4A Region 8 Tournament Championship preview: Keys to victory

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Whitehaven and No. 1 Bartlett will battle it out Thursday evening at Southwind High School for the TSSAA Division 1 Class 4A Region 8 Tournament championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winner will host a sectional game next Monday, while the runner-up will have to go on the road. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers got the best of the Panthers a season ago, defeating Bartlett in the region semifinals round. Whitehaven has a brand new roster that started to play quality basketball in the second half of the season. The Panthers' big 3 ([player_tooltip player_id='2291122' first='Dylan' last='Jones'], [player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams']) returned this season with their eyes on the Class 4A title, hoping to erase last season's unfortunate ending to a promising season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before tip-off, let's take a look at what both teams have to do in order to come out victorious.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tigers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contain Williams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'] is Bartlett's most important player. He's the driver of the SUV that's going to get everyone up to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Williams is capable of making shots from the perimeter, getting paint touches, and finding the open man. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1560097' first='Kayin' last='Mitchell'] will have to do his best of making life difficult for Williams. Mitchell did a solid job in Whitehaven's win against Houston, holding the Mustangs' star point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2101889' first='Justin' last='Frison'] to 9 points. Williams led the Panthers in scoring in their semifinals win over Southwind. I expect Kemp to give Mitchell another huge defensive responsibility after what he displayed against Frison.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Close out on Jones</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett's junior shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2291122' first='Dylan' last='Jones'] can get hot at any moment, especially when he sees one shot from the perimeter go in. When he's left open and has time to set his feet, Jones can cash in 3-point shots. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2886051' first='Isaiah' last='Grant'] or [player_tooltip player_id='2205018' first='Gavin' last='Fitzpatrick'] will need to keep face guard Jones and force him into taking tough shots off the dribble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keep Okoth off the boards</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth'] is effective near the rim. He wants to get offensive rebounds and putbacks. Okoth wants the slam dunks in transition. Whitehaven will need to keep Okoth away from the rim and force him to score from the perimeter. Now, Okoth has started to expand his game, which is a positive for his development. He made a couple of 3s against the Houston Mustangs in the 4A District 15 Tournament championship game. The Tigers keeping Okoth off the boards and away from the rim will better their chances of getting a victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Panthers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keep the rebounds close</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keeping seniors Grant, Fitzpatrick, and [player_tooltip player_id='2886050' first='Aliyu' last='Idris'] off the boards will be a tall task. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'], [player_tooltip player_id='2116626' first='Ethan' last='Gatewood'], along with Okoth and Jones, can't allow Whitehaven to dominate the boards. It's expected to be a physical contest. Bartlett doesn't have to win the rebounding battle, just keep it close.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Give the ball to Williams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the Panthers need a key play, trust [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'] to make one. He takes great shots. Williams doesn't force anything. He plays within Bartlett's system and makes it look easy. Williams has done so all this season. In a big game with a lot at stake, Williams plays with composure and never gets rattled. He steps up and performs at an All-District level. Wait! Williams was a 4A District 15 1st-Team selection this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keep eyes on Perkins and Winston</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior guard I'zahvien Perkins was the savior in the Tigers' win over the Southwind Jaguars in the 4A District 16 Tournament championship game. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='3258055' first='Eric' last='Winston'] made shots against Houston. The Panthers will need to keep eyes on both guards as they have shown that they're capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->