Wando rallies past Bishop England

Wando coach Chris Warzynski took one final glance at the scoreboard after walking the postgame handshake line on Saturday and cracked a smile of relief. “All right,” Wando’s second-year head coach let out. “We needed this one.” It seems as though each game carries heavy weight as Wando rebuilds its basketball program. But before region play tips off and before the Christmas tournaments begin, defending home court against rival Bishop England ranked high on the Warriors’ to-do list. Wando rallied to defeat Bishop England, 59-52, Saturday in Mount Pleasant. The Warriors have won 16 of the past 17 over the Bishops and add to a home winning streak in the crosstown series that dates back to 2008. “We want to take it one game at a time and see what we can do and where we can take this thing,” Warzynski said. “This game was great in helping us get ready before region next week. We know it’s not going to be easy in our region. We’re going to have to fight through adversity at times, and I think you could see tonight that we’re learning how to do that.” Bishop England, ranked No. 6 in AAA, led 21-6 after the first quarter off two 3-pointers from Christian Drummond, another from Leo Albano and a nine-point frame from SCBCA preseason AAA Top 5 selection Brendan McHale. Wando ramped up its defensive pressure by the start of the second quarter and rallied back to within a point, 25-24, with an 18-4 run through the first six minutes. After managing just three field goals in the first quarter, Wando had six players score in the second, including Aaron Randle, who tallied eight of his game-high 17 points in the frame. “They could have quit when we jumped out on them in the first quarter. They stuck to their game plan and fought back,” Bishop England coach Bryan Grevey said. “Wando plays hard and doesn’t quit. We knew that but didn’t respond the way we needed to.” Joe Jenrette gave Wando its first lead of the game, 47-45, with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Drummond answered on the following possession with a basket and the free throw to reclaim a 48-47 Bishops’ advantage. Randle then countered with a pair of free throws a minute later and Wando never trailed again. Wando’s 22-point fourth quarter was its most productive of the game. Six players scored at least two points and the Warriors shot 7-of-11 from the free throw line after going 3-of-7 through the first three quarters. More importantly to Warzynski, though, was the Warriors’ defense. After scoring 21 points in the opening quarter, Bishop England didn’t score more than 11 in any of the final three. The Bishops shot just 50 percent from the free-throw line in the second half after netting 11-of-14 in the first. McHale was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points, his second-lowest output of the season. “I think (McHale) is one of the best players in the state. Not just AAA, the state, any classification,” Warzynski said. “We knew they’d push us. And for us, it has to be defense first. They were hitting some shots early, but I was proud of the way we fought through that.” Bishop England shot 28 percent from the field, while Wando connected on 52 percent from inside the 3-point arc. Wando outrebounded the Bishops 22-17 on the defensive glass and forced 15 turnovers. “We changed up our man (defense) a little bit. We started picking them up full-court. We wanted to turn them over, make them use more energy,” Warzynksi said “You could tell in the second half they started to wear down a little. The guys hate me for making them run in practice so much, but they know it paid off today.” Wando owns the all-time series 41-10. The Warriors and Bishops meet again Dec. 7 on Daniel Island, where Bishop England won by 11 in last season’s matchup.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Bishop England High School Athletics

WANDO RALLIES PAST BISHOP ENGLAND

FRANKIE MANSFIELD

Moultrie News | 12/5/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Frankie Mansfield