The Wheeler Wildcats traveled to South Cobb High School last night for a couple of important regional basketball games against the Eagles. The teams had already faced each other early in the season at Wheeler, with a win for each of the schools: the Eagle girls and the Wildcat boys. The rematch proved to be an exciting next chapter.

The competition in Region 6-6A is tough this year. Besides usual contenders Sprayberry, Kell, and Pope, the Cobb 6A girls have to play up-and-coming Osborne and Lassiter. Add Wheeler and South Cobb to an already stacked 9-team region and you've got the recipe for a lot of exciting girls basketball in Cobb. 

The girls got the evening started in Eagle Arena. Both Wheeler and South Cobb were entering the game with four region wins and desperately needing a fifth. With a difficult regional run facing them to close out the regular season, it will be a tight race for that coveted fourth playoff spot in the region. A Wildcat loss in early December left a bitter taste for the Wheeler girls and they entered with focus and determination.

A relatively even first half ended with South Cobb hanging onto a slim lead, 27-25. Although Wheeler was boarding well and taking away second chance Eagle shots, they also couldn't get many of their own shots to drop. Halftime adjustments and a refocus speech from Wildcat head coach Earlando Courtney would prove to be the key. Wheeler outscored South Cobb 17-9 in the third quarter to take the lead that they would never relinquish. The Wildcat ladies won the first game 58-45 to avenge the December loss as well as grab their fifth region win of the season.

After a brief intermission and warm-up, the boys teams took the court for the main event. Both of these teams have size and speed, but Wheeler has a serious height-advantage with not one, but two, 6' 9" players in Cameron Brown and Arrinten Page. The game experience of Isaiah Collier and Juvon Gamory is unrivaled as both of them were integral pieces in Wheeler's back-to-back championship teams in 2020 and 2021. With veteran coach Larry Thompson managing the game, Wheeler looks every bit the part as the 6A team to beat in 2022.

First-year Eagle coach Hollis Bethea had his team ready and prepared for the challenge. The Eagle boys matched the speed and rebounds of the Wildcats and held them to a 22-point first half. The bad news was that South Cobb could only muster 16 points of their own. They kept the Wildcat offense off-balance, but couldn't capitalize with scoring drives of their own. 

Like the girls, the Wheeler boys came to life in the second half, extending their lead to nine points by the end of the third quarter. By the middle of the fourth, the lead was 21 and both coaches started giving their bench some court time. Wheeler claimed the victory, 64-38, to remain undefeated in region play, 11-0. The Eagles dropped to 3-9 in the region, with a huge uphill battle in front of them to make it to the postseason. 

Wheeler hosts Sprayberry on Friday, while South Cobb travels to Allatoona. The girls game at Wheeler will feature Sprayberry's all-star and newly announced McDonald's All-American Flau'Jae Johnson. The boys game at Allatoona will be a regional showdown with postseason hopes on the line. Pick a game and get out there on Friday to watch some of the best high school basketball in the state.