Friday, April 19, 2024
Lipan head coach Brent Gaylor was admittedly a bit uncertain before the Indians’ area round playoff game against the Evant Elks in Glen Rose Thursday. It was the first career playoff game for eight members of the Lipan roster. Gaylor didn’t know how they’d react.
Well, as it turned out, they reacted just fine. Lipan, ranked No. 16 in the state, beat Evant 87-37. The Indians scored 40 points in the second quarter and played full-court defense so furiously that one Elk was whistled for a violation for standing out of bounds too long on offense.
There was nowhere for him to go. Evant had won its bi-district round 62-50 over Blanket, and Lipan learned some lessons from watching that game film while the Indians had a first-round bye.
Lipan tasked freshman Cole Reynolds and junior Trent Harrison with shutting down talented Evant freshman Jordan Harrison, who had scored at least 30 points in the previous two games.
Against Lipan, he scored two. Trent Harrison and Reynolds face-guarded him the entire game, taking the Elks’ leading scorer completely out of the offensive scheme.
“Cole and Trent did a great job on him, and it wasn’t just those two,” Gaylor said. “It was great team defense, and a good effort all the way around.”
That defense led to runout scoring opportunities for Lipan, and the Indians took full advantage.
Lipan rushed out to a 20-5 lead after the first quarter. Tate Branson took the lead defensively, running amok in the Evant backcourt for steals that led to layups. Branson finished with six points in the quarter.
Then the second quarter came around, and after Evant went on a brief run, Lipan turned on the afterburners. The Indians hit 10 threepointers in the second quarter alone.
At one point in that 40-point barrage, Lipan made 10 consecutive shots. Freshman Tripp Phillips scored 18 in the quarter and finished with 25 points. When the dust settled, Lipan held a 60-20 lead.
The second half was more of a formality than anything else. The Indians won the third quarter 14-9 and coasted to their area round win.
Senior post Hatcher Heavyside showed off his shooting touch, burying three threepointers and scoring 15. Garret Smitth added 14, Cody Harwell and Harrison each scored nine, Tate Branson added eight, Weston Vance scored five and Cole Reynolds finished with two.
Despite losing eight seniors from the 2019 varsity roster, the Indians showed Tuesday that the program is in capable hands. It was the same old Lipan – punishing opponents on defense, taking charges at every opportunity and feeding off turnovers like sharks feeding off chum in the water.
Those charges, in particular, are what sends Lipan players into attack mode. Branson and Heavyside both drew charges that caused the Indian bench to leap up in celebration.
“We drew about four or five charges, and I tell the guys all the time, that’s the best defensive play in basketball,” Gaylor said. “It’s a turnover, it’s a foul on them, it gets us closer to the bonus.”
Lipan had to wait and see who the Indians would play in the regional quarterfinal round. Cherokee and Huckabay played Friday night.
Cherokee was the champion of Evant’s district, District 17-1A. Huckabay finished in third place behind Lipan in District 19-1A.
The winner of that regional quarterfinal game will most likely go on to face Graford in the regional semifinal round. Graford is ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 1A, and will play either No. 18 Ector or Saint Jo in its regional quarterfinal.
It won’t be an easy road if the Indians are to make the state tournament for the third time in four years -- No. 5 Slidell , No. 9 Eula and No. 17 Saltillo are also still alive in Region III-1A. But at least now, Gaylor knows that his young roster can handle the playoff pressure.
“You never know how they’re going to respond, if they’re going to be nervous or uptight,” Gaylor said. “But they seemed pretty loose, and it always helps when you come out and make your first couple of shots to really loosen you up.
“We got that momentum, and they were playing with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. It was a lot of fun.”
grant@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 254
