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Wylie head coach Stephen Pearce is all smiles after the Pirates defeated the North Garland Raiders 71-56 on Friday night. With the win, the Pirates clinched the District 9-6A title for the fourth consecutive season. Photo by Art Stricklin / C&S Media

By Art Stricklin

sports@csmediatexas.com

GARLAND – After pulling away from a tight battle in the fourth quarter to defeat North Garland 71-56 Friday night, the Wylie Pirates are the District 9-6A champions for the fourth year in a row.

The game was tight, 49-45, at the end of the third quarter, but the Pirates pulled away with a pair of four-point plays after intentional fouls were called on the Raiders.

“This is a together group that steps up for each other. They might not be the biggest or the fastest or the tallest, but they do the little things well. That’s why they’re the district champs. You got to let them celebrate after that,” head coach Stephen Pearce said.

Last year, Wylie won the district basketball title, but this year, the Pirates had to replace all five starters from that team. The Pirates started slow in non-district play but finished strong when it counted. Wylie is 12-3 in district play and 20-11 overall with one home district game left against Sachse next Tuesday.

Rockwall-Heath is a possible bi-district opponent at a time and place still to be determined.

“You have to give all the credit to the seniors. They rose to the occasion,” Pearce said. “Tonight was a loud and tough environment, and when we played against Wylie East in a similar setting, these guys rose up. That is something we were lacking at the beginning of the year.”

After the tight third quarter, when North Garland went on a 9-0 run after making three straight 3-pointers, Wylie countered by scoring the first four points of the fourth quarter for a seven-point lead, 52-45.

A short time later, Wylie broke the game open when Chase Hughes stole the ball and was going in for a clear layup, only to be fouled from behind. The official called an intentional foul on North Garland, and the resulting free throws and two-point basket made it 56-45 Wylie with 5:02 left in the game.

Another intentional foul and four-point play later in the quarter made the score 60-45 Pirates, and the district title celebration could begin. Pearce cleared his bench and put his subs in during the final minute of the contest.

“We did a better job of rebounding in the second half, and we made a bunch of free throws. That made the biggest difference for us,” he said.

Tre Pierce was the leading scorer for Wylie with 19 points in the win. Hughes and Darian Romano both had 16.

After a slow first quarter, the Pirates turned it on in the second eight minutes. Theo Allen took a pass and drove the ball inside for a short jump shot, and Wylie led 14-12 early in the second quarter.

It was a lead the Pirates would never lose.

Henry Stark was knocked to the ground on a 3-point attempt and calmly made all three free throws to increase the lead to 19-14.

After Hughes and Pierce hit inside baskets to push the lead to 24-16, Hughes capped the first-half surge with a steal and an open path to the basket, where he softly laid the ball in for a 10-point lead, 26-16, with 1:32 to go in the second quarter.