White House - Heritage HS Patriots stopped by Rockets, 56-43, in region opener
Patriots stopped by Rockets, 56-43, in region opener
Written by John Ferguson Sunday, 28 February 2010 09:05
Senior guard Devin Harper (11) scored 9 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.
In tournament basketball, timing is everything. You want to peak at the end of the year.
Heritage learned that in the Region 5-A tournament opener, running into a Forrest team that is peaking at just the right time. The Rockets continue their wild ride, defeating the Patriots, 56-43, in Chapel Hill last Saturday night.
Leading 20-15 at halftime, Forrest hit back-to-back-to-back three pointers in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter to pull away from the visitors.
Patriot senior Devin Harper worked hard in the fourth to pull his team back into the game, scoring Heritage's first nine points of the final quarter to close the gap to 43-37 with 5:14 remaining; however, the Patriots never got closer, and Forrest pulled away.
Sophomore center Jordan Bedwell played well early, scoring six in the first period, but cool outside shooting by the Pats allowed the Rockets to collapse every time the ball went inside, and he was held scoreless in the second half.
"They were stronger than we were tonight," said Heritage coach Mike Petrone. "Their strength counteracted what we were trying to do, and we didn't shoot well enough outside to take the pressure off the big men inside."
The inside-outside punch of Forrest junior center Kyle Gugger and freshman guard Mark Pope gave the Patriots trouble defensively, especially Gugger's solid footwork inside. The pair combined for 36 of the Rockets' 56 points.
The loss ended a Patriot season that lasted longer than most had expected - picked to finish seventh in District 10-A, Heritage finished second in the regular season, and handed No. 1 Clarksville Academy their only district loss of the year.
"Nobody thought we'd be here this year - they picked us seventh, we finished second. We've had a good year," Petrone added.
HERITAGE (43) - Harper 19, Kirby 9, Bedwell 8, L. Ray 4, Morris 2, D. Ray 1
FORREST (56) - Gugger 20, Pope 16, Bishop 8, Gentry 4, Hunter 3, Holton 3, Leonard 2
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