Missing every player who scored in last year’s Class AAAAA championship loss to Miller Grove, Gainesville didn’t nearly have the horses to make it a game this time.
The Wolverines wasted no time taking advantage, using pressure defense and some hot outside shooting to cruise to a 66-23 win to start the playoffs and launch their pursuit of a state-record sixth straight title.
It was never close, as Miller Grove (24-5) held the Red Elephants (16-13) without a made field goal until less than a minute was left in the first quarter, forced 13 first-half turnovers and made 5 of 6 attempts from 3-point range in the first 16 minutes while taking a 39-10 lead into the half.
Much of the credit for that goes to the Wolverine defense, which used a full-court press and tight halfcourt defense along the perimeter to keep Gainesville’s ball handlers from getting comfortable.
“We wanted to force the tempo,” Miller Grove coach Sharman White said. “The way we did that was by creating some pressure. We knew they had a good guard with Luke (Maddox); we wanted to see what would happen if we applied a little pressure to the whole team. We were able to, fortunately, get some turnovers and get some easy baskets.”
Every one of Miller Grove’s second-quarter baskets came either in the paint or from beyond the 3-point arc, including a 25-foot Kendall Williams shot at the buzzer that served as an exclamation point.
If there was any doubt whether or not the Wolverines would be focused from the beginning of yet another title defense, the first 16 minutes made that answer clear.
“We were looking forward to it; we were amped up,” said Miller Grove senior guard Keith Pinckney, who scored a game-high 15 points. “Just ready to make this run and continue on. We came out here and handled business. This is the whole goal.”
They played like it early, and nothing changed in the third quarter, as the Wolverines opened up the second half on a 15-2 run to add to the growing lead.
Unlike their back-and-forth 61-57 win over Gainesville to close out last season, Miller Grove was able to empty the bench in this one, getting plenty of players some into the game during the fourth quarter, and White hopes that will pay dividends later.
“That’s what it’s all about, getting some guys some state playoff experience,” White said. “Some of those guys got some and got some great minutes. They did some good things out there. Of course, it wasn’t our first-line guys, but it was guys we might have to use at some point in the state playoffs, whether it’s for a minute or a possession.”
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