Whitehaven defeats Southwind: 3 observations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Whitehaven Tigers defeated the Southwind Jaguars, 57-51, in their first regular season meeting. Whitehaven handed the Jaguars their first district loss of the season. The Tigers (18-7, 5-0) sit alone in first place in the TSSAA 4A District 16. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both programs will meet again on Feb. 6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 3 observations from Whitehaven's win over Southwind:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Idris has good touch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2886050' first='Aliyu' last='Idris'] has good touch around the rim. Each time he positioned himself in the post, the 6-foot-8 big man scored. Idris is a lefty that's going to score at a high clip. He's effective in pick-and-roll action. In Tuesday night's win, Idris did a great job of rolling to the basket after setting high ball screens for senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1560097' first='Kayin' last='Mitchell']. Idris is the key to the Tigers' chances of making a deep postseason run. He's a mismatch in the post and is reliable from the free throw line. Idris finished the night with 22 points and went 6 of 8 from the charity stripe.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Missed opportunities</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jaguars (18-6, 4-1) were down 17-4 after the first quarter, and it looked as if Whitehaven was about to cruise to a district victory. Southwind got within two in the second quarter after the Tigers went into a scoring drought. The Jaguars were able to keep it close in the second half, even taking the lead for a short moment (46-45) in the fourth quarter following a 3 by senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1591000' first='Monterrio' last='Cox'] and a layup by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1760995' first='Ronald' last='Towns III']. But, Southwind didn't get back on defense and an easy score by Idris put the Tigers back up, 47-46, for good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Towns, the team's most reliable offensive weapon, struggled offensively and missed shots from the perimeter that he's made many times before. The Jaguars could never get into a steady rhythm offensively. Defensively, Southwind matched Whitehaven's physicality and didn't shy away from going after loose balls and rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the Tigers remain undefeated in district play and Southwind doesn't lose another game leading up to the season finale, I expect both teams to play with high energy and a sense of urgency because the 4A District 16 regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the district tournament will be at stake.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mitchell is much-needed</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell'] is much-needed for this season's Whitehaven team. He's a physical guard that's relentless on the defensive end. Mitchell can get downhill and finish at the rim. He's not afraid of contact. Mitchell got off to a good start in the first quarter, scoring 6 points to help the Tigers jump out to a 17-4 lead. He was aggressive for the entire contest, even taking on the assignment of guarding [player_tooltip player_id='1760995' first='Ronald' last='Towns III']. Mitchell got to the free throw line, going for 5 for 8. Mitchell finished the night with 14 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->