Topsail boys ride defense into round two

Mon. February 20, 2012 at 9:47 p.m. | By Powell Latimer | StarNews Staff Writer

Topsail's Will Thomas (20) soars to the net over Edenton Holmes Chaquann Martin (32) in the first half at Topsail High School Monday, Feb. 20, 2012. (Photo by Photo by Mike Spencer)

HAMPSTEAD | For the past three weeks, Topsail's boys basketball team has used a simple formula: suffocate the opposition on defense and let Will Thomas spark the offense.
The Pirates (18-8) executed that strategy to perfection Monday night and cruised to a 57-39 win against Edenton-Holmes (14-9) in the first round of the NCHSAA 2A basketball playoffs.
Recognizing that his perimeter shot wasn't falling early, Thomas attacked the basket, and his quickness created problems Holmes wasn't able to solve.
"The last three weeks, Will has played as good as he has in three years," Topsail coach Jeff Gainey said. "He's led by example the last three weeks. ... He's been big."
Thomas scored 17 points, but his passing dominated the court. After ripping off 10 quick points in the first half, Thomas looked to his teammates. His drives drew Holmes' defenders and left other Topsail players wide open – often underneath the basket.
"I kind of felt like my shot wasn't dropping," Thomas said. "So coach usually tells me when my shot isn't dropping, I need to facilitate."
Eight of Thomas' nine assists went to Trevor Savidge for open layups. Savidge finished with a game-high 23 points.
"They chased the ball in Will's hands and Trevor was in the right place at the right time," Gainey said.
Defensively, Topsail's full-court press turned the game into a halfcourt battle. No Holmes player scored more than 10 points and the Aces were plagued by turnovers. Topsail had a 14-point lead at the half and never led by fewer than six the rest of the way.
"When we go in our full-court press, if it's a faster team than us, we like to slow them down and get the pace of the game going," Thomas said.
With the win, Topsail's boys will hit the road for a second-round matchup at Kinston.
"The Eastern Championship runs through Kinston," Gainey said. "I've been here long enough to know. … There's history there. It's as storied as it gets in the state of North Carolina."