Tattnall Square girls edge FPD for Todd Whetsel's 300th career victory
Todd Whetsel couldn't keep a secret.
The Tattnall Square girls basketball head coach was going for his 300th career win Friday at home against FPD. He didn't say anything to the team, wanting the players to focus on going up against one of their rivals.
A few people around the program, however, had been tipped. They had signs ready to go to mark the occasion. Tattnall head of school Brenda Shuman-Riley had a plaque ready. All the Trojans had to do was to beat a feisty FPD squad that played Tattnall to within two points earlier in the season and had a win over Stratford to its credit.
Tattnall was stretched to the limit, but Whetsel did pick up his 300th win, with the Trojans claiming a 39-36 victory.
Abby Rouse scored eight of her game-high 14 points in the final quarter -- all in the paint -- to lift Tattnall to the win. Kate Patterson paced FPD, which lost starter Emma Lako late in the first quarter to an ankle sprain, with nine points.
FIVE WHO MATTERED
Rouse: Tattnall's 6-foot-5 post player had just five shots and six points through the first three quarters, but the Trojans started to pound the ball inside in the fourth. She went 4-for-4 in the fourth, scoring the Trojans' first eight points in the quarter to keep pace with FPD's Bailey Ruble, whose 3-pointer with 2:40 to go tied things at 34. Rouse put Tattnall ahead for good with her bucket with 2:05 remaining.
Jordan Allen: The ability of Tattnall's perimeter players to feed Rouse in the fourth played a key role in Tattnall's victory, but the Trojans picked up a number of points all night off steals and transition. Allen only scored six points, but she recorded eight of Tattnall's 16 steals. She also had nine rebounds.
Brianna Beasley: The Tattnall starter had seven points, six rebounds and three steals.
Patterson: Her nine points and nine rebounds helped keep FPD in the game, with her rebounds on the defensive end keyed some scoring opportunities at the other end of the floor.
Ruble: She stepped up her game in the fourth, scoring five points in 33 seconds to counter Rouse's scoring.
TURNING POINT
I'Una Slaughter's score with 49 seconds remaining put Tattnall up 38-34 and forced FPD to start fouling.
OBSERVATIONS
Playing strong while facing adversity: Lako was helped off the floor with 1:44 to go in the first quarter after she injured her ankle while going for a backcourt steal that FPD ultimately claimed. The injury didn't cause FPD to back down, with Ali Purdy, Molly Lee and Caroline Harrison coming off the bench to pitch in.
A game to the end: Tattnall owned a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter, but Patterson and Sadie Frame combined for six straight points in the final 1:26 of the third quarter to close things to a one-point game.
Turnover margin: FPD had 22 turnovers, while Tattnall finished with 19. Sixteen of FPD's turnovers came on Tattnall steals, while the Vikings had 11 takeaways.
WORTH MENTIONING
Three schools, 300 wins: Whetsel's 300th win comes after stops at CFCA and Covenant. He became Tattnall's head coach in the 2010-11 season, replacing Richard Reid, who had more than 1,000 wins in his career.
GHSA Region 7A-A race: Tattnall (19-1, 7-1 Region 7A-A) leads Stratford by a game heading into the final week of the regular season. FPD (13-10, 5-4) faces Wilkinson County on Tuesday for the sub-region's No. 3 seed.
ALSO FRIDAY NIGHT
Aubrien Kemp scored 20 points and Jimmy Marshall added 18 as Tattnall's boys defeated FPD 64-59. Kemp had four 3-pointers for Tattnall (14-6, 4-4). Henry Middlebrooks had 13 points, including four 3-pointers, for FPD (13-8, 5-4), while Champ Dawson added 12. Both teams trail second-place Stratford by one game in the loss column heading into the final week of sub-region play.
THEY SAID IT
Allen on Whetsel's 300th win: "I've been a part of this team for a very long time. It means a lot to me to be a part of this. This is a really big deal. I just couldn't ask for a better coach."
Whetsel on the team's postgame celebration: "Yeah, they got me good. I didn't know they knew about it. I told very few people that this milestone was coming up, but they got me (Friday night). It was great to celebrate that with them. More importantly, we got a big region win. That was a great job by the team."
Rouse on the ability of Tattnall to get the ball to her inside in the fourth quarter: "We couldn't have won without (the guards) being in there and keeping their heads up and looking to make the pass. It was a really great win."
FPD head coach John Griffin on the Vikings' effort after Lako's injury: "I was pleased, especially with Emma hurt, with the effort the bench made and the team made. ... Tattnall is a great team, and we pushed them to the final shot. I'm pleased. This team has really improved."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Tattnall hosts Landmark Christian on Saturday, while FPD travels to Wilkinson County on Tuesday.
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Tattnall Square girls edge FPD for Todd Whetsel's 300th career victory ."