War Eagles fall in second round of state playoffs

Wagener-Salley's Andre Lilly drives to the basket in a 83-59 loss to McCormick in the second round of the Class A playoffs. Lilly came off the bench to score a team-high 23 points. Staff photo by Noah Feit.

McCORMICK -- The best season the Wagener-Salley High School boys' basketball team has had in the past 20 years came to an end Friday. The visiting War Eagles were blown out in the final 16 minutes of what had been a tie game at halftime, losing to McCormick 83-59 in the second round of the Class A Upper State playoffs.

It was a game of runs, and in the first half, W-S (19-6) did a good job of executing its half-court offense in the game that was knotted at 31-all at the half. But the Chiefs (19-3) made an adjustment to their full-court press at intermission and that - along with a re-energized effort from All-State forward Terrance Bryant in the second half - was too much for the War Eagles to handle.

"By halftime, we tied it up," W-S coach Earl Seeley said of his team which used a 10-0 run midway through the second quarter to erase a double-digit deficit in spite of limited play from star center Rakeem Hicks, who was called for three fouls in the first half. "But McCormick cranked it up. We didn't meet their intensity or their pressure."

The Chiefs, the No. 1 seed in their portion of the playoff bracket, opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run that included drawing the third foul on the War Eagles' other prominent big man, forward R.J. Tyler. With W-S's top two post players saddled with foul trouble, the middle of its defense was wide open - and McCormick took advantage.

Bryant, who was held to seven points in the first half, consistently drove the ball into the paint, whether it was in half-court sets or on transition plays following a turnover. He scored 11 points in the third quarter and eight more in the fourth, finishing with a game-high 26 points. His twin brother, Torronce, the Chiefs' go-to guy in the first half, also had success finishing around the rim and posted 21 points.

"In the second half (W-S) started keying on Torronce, and Terrance took over. He got looks and knocked them down," McCormick coach Miguel Burns said of the second-half surge that was predicated by defense. "We went to a different press, and it became a numbers game. We wore them down, and they didn't have the energy to come back."

The switch to a 1-3-1 zone press befuddled W-S. It committed a number of turnovers, and when it broke the press, the pace of play had become so frenetic that it rushed shots and never found the rhythm on offense it had in the first half.

But even in the opening half, the Chiefs were able to build leads because of their domination of the boards. They outrebounded the War Eagles through a combination of hustle and knowing where to position themselves.

"A big factor was rebounds and easy looks inside," Seeley said of McCormick's ability to extend possessions and create additional quality scoring opportunities. "Part of it was (W-S players) not boxing out and the position the ball came off the rim, it was long. We were in poor position, and rebounding killed us."

Only five War Eagles scored in the game, led by Andre Lilly's 23 points. With Hicks on the bench with foul trouble in the first half, Lilly stepped up and scored 14 points in that period, hitting four 3-pointers in the game.

In spite of his foul trouble, Hicks persevered and scored 16 points in his last high school game. The 6-foot-11 center is just part of a talented senior class that posted the most wins at W-S since 1993.

"It was a helluva season," Seeley said. "(The players) played hard all year long and did excellent. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect the season we had. ... These are kids I've been with four years. They rebuilt the program and should be proud."

WS 14 17 8 20 - 59

MC 20 11 26 26 - 83

Wagener-Salley (19-6)-Rakeem Hicks 4 4-9 16, R.J. Tyler 3 0-2 7, Duane Davenport 1 3-6 5, Malcolm Stroman 4 0-0 8, Andre Lilly 9 1-3 23. Totals: 23 8-20 59.

3-Pointers: Lilly (4), Tyler.

McCormick (19-3)-Terrance Bryant 12 2-4 26, Torronce Bryant 10 0-0 21, Jesse Wideman 4 1-1 9, Rickey Moore 7 1-1 15, Aaron Aiken 4 0-0 8, Reggie Garrett 2 0-0 4. Totals: 39 4-6 83

3-Pointers: Torronce Bryant.

Noah Feit is a reporter for the Aiken Standard, primarily covering sports, and has been a professional journalist for more than a dozen years after graduating from Syracuse University.