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West Mesquite takes down rival Poteet for key district win
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
It is a big game whenever West Mesquite and Poteet meet as far as bragging rights are concerned.
When district championship and playoff implications are also on the line, it only adds to the intensity.
The Wranglers and Pirates entered Friday's meeting tied atop the 10-4A standings and the game carried a playoff-like feel from start to finish.
The Wranglers (16-7) improve to 4-1 in 10-4A and remain tied for first place with Carrollton Newman Smith, while the Pirates (8-13) drop a game off the 10-4A lead at 3-2.
"We did some good things out there," West Mesquite head coach Todd Brewer said. "They ran some different defensive schemes at us and we had to adjust as they game went on and I thought we were able to do that, especially in the second half."
West Mesquite led 34-27 at halftime, but Poteet kept coming, trimming the deficit to 36-33 midway through the third quarter.
The Wranglers regained control and pushed the advantage back to 51-41 at the end of three quarters.
The Pirates threatened again early in the fourth, as a putback by Chris Murphy drew them to within six, but Ben Scott tracked down an offensive rebound and converted to quell the momentum and West Mesquite pulled away from there, closing the game on a 17-5 run.
Poteet had four players in double figures, with Nathaniel Gaines leading the way with 16 points. Raffaele Gaines had 11 points, while Murphy and Verkedric Vaughns each added 10.
Braylon Rayson paced the Wranglers with a game-high 28 points, while Jordon Johnson and Nate Davis scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Rayson fittingly put the game away, hitting 6-of-6 free throws in the final two minutes to quiet the Poteet crowd and allow the West Mesquite side to celebrate.
"We have a lot of seniors who have been through these kinds of games before," Brewer said. "I expect them to be able to handle the adversity and keep their composure. Their ability to keep focused on executing both offensively and defensively is the key to us being successful and they understand that."
Both teams started the game with a lot of energy, with each looking to push the pace. Rayson sliced through the lane for a layup and Davis then broke free for a dunk to give the Wranglers an early 11-8 lead.
But Poteet responded with a quick 7-0 run of its own, as Raffaele Gaines knocked down a 3-pointer and Vaughns twice drove inside for scores.
West Mesquite answered with a bucket from Tyrone Davis and a pair of free throws by Nate Davis before Nathaniel Gaines scored in the final seconds to give the Pirates a 17-15 lead at the end of one quarter.
The Wranglers started to put things together in the second, as Nate Davis scored off a putback and Jalen Etienne knocked down a jumper to regain the lead. West Mesquite was able to push the advantage to 34-27 at halftime, and although Poteet made a couple of runs in the second half, the Wranglers had an answer each time.
The victory was the second in a row for West Mesquite after suffering its first district loss against Carrollton Newman Smith last Saturday and Brewer has been pleased with how his team has responded.
"There are going to be ups and downs, we've just got to learn from our mistakes," Brewer said. "We talk a lot about those things and being able to bounce back and be better from the last game we played every time out."
Poteet dropped its second consecutive 10-4A game after its 3-0 start and it gets no easier, as they host district co-leader Carrollton Newman Smith on Tuesday.
West Mesquite is in a position it had expected to be in at this point in the season. The Wranglers advanced to the regional tournament for the first time in school history a year ago and are hoping to take it to the next level.
But they understand there are steps to take before they can think about that, starting with Tuesday's road game against Carrollton Creekview, another team in the thick of the playoff race.
"It is a total transformation from a year ago," Brewer said. "There are some things we are better at, and some things we are worse at, but I do like the things we are doing right, right now. I thought there would be four, maybe five teams (in this district) where any given night, if you don't show up, you're going to get beat. There are going to be some struggles, but we have to stay ready and I feel confident in our seniors to step up to the challenge."
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