By Tim Taylor
The 5th-ranked Paris Wildcats shot 57% from the field, racked up 28 assists, slammed down another 8 crowd-pleasing dunks, and featured 3 players who each scored at least 20 points Tuesday night in an dominant, 86-67 regional quarterfinal win over District 15-4A rival Liberty-Eylau in a game played at Tyler Junior College Wagstaff Gym.
While veteran Paris coach Billy Mack Steed certainly appreciates his team’s recent offensive showcase performances, if you want to see a big smile creep across his face, mention defense first. In particular, Steed was pleased with the defensive effort against the Leopards’ leading scorer Decorian Meadows.
“I thought it was the key to the game,” he said. “Their team feeds off him. When he’s playing well, it picks up their whole team.”
Meadows finished with a team-high 15 points to lead L-E, 18-13 and the district’s No. 4 seeded team, but most of his total came during garbage time with the outcome already sealed. His first points came on a pair of free throws with 1:07 remaining before halftime. By then, Paris was closing out the first half in command, 39-24.
The Wildcat who drew the primary task of keeping Meadows in check was 6-3 junior guard Jalon Pipkins.
“We saw on previous tape that Meadows didn’t like being covered by (Pipkins),” Steed said. “I think (Pipkins) got in his head and kept him from driving the lane like he likes to do.”
Pipkins was a force on the offensive end as well. He topped a trio of 20-point scorers for the Cats with a game-high 27 points, 12 in the fourth quarter which included a skillful drive in the paint through 3 defenders that drew gasps from the crowd and a pair of back-to-back breakaway slams. He connected on 12 of his his 20 shots from the field.
Sophomore 6-3 guard Josh Robinson was equally unstoppable with 26 points, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks. Senior 6-6 post Jordan Embry had another solid night with 20 points, 3 blocks, and 8 rebounds.
The littlest “J,” senior guard Jalen Wallace only scored 5, but he was everywhere with 10 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. Senior twin Jared Embry scored 6 points to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks. Senior sixth man Clint Franklin scored the other 2 points.
The only downer for the evening were the 16 turnovers for Paris. When L-E tried to dial up the defensive heat in the second half with a three-quarters court press, they sped up the tempo which resulted in some easy baskets for Paris along with some sloppy play.
“We can’t have that,” said Steed, who now faces the task of preparing his team for a rematch against 4th-ranked Lincoln. “That’s way too many turnovers.”
Lincoln dealt Paris its last loss, 70-60, on Jan. 9 at P.C. Cobb Fieldhouse in Dallas. The Cats (33-2) have since reeled off 14 straight wins.
Paris hopes to enjoy a home crowd advantage as it tries to upset the Dallas power in a 6 p.m. Friday Region 2 semifinal at Texas A&M-Commerce Memorial Fieldhouse. The 8 p.m. semifinal will feature crosstown rival North Lamar against 9th-ranked Triple A Academy of Dallas.
The two Friday winners will meet at 12 noon on Saturday for the Region 2 championship and opportunity to advance to next week’s state tournament in San Antonio.
Despite the second-half turnovers, Paris pulled away to a 62-36 lead over the Leopards after three quarters and enjoyed an 86-56 bulge when Steed pulled his starters with 2:07 left in the game. L-E finished with an 11-0 spurt and knocked down ten 3’s in the game to help keep the final margin a bit more respectable.
Details on the Region 2 tournament will be posted as soon as they become available, but fans are urged to plan an early arrival to ensure seating.
The Paris Wildcats Playoff Express rolls into Texas A&M-Commerce Memorial Fieldhouse Friday for a Dallas vs. Paris Region 2 semifinal doubleheader. The 5th-ranked Cats punched their ticket Tuesday with a 86-67 quarterfinal win over District 15-4A rival Liberty-Eylau in a game played at Tyler Junior College. As usual, it was the Paris defense, like Jalon Pipkins’ block on the Leopards’ Decorian Meadows (left) that set the plate for some explosive offense such as a Pipkins tomahawk slam (right) on the other end. The win sets up a rematch against 4th-ranked Dallas Lincoln Friday, 6 p.m. Crosstown rival North Lamar faces No. 9 Triple A Academy in the 8 p.m. nightcap with the semifinal winners meeting on Saturday, 12 noon, for the right to advance to the state tournament.
Photos by Melanie Meredith
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