CHILDRESS – When it was time to rise to the occasion Friday night, the West Plains Wolves left no doubt where they stood, even as a fourth-year program.
As a result, they’re two wins away from a state championship.
After a close first half in their Region I-4A Division I final against Burkburnett, the Wolves didn’t mess around in the second half. They took over at both ends of the court to cruise to a 63-40 victory and continue the best season so far in school history.
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West Plains (31-4) will face defending state champion Dallas Kimball (21-11) in the state semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wichita Falls Legacy High School.
Defense was the foundation for the Wolves against Burkburnett (31-6), especially in the second half when they gave up only 17 points. The Bulldogs never looked comfortable offensively against West Plains.
“They’ve got two really good offensive players, one who scores almost 30 points a game and one who scores almost 25,” West Plains coach Kendall Cogburn said of the Bulldogs. “The key was taking those guys away and that’s easier said than done. They’re a 31-win team, but we’ve got defenders who can lock in and execute a game plan and get it done.”
A taste of that came in the first half, featuring the type of defensive intensity which the hallmark of teams making it this far into the postseason. Neither team led by more than six points as West Plains clung to a 25-23 lead at intermission.
Burkburnett took a 4-0 lead out of the gate, but West Plains was able to overcome some early tightness. Reid Macon took over offensively for the Wolves in the first quarter with six points as they led 12-9 at the end of the first.
Taking the reins is nothing new for the senior Macon, who was a four-year starter at quarterback in football and reached the state semifinals there as a junior.
“Experience is a big difference,” said Macon, who scored a game-high 20 points. “We know what we’re doing and where and when we’re supposed to be doing it. That’s what we talk about all the time in the locker room is discipline and we did that really well tonight.”
The Bulldogs got hot from outside and reclaimed the lead early in the third quarter, 15-12. Ayden White carried Burkburnett with 11 points in the second quarter, including three 3-pointers.
West Plains countered by going inside to Ethan Gilliam. He led the Wolves with 12 points in the first half, including eight in the second quarter.
Gilliam was a major factor inside for West Plains with 17 points.
“The start of the game we were trying to look for the gaps in their zone and find the open man,” Gilliam said. “I didn’t think they could guard me down there honestly. Every time that the guards doubled down on me I just went up strong and tried to get a foul and finish the basket.”
As close as the game was in the first half, there were few clues that the Wolves would dominate the way they did in the second half. Burkburnett hit five 3-pointers in the first half, but went cold from beyond the arc in the second, hitting only one.
Burkburnett’s two leading scorers, Kingston Gould and White respectively, both scored in double figures with 16 and 13 points, but that was just a little over half of their season averages. It didn’t help that the rest of the team only managed 11 points against the Wolves.
“It was definitely West Plains defense,” said Burkburnett coach James Moseley in describing his team’s shooting struggles. “They’re so tall, big, strong and physical and had a great game plan. We had two good shooters and they doubled them. I knew that they were an incredible defensive team.”
West Plains hit only four 3-pointers, but two of them were timely. Late in the third quarter, Nikko Larra came off the bench to make a pair of threes which boosted the West Plains lead to 47-32.
Burkburnett never got closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter, even though the Wolves only made two field goals in that time.
“In the second half we had better spacing and got to the foul line,” Cogburn said. “We did the little things right.”
So proficient were the Wolves defensively in the fourth quarter when they out the game away that Gould was the only Burkburnett player to score in the period, as he had eight points.
West Plains never looked in serious trouble at any time. Whatever the situation was, they handled it like a team which is headed to the state semifinals.
“These guys have done that all year long,” Cogburn said. “We always say winners know why they win and part of that is adherence to game plan. These guys get it and they know each week is a little different but they know how to lock in. I’m so proud of them.”
Perhaps it was destiny which explains the fast ascent of the program. West Plains has been successful in every sport from the start, and basketball is proving no exception.
As a result, Macon, Kaden Hooker and Boston Ladd, who also starred for three years in football, are going to have to wait to make their season debuts for the school’s highly-regarded baseball team, which begins District 4-4A play next Thursday. Change of season doesn’t mean change of expectations for multisport athletes.
“It’s special,” Macon said. “It means history. Last year in this building in the same locker room we got sent home (in a 69-62 loss to Decatur). We’ve got one more round and we’ve got a chance to win a gold medal.
“The pressure is lifted off your shoulders because you’ve been there before. You know what you’re doing and ultimately it comes down to winning. Winners know why they win and it becomes contagious.”
Hooker added 10 points for West Plains.