Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
The Edgewood Boys’ basketball team was at a crossroads during the Christmas break. A promising start to the season at 8-2 had turned bleak after the Wildcats lost three straight road games. But the Wildcats returned in January to defeat The Oaks in an area game and followed that up with another area win over Hooper. Edgewood would go on to win 13 of 15 games following Christmas break and advance to the AISA Class A title game, where they fell to undefeated Abbeville Christian.
“It feels great to be the Class A runner-up,” said Edgewood Boys Basketball Coach Scott Phillips. “You always want to win the championship, but I think where we came from this year to win our area, win 22 games, and be in the state championship game was positive for us. We came a long way since the start of the season. We had to get some things together and just be patient.”
The early season struggles turned into a cohesive and like-minded team that propelled through the AISA playoffs and into the Class A title game. Phillips cited the team coming together in January as the key factor in their season.
“We had some guys at each other’s throats, you know the basketball season gets really long. I really think the main factor was our senior class stepping up and playing to their potential and another factor was how we defended people. We did not give up a lot of points in January.”
Of all the ups and downs during the season, there was one moment that stood out as possibly the defining moment that led to the players coming together, and it occurred after the Wildcats won a road area game.
“We went on the road to Opelika to play The Oaks and won by 13 at their place to take a commanding lead in the area. After, they all rode the bus home and we stopped at Buc-ee’s and had a great time as a team. One of the moms who helped us a lot that year said, ‘coach, I think your team just came together.’ We only lost one more time before the championship game. Sometimes it takes crazy things like that to bring teams together, but I think it did.”
Phillips doesn’t have expectations yet for next season as the Wildcats lose four seniors.
“We lose our entire frontline. We lose a player that could get hot at any time and was a leader and one of our best defenders. We lose a player that was our X factor. So, I don’t want to say rebuilding, but we have some rebuilding to do…But I really liked our JV. I think there are some players down there that can really help us. Also, we have three or four returners on varsity that will be back that are big time players. We get our point guard back, which is always big, but we will have to do a good job as a coaching staff and develop some young players because we are going to be young.”
