Wheeler holds on against Peachtree Ridge

Wheeler forward Ari Stewart will tell it to you straight, with no chaser. He wants Norcross.

And he’ll get his wish Saturday night in the Class AAAAA quarterfinals at West Georgia. But first, Stewart and his teammates had to get past Peachtree Ridge (18-8) in the second round Wednesday night. They did so, 64-53.

But it wasn’t easy, as Stewart acknowledged afterward. Wheeler (22-7) held a 13-point lead at one point, but Peachtree Ridge stayed relatively close all night, getting 21 points from Khalid Mutakabbir and 20 from C.J. Blackwell.

“They gave us a nice game. A really nice game, especially in the first half,” Stewart said of the pesky Lions, who trailed the Wildcats 20-18 at halftime. “The worst thing you can do is give a team some confidence, especially in your own house.

“But we came out in the second half and turned up our intensity. We did what we had to do.”

Stewart was the catalyst for the Wildcats, leading all scorers with 25 points — eight of those on dunks, including a one-handed windmill with less then 10 seconds to play. He also had two alley-oop dunks, courtesy of passes from point guard Phil Taylor.

“It’s something Phil sees, and then he just gives me a look. He just stares at me,” Stewart said. “That’s when I know it’s time to go back door.”

And now it’s time to go to Carrollton to face Norcross, the team that has eliminated Wheeler from the playoffs the last two seasons. Last season, Norcross defeated the Wildcats 57-54 in the Class AAAAA title game.

“Personally, I want Norcross,” said Stewart, who will play at Wake Forest next season. “Losing to them the last two years has left a bad taste in my mouth.”