4A District 16 Tournament: Whitehaven defeats Southwind

Whitehaven defeated Southwind, 66-56, to win this season's TSSAA Division I Class 4A District 16 Tournament championship. The Tigers lock up a No. 1 seed in the 4A Region 8 Tournament.   Here are 3 takeaways from Whitehaven's win over the Jaguars:   Tigers' 2-3 zone bothered Southwind   After a good start by the Jaguars, Whitehaven sat in a 2-3 zone throughout the second half. The Tigers' length ([player_tooltip player_id='2886051' first='Isaiah' last='Grant'], Bosah Onwuta, [player_tooltip player_id='2886050' first='Aliyu' last='Idris'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2205018' first='Gavin' last='Fitzpatrick']) made looks at the rim more difficult than they were for Southwind in the first half. Whitehaven did a good job of protecting the paint in the second half, taking away the driving lanes the Jaguars were finding in the first half. The Tigers' defense held Southwind to 8 points in the 3rd quarter, while their offense put up 17 points. The guards for Whitehaven (I'zahvien Perkins, [player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell'], [player_tooltip player_id='3258055' first='Eric' last='Winston'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1560097' first='Kayin' last='Mitchell']) refused to give up any great looks from the perimeter.   The Tigers turned up their energy on defense, something this team prides itself on.   ”Our defense has been crazy for the past couple of weeks,” Whitehaven head coach Willie Kemp said. “The 56 points are the most a team has scored on us in a while. They have been coming out holding teams to under 40 points. Southwind, Central, some really good teams.   “Again, we gave up 56 points tonight, but overall, they played a good defensive game.”   Tigers offense got going in the 3rd quarter   Whitehaven and the Jaguars were tied at 33 early in the third quarter. Then, the Tigers went on a 13-3 run to build a 46-36 lead. That was the separation Whitehaven needed after a pesky Southwind team traded scores with the Tigers in the first half, even taking a 31-27 lead for a short moment in the 2nd quarter.   Whitehaven led by 5 twice in the 3rd quarter, and thanks to senior guard I'zahvien Perkins‘ 11 points, the Tigers were able gain momentum. Whitehaven needed a spark offensively, and Perkins was the lightning rod that gave the Tigers a major boost.   ”I always tell my guys to just be physical, and we see how the refs call it,” Kemp said. “Tonight, they were calling tic tac fouls, and we got some guys in foul trouble early. Perkins came in, and he was amazing for us. He's one of the best shooters in Memphis.   “All it takes, for him, is for one to go in, and one went in, and he got hot.”   Stayed the course   The Tigers had main guys on the bench in the first half due to foul trouble. Starting point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell'] had to sit for most of the first half. [player_tooltip player_id='2886050' first='Aliyu' last='Idris'] had to spend time on the bench as well. Bosah Onwuta picked up fouls inside the first 16 minutes. Whitehaven stayed the course, kept the game close, and struck gold in the 3rd quarter to take the lead for good. It's a positive sign for the Tigers to battle through foul trouble, play with high energy on both ends of the floor, while key players cheer on from the bench.   Whitehaven landed a No. 1 seed in the region tournament because of it.   All-Tournament Team   [player_tooltip player_id='2816290' first='Makel' last='Boyd'] (Memphis Central), Peyton Franklin (White Station), [player_tooltip player_id='1591000' first='Monterrio' last='Cox'] Jr. (Southwind), [player_tooltip player_id='2364371' first='Justin' last='Edwards'] (Southwind), [player_tooltip player_id='2205018' first='Gavin' last='Fitzpatrick'], Bosah Onwuta, and I'zahvien Perkins (MVP) were named to the 4A District 16 All-Tournament Team.   All-District Team   [player_tooltip player_id='1560097' first='Kayin' last='Mitchell'], [player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell'], Kayden Frazier (White Station), Dominque Nason (White Station), [player_tooltip player_id='2364360' first='Jayden' last='Mitchell'] (Kingsbury), Thomas McCain (Kingsbury), Jamal Ibrahim (Kingsbury), Markell Brooks (Overton), [player_tooltip player_id='2205024' first='Mashad' last='Griffin'] (Overton), [player_tooltip player_id='1760995' first='Ronald' last='Towns III'] (Southwind), [player_tooltip player_id='2364371' first='Justin' last='Edwards'], [player_tooltip player_id='2886051' first='Isaiah' last='Grant'], Austen Price (Southwind), [player_tooltip player_id='1591000' first='Monterrio' last='Cox'] Jr., [player_tooltip player_id='2043463' first='AJ' last='Polk'] (Memphis Central), Carlos Fitzpatrick (Memphis Central), [player_tooltip player_id='2202778' first='Jaydon' last='Hill'] (Memphis Central), and [player_tooltip player_id='2886050' first='Aliyu' last='Idris'] (MVP) were named to the 4A All-District 16 Team.   4A Region 8 Tournament   No. 4 Memphis Central at No. 1 Bartlett/No. 3 Arlington at No. 2 Southwind   No. 4 Collierville at No. 1 Whitehaven/No. 3 White Station at No. 2 Houston

Whitehaven defeated Southwind, 66-56, to win this season's TSSAA Division I Class 4A District 16 Tournament championship. The Tigers lock up a No. 1 seed in the 4A Region 8 Tournament.