It’s only appropriate that a Nick Pringle dunk woke the Whale Branch boys up from their first-round playoff jitters.
Pringle’s slam gave the Warriors a halftime lead after a sluggish start, and Whale Branch hit its stride in the second half to roll to a 69-47 win over Mullins in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs Wednesday.
“Being at home, sometimes it’s a little hard to keep your emotions in check, and by the time we got out of halftime we were able to calm ourselves down a little bit and start playing more Warrior-like basketball,” Warriors coach Jim Raymond said. “I tried to get them to focus on the little things, the things they’ve done on all year, the things that have gotten them here. When they’re able to focus and make simple plays, often good things happen.”
The Auctioneers were able to hold Whale Branch stars Nick Pringle and Shawn Chisolm in check for much of the first half, as Mullins led 12-9 after one quarter and was in the bonus just 30 seconds in the second period. The Warriors fought through the early struggles, though, and Pringle’s dunk gave Whale Branch a 26-24 halftime lead.
Whale Branch locked down on defense in the third quarter, and Chisolm went wild in the second half, scoring 16 of his game-high 24 points after halftime. Pringle added 15, and Javon Hogue had eight for the Warriors.
“We started off slow but came out in the second half and executed, like we are supposed to,” Chisolm said. “I just got into a rhythm and everything started clicking for me.”
The Warriors (18-6) know they’ll need to get off to a better start and clean up some of their mistakes to get past Burke (16-8) in the second round at 7 p.m. Saturday. But they also know they’ll have the backing of a home crowd that is growing more and more excited about this team’s potential.
“I know it’s going to be a tough game this weekend, but we can do it,” Chisolm said. “I’m glad we don’t have to go anywhere. Back in the palace again.”
Story by Brackin Lambert
Brackin Lambert is a graduate of Beaufort High School and USCB and has a master’s degree from Cumberland University in Tennessee. He has a passion for sports, broadcasting and video production.