strong lead behind team speed, strong defense and smart shooting. They were up eight points when Borne hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to close the gap to 13-8 heading into the second quarter.
Coach Whitten commented on the momentum shift that took place in the second quarter.
“As the game progressed, I thought we started turning the ball over too much, taking chances that looked good but as soon as the ball leaves your hands, they close in on it,” he explained. “In the second and third quarter, we had way too many turnovers that definitely hurt us and let them get back into the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot very well.”
“We had a lot of good opportunities around the basket and some good looks from the perimeter, and they didn’t go in,” Whitten continued. “They just weren’t falling. When they come down and make shots, and you don’t make shots, it’s tough.”
The Greyhounds scored 17 in the second quarter to the Texans nine points, leading 2225 at halftime. They extended the lead in the third to head into the fourth quarter up 28-37.
“I don’t think it was an effort thing. The team played really hard, put out a solid effort and were competing,” Whitten said. “It just came down to them making more shots than we did. And some of those shots were timely.”
Figuring out the Boerne zone defense and developing a work around emerged in the fourth quarter. Whitten admired the tenacity of his team and their willingness to fight to keep the game close. To that effort, the starters had to stay in which began to take a toll on their legs and conditioning. With limited practices and still not in basketball shape, some football players came in to give the starters a break.
“Nate Brooks comes out and he just gets after it. He struggled with his shooting but I never doubt his defense. The kid’s all over the place,” Whitten said. “He’s busting his rear end, playing hard. I thought he did a great job while he was in, affecting the game in any way he could.”
Texan scoring was led by Miles Schleder with 16 points, followed by Dane Hennessee with eight and Colin Fisher-Swan with five. Luke Watts led the team with three steals and three assists while Hennessee pulled down eight rebounds. Schleder, seven; Thomas Watson, five; and Swan, four, contributed to the Texans’ total of 30 rebounds. Swan added three blocks to the defensive ledger. The Texans caused 18 Greyhound turnovers but committed 22 of their own on a frustrating night. The Texans kept the score close in the fourth quarter but fell 37-47.
Whitten reflected on the play of his big men under the basket.
“I thought Colin did a great job,” he said. “Later on in the game, they got a bit tired. Early on all those guys — Colin, Thomas, Dane — were huge. There’s pressure when they catch the ball inside and the defense collapses in on them. They’re forced to make a quick decision and it’s tough, there’s no doubt. But I thought those guys were a big part of the game.”
“We’ll go watch some film, clean up our decision- making and come back strong at them at their place in a couple of weeks,” Whitten added. “We seem to play them better in their gym. I’m proud of their effort and I know the guys are gonna prepare to go down there and play hard.”
The Texan loss takes their record to 16-6 overall and 1-1 in district. The Texans played district opponent Navarro High School on Tuesday and are back in action at home Friday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. against Canyon Lake High School.
