Get that shot outta here!  Ty Walker with one of many swats Friday night.  Photo: Eric Bartsch

New Hanover head coach Franklin McMillan said of senior point guard Rakeem Wilson, “He’s the piston that makes this thing go.  He’s our energizer bunny, he keeps going and going.”  And with the ‘Cats up only six in the fourth quarter, it was Wilson’s play that ignited New Hanover’s late surge and his lay-up with 2:52 left in the game, put the Cat’s up 69-51 and locked up their Mideastern Conference Championship.

New Hanover star center Ty Walker said of his team before the game, “Everyone in the locker room was real solid.  I was just trying to get everybody ready to play.  I want to go out on top.”  And with that in mind, it was 11-1 in New Hanover’s favor in the blink of an eye.

Jacksonville weathered the initial storm, but the lead grew to as many as fourteen in the second quarter for the ‘Cats who went into the locker room at halftime with a 31-18 advantage.

However, Jacksonville opened the third quarter with a 7-0 spurt, cutting the lead to just six, and made a statement that they were going away without a fight.  

New Hanover, who at times is good enough to “turn it on” when they need to, pushed the lead up to fifteen on Rakeem Wilson’s three pointer with 4:39 left in the third.  Again Jacksonville whittled away at the lead, trailing just 46-40 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but that is when Wilson and fellow senior Ty Walker stepped up and New Hanover pulled away.  Wilson scored 12 of his game high 21 points in the final quarter and Walker scored when his team needed him to.  He said, “We have a very balanced team.  I’ll block shots and rebound and my teammates can score.”  But so will he when it is go time.  Walker finished with 16 points on the evening and averaged 18 during the tournament.

“Ty brought it tonight.  He came out ready to play.  I’m very happy for him, even though we’ve got a long way to go, a few more games to win,” Coach McMillan said with a smile.

The duo scored several big hoops and with a few David Pellom dunks sprinkled in, New Hanover was able to dictate tempo down the stretch.  McMillan said his team can play any style, but clearly they like the up-and-down game and feels like anyone who wants to run with the ‘Cats is in for a long night.