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So close, yet so far: Wolves overcome 16-point deficit in fourth, drop playoff opener, 79-77
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
With 4:23 remaining in Tuesday night's bi-district boys basketball playoff game against Richardson and trailing by 16 points, Plano West head coach Anthony Morgan had a simple message for his team.
"We've still got time," he said.
He was just about right as the Wolves moved to within one point in the final minute, but couldn't come all the way back in the Eagles' 79-77 victory.
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West had pulled to within one point late in the third quarter, but Richardson ended with an 8-0 run that included a pair of three pointers to take a 54-45 lead heading into the fourth. The Eagles, paced by 27 points from Nylan Yancy and 24 from Brandon Scott, continued their surge to establish a 16-point cushion.
"We called a timeout and I told the guys to focus on the deficit in chunks," Morgan said. "In the next minute and a half get it down under 10, then get it down to six."
The Wolves abided with their own lengthy run that included eight consecutive points from sophomore DJ Hogg, who led all scorers with 28 points. After a 3-pointer from senior AJ Lozano (who scored eight points), steal and dunk by Hogg, Richardson turnover and an and-1 by sophomore Soso Jamabo, West had moved to within 75-74 with 42 seconds to go.
West wouldn't take the lead though as Scott hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession and then the Wolves turned the ball over and Scott hit another two from the charity stripe.
"We had a pass inside that just went off our leg," Morgan said. "That really hurt."
It wasn't the first time turnovers had hurt the Wolves as they fell behind early following a first quarter in which they gave the ball up eight times.
"We got off to a poor start," Morgan said. "There might have been some nerves early, but the guys bounced back."
Ahead after the first quarter, 17-16, Richardson extended its advantage to 37-31 by the break. But West closed the gap again in the third thanks to Jamabo, who scored 26, continually getting to the rim and Hogg alternating between layups and 3-pointers.
"That was another good run for us," Morgan said.
Both teams had another spurt in them, which gave Richardson (in the postseason for the first time since 1999) a 79-77 victory.
"After the game, we talked about playoff basketball and how every possession counts at this stage," Morgan said. "We lost by one basket and we have to look at all the unforced errors we had before that."
Tuesday's loss marks the first time West hasn't won at least one playoff game since Morgan's initial season with the Wolves in 2006-07.
"Of course we are disappointed to lose," Morgan said. "But we have no playoff experience with this group and a lot of people didn't even expect us to make it this far, so I'm still proud of the guys."
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