Wheeler Plays Close Games
The Wheeler County High School basketball teams faced a grueling threegame schedule last week, hosting Appling County and Treutlen County before traveling to Telfair County. The Bulldogs finished the week 2-1, while the Lady Bulldogs picked up a decisive victory over their rivals on Friday. vs. Appling Co.
The week began with a split decision against the Pirates of Appling County.
In the girls' matchup, Wheeler held a narrow 9-8 lead after the first quarter but trailed 19-18 at the break. Appling seized control in the third, pulling ahead 36-25, and eventually secured the 51-38 victory. Nikita James led the offense with 17 points, followed by A'naja Ricks with 11.
The boys' team dominated their matchup. After holding an 18-14 lead in the first, the Bulldogs extended the margin to 40-29 at halftime. A relentless third quarter saw Wheeler push the lead
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to 66-42. They cruised to a massive 94-55 win.
vs. Treutlen Co.
Friday night featured intense rivalry action against the Vikings.
The Lady Bulldogs bounced back in a major way, powered by a dominant performance from Nikita James. James dropped 34 points to lead Wheeler to a 56-30 rout of the Lady Vikings. Justise Dubose chipped in 10 points in the winning effort.
The boys' game was a wire-to-wire battle. The Bulldogs trailed early, down 17-13 after one and 37-27 at halftime. Wheeler began chipping away at the deficit in the third, closing the gap to 54-48. A strong fourth-quarter surge propelled the Bulldogs to a thrilling 71-69 comeback victory. vs. Telfair Co.
The week concluded with a tough road test against the Trojans.
The Lady Bulldogs fell behind 18-13 early but exploded in the second quarter to take a 34-26 halftime lead. However, Telfair rallied in the third to reclaim the advantage at 46-44. Despite another stellar outing from Nikita James, who scored 33 points, Wheeler fell 59-51.
The boys started strong with a 19-12 lead after the first quarter, but the Trojans fought back to lead 36-31 at the half. Telfair extended the gap to 6146 in the third. Wheeler mounted a furious comeback in the final period but came up just short, losing 80-74.
The Lady Bulldogs are now 6-10 on the season, but they are 5-3 in Region play. This week Wheeler hosted Wilcox County on Tuesday after presstime. They will be back in action on Friday at home against Dublin at 6:00 p.m.
