During the recent Nike Explosion showcase, Class AAAAA No. 2 Wheeler faced off against one of the top teams in Class AAAA Southwest DeKalb. Score 44 charter member Charles Mitchell scored 24 points and posted 11 boards to pace Wheeler to an epic 65-62 victory. Fellow Wildcat senior Justin Seymour (Utah commit) added 18 points from the backcourt. Mitchell, one of the state’s top recruits, has generated some buzz nationally from the likes of Alabama, Tennessee and Xavier.
“I think it was an atmosphere that only could make your team better,” coach Doug Lipscomb of Wheeler remarked about the event held at Kennesaw State. “That was the whole purpose of having the shootout.”
Lipscomb continued by stating, “I think the overall effort was key for us because we had everybody on our team making positive contributions from our starters to the kids who came in off the bench.”
On Dec. 17, the Wildcats will travel to the Crown Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to face several of the nation’s elite programs. Some of the teams slated to participate in the shootout include Simeon, Ill., the top-ranked team in ESPN’s Fab 50, Whitney Young, Ill., No. 34 in ESPN’s Fab 50, and Shiloh.
“I think every game we have is a game that can help us develop for the run in the season,” exclaimed Lipscomb. “We take no one lightly. We don’t take Walton lightly. We don’t take Lassiter lightly. [Besides those teams], we are also going to play Langston Hughes and Milton as well.”
By playing local teams such as Langston Hughes and perennial powerhouse Milton, the schedule matches up the Wildcats with difficult opponents in order to prepare them for postseason play. In Lipscomb’s eyes, every game presents itself as a challenge.
“Everybody that plays us will be fired up for that game,” said Lipscomb. “We cannot take anybody lightly, and they definitely don’t take us lightly as well. It’s called competition.”
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