Wylie East junior Praise Olufemi (1), pictured in previous action, scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half of a 58-39 home win over Lakeview Centennial on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Photo by Maddie Smith / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Crosstown Rivalry between Wylie and Wylie East is always an important game for the Raiders.
And for as much as second-year Wylie East head coach Kortney Smith is emotionally invested in the rivalry, he placed even more importance on Tuesday evening’s home game against Lakeview Centennial.
Tuesday’s game marked the final one in the first half of District 9-6A for the Raiders, who sought to not only remain in second place in the district standings, but also to carry any momentum into a much-deserved week off as Wylie East is on a bye this Friday night.
Mission accomplished.
Junior Praise Olufemi scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and Wylie East parlayed a 15-2 run to end the second quarter into a 58-39 win from the Williams Center.
The Raiders (14-9 overall, 7-1 district) stormed out to a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the ballgame.
The Patriots used some defensive stops to put an end to that run before finding some rhythm on the offensive end to get to within 14-11 early in the second quarter.
Wylie East proceeded to put the clamps on Lakeview Centennial’s offense. The Raiders answered with a 15-2 run over the remainder of the first half to take a 29-13 halftime lead.
Raiders senior point guard Parker Overstreet showed off his incredible athleticism when he made a spinning jump shot from about 10 feet away from the basket with less than three minutes to go in the second quarter. Overstreet scored all 11 of his points over the game’s first 16 minutes.
Wylie East also got dominant play in the post from senior 6-foot-4 forward Desmond Thompson. He had nine points by halftime and 13 overall. He capped off the extended run by Wylie East with a dunk.
The Raiders appeared to be in cruise control after senior Kelton Chinaka converted a layup with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter to give Wylie East a 45-25 lead.
But turnovers by Wylie East allowed Lakeview Centennial to make one final attempt at a late-game run.
The Patriots got as close as 45-33 after making a free throw with 5:18 left in the contest, but the Raiders quickly regained the momentum following a much-needed 3-pointer by senior Tommy Mayberry.
Lakeview Centennial denies comeback by Lady Raiders
For the first 26 minutes of Tuesday night’s game, Wylie East struggled to match the toughness of Lakeview Centennial.
The Lady Patriots were stronger with the ball, many times ripping the ball out of the hands of a Lady Raider player for a steal, or at the very least, forcing a jump ball. Wylie East also struggled with turnovers and foul trouble.
Despite those struggles, Wylie East appeared that it was going to find consistency at the right time.
The Lady Raiders fought back from an eight-point, second half-deficit to tie the score with a 3-pointer by junior Sidney Sanders.
However, Lakeview Centennial had all of the answers down the stretch. The Lady Patriots made scoring chances near the basket and also finished scoring opportunities in transition. Lakeview Centennial finished the game on a 6-0 run to earn a 39-33 victory from the Williams Center.
Wylie East started the game strong, taking an 11-10 lead after a passing play from senior Tabria Williams to junior Sharmayne Jones resulted in a Jones layup with five seconds to go in the first quarter.
However, six Wylie East turnovers over each of the next two quarters of play allowed Lakeview Centennial to rally.
Foul trouble also started brewing for Wylie East. Senior Saliz Ward, fresh off a 24-point effort in a win against Wylie, picked up two fouls in the first quarter and was later relegated to the bench for an extended period of time after she picked up her fourth foul in the third quarter.
Wylie East, though, never let the deficit get too large thanks to some great passes from freshman Cori’yon Bolden, one of which led to Sanders’ game-tying 3-pointer with 4:31 left in the contest.
Sanders finished with seven points. Ward also tallied seven points on the night.
The Lady Raiders had other chances in the ballgame to add to their point total, including at the free-throw line, but they finished just 5 of 16 at the charity stripe.
The loss also moved Wylie East (12-15, 6-3 district) down to fifth place in District 9-6A and out of a playoff spot.
Wylie East is scheduled to return to the court Tuesday, Jan. 14 at North Garland. The girls’ game is slated to start at 6 p.m., with the boys to follow at 7:30.
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