By Mark Schmerling

So what if Polk County’s men’s basketball team ran out of gas in the last quarter of Friday’s (Jan. 23) non-conference game against West Henderson?

It was a great week for the Wolverines, who won two conference games, and have sole possession of second place in the Western Highlands Conference.

Last Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Wolverines defeated Madison, 52-48, at Madison. On Thursday, Mountain Heritage came to Columbus a day early (switched because of possible slick roads in the mountains on Friday night).

Regardless of schedule, the Wolverines stopped the Cougars, 55-47, to up their WHC record to 5-3, and notch their fourth win in as many games, all against conference opponents.

Polk and Mountain Heritage each entered the contest at 4-3 in the WHC, with the Cougars sporting eight wins in all.

Appropriately, the game featured fierce play on both sides. The Cougars quickly built an 8-3 lead, but after eight minutes, led by just 10-9.

At the end of the second quarter, the momentum shifted to Polk, partly on a strange play. A three-point shot by Polk’s Jamal Wheeler tied the score at 20, but the Cougars were assessed a two-shot technical foul, when, after Polk’s Jason Chupp dove after a loose ball, a Cougar player stepped on him, deliberately, said the officials.

That put Wheeler on the foul line with time run out in the half, and no other players on the floor. Wheeler canned both shots, and the Wolverines took a 22-20 lead.

In the third period, the Wolverines’ vaunted defense largely forced the Cougars outside, launching a number of shots that missed their mark only slightly. During that quarter, Arnie Twitty’s three-pointer put Polk ahead, 31-23. Shortly afterward, Wheeler whipped a long pass to Chupp (Does that sound familiar?), who laid it up and in.

Good shooting and ferocious defense gained the Wolverines a 40-33 lead after three.
They added the final exclamation point by outscoring the Cougars, 15-14 in the final period, though Mountain Heritage closed the gap to 51-47, before Polk scored another goal, and then held onto the ball during the waning seconds of the game.

“Our kids executed well all night, beamed Polk head coach Josh McEntire. When Polk scored those five points at the end of the first half, “That changed the momentum,” McEntire noted.

“We just crashed the boards,” McEntire observed. “It gets us extra possessions.”

In all, Wheeler scored 22, with Arnie Twitty adding 15. Chupp scored six.

If the Wolverines had to lose a game last week, timing was on their side. In a game originally slated for Wednesday, Jan. 21, but re-scheduled to allow Friday’s scheduled game to be played against Mountain Heritage on Thursday (Jan. 22), Polk played West Henderson closely for three quarters, then saw their hosts win, 64-55.

Polk had led, 35-27, at the half, and 44-40, after three quarters.

“We got tired at the end,” McEntire pointed out. “Three games in one week caught up to us in that fourth quarter,” he continued, noting that the Wolverines missed a few shots they’d normally put in.

“They (West Henderson) hit threes in the first half to keep them in the game,” McEntire added, “and they executed well in the second half. We had good shots (toward the end), but our legs gave out.”

Wheeler’s 20 points led the Wolverines. Chupp and Arnie Twitty added eight apiece, with Dillon Overholt and Wes Mullis each chipping in seven. Overholt, just a freshman, hit a three-pointer in the first quarter, to put Polk ahead, 14-12. The Falcons’ Sam Polovina led all scorers with 26.

In the season’s remaining two weeks, it’s all about the conference. While Avery ended last week at 7-0 in the WHC, good for first place as of now, the Vikings have also lost eight other games, making them beatable.

Polk has three conference games to go, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Mitchell. On  Wednesday, Jan. 28, the Wolverines will visit East Henderson in non-conference play. On Feb. 4, they host Avery. They finish the regular season on Feb. 6, with a conference game at Owen.

“We’ll just keep rolling,” McEntire remarked.