4A District 16 Tourney title game: 3 things to watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whitehaven and Southwind will battle it out Wednesday evening for the TSSAA 4A District 16 Tournament championship. The winner will get a No. 1 seed in the 4A Region 8 Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 3 things to watch in the matchup:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southwind's offense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's no reason to question the Jaguars defensively. They're a scrappy bunch. The main question lies on the offensive side. Could this be the game senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1760995' first='Ronald' last='Towns III'] lights it up from the perimeter? Can senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2364371' first='Justin' last='Edwards'] take his 22-point performance from the win over Memphis Central and carry it over into the title game against the Tigers? Can [player_tooltip player_id='1591000' first='Monterrio' last='Cox'] Jr. get into the lane and finish at the rim over Whitehaven's length? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are all important questions Southwind will have to answer once the basketball goes up in the air. Against the Warriors, all 3 senior guards combined to score 45 of the team's 59 points. After the dominant performance against Memphis Central, it's clear that the Jaguars need these 3 to play well again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2139247' first='Ja'Michael' last='Mitchell'] has been the most consistent guard for the Tigers this season. He's a 6-foot-0 lefty with upper body strength and athleticism. Mitchell can jump out of the gym, make shots from the perimeter, and finish through contact. [player_tooltip player_id='1591000' first='Monterrio' last='Cox'] Jr. will be asked to guard Mitchell. [player_tooltip player_id='2364371' first='Justin' last='Edwards'], because of his size, may have to guard Mitchell on certain possessions. But, Cox is Southwind's best on-ball defender. Containing Mitchell will be one of Cox's biggest assignments in this year's district tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3229704' first='Kris' last='Smith']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jaguars' only size is [player_tooltip player_id='3229704' first='Kris' last='Smith'], who stands at 6-6. He will need to have one of the best games of his high school career if Southwind wants to come out victorious. Smith will have to bang with [player_tooltip player_id='2886050' first='Aliyu' last='Idris'] in the paint and also worry about [player_tooltip player_id='2205018' first='Gavin' last='Fitzpatrick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2886051' first='Isaiah' last='Grant'], two guys with length and athleticism, coming in for rebounds. Smith will need to play physical and not back down from a Whitehaven team that's built to play fast and dominant the boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3rd place game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White Station defeated Memphis Central, 64-60, in the 3rd place game on Tuesday night. The Spartans will play at No. 2 Houston on Saturday. The Warriors will play at No. 1 Bartlett.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->