The Sulphur Springs Wildcats traveled to Royse City Friday, where they would face Wilmer-Hutchins in the Area Round of the playoffs. The winner would go on to face No. 6 ranked Dallas Pinkston, in what would potentially be a revenge game for the Sulphur Springs Wildcats. After a bit of a slow start in the Bi-District game, Sulphur Springs wasted no time getting off to a hot start Friday. Senior big man Kordrick Turner was in full rhythm immediately, helping the Wildcats get out to a quick 18-11 lead with just a couple minutes left in the opening frame. The Eagles of Wilmer-Hutchins were able to score once more in the final two minutes, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 18-13 entering the second quarter. The Eagles kept that momentum going to open the next frame, tying things up at 20-20 with 5:43 left to play in the first half. While Wilmer-Hutchins was able to slow down Sulphur Springs’ momentum for a minute, it wouldn’t last for long. The Wildcats took their lead right back and continued to do so for the rest of the half, going into the locker room leading 32-25 at the midway point in the game. Sulphur Springs opened the second half the same way they did the first half, by getting out to a quick start, something Coach Shaver has strongly emphasized in his time as the Wildcats head coach. The Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 11 points in the opening minutes of the half, before Wilmer-Hutchins could put an end to their run. Wilmer-Hutchins ended the frame on a strong note, slowly but surely chipping away at the Wildcats lead. The Eagles held out for the final possession of the frame but couldn’t get it to go, as Sulphur Springs entered the final frame with a 41-36 lead. Wilmer-Hutchins would also go on to score the first two points of the final frame, bringing the sore to 41-38 with just 6:35 left to play. Sulphur Springs answered with a basket of their own, but a big 3-pointer from the Eagles would swing it back to 44-41 with 5:05 left to go. The Wildcats once again found themselves in a similar situation as they did in the bi-district round, with a once double-digit lead starting to slip away from them. This time, however, the Wildcats refused to let the game get out of their control. Sulphur Springs ended the final few minutes of the game on a strong 12-3 run, winning the game by a final score of 56-44. The win puts them back in the Regional Quarterfinal once again, the same round their season was ended a year ago. “I’m very excited,” Turner said in his postgame interview, after being named the Slaughter’s BBQ Player of the Game. “You know, last year we lost in the third round, and now we’re coming for revenge.” Turner had yet another outstanding game, leading the team in points (20), assists (5), blocks (3) and tying for the team-high with eight rebounds. Turner was also incredibly efficient, shooting 8-11 from the field. Just behind him was Parker Whisnehunt, who has also had a fantastic postseason so far. Whisnehunt had 18 points on 7-13 shooting, and also pulled in five boards and dished out four assists. Another senior with a huge performance was Cole Theofiledes, who had eight points on 60% shooting. Theofiledes also took multiple charges, bringing intensity on both ends of the floor. “I was just playing my role, doing what the coaches told me to do,” Theofiledes said. “Just confidence, they told me to be confident in my shot, be confident in what I do, be confident in my passes, and that’s all I had to do, was just be confident.” Senior Malachi Myles had a big game as well, scoring eight points and pulling in eight rebounds. Myles shot 3-6 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line, while also pulling in multiple offensive rebounds. Senior point guard Branson Lynn was the only other Wildcat to score, finishing with two points. Lynn also dished out four assists and had a team-high +12 plus-minus. “That’s all we talked about,” head coach Brandon Shaver said in the postgame interview, referring to his team’s hot start. “We can’t come out here and expect things to happen, we’ve got to make them happen.” “It’s not about me, any guy can coach these guys,” Shaver said, giving credit to his team for once again reaching the Regional Quarterfinal round. “They’re so awesome, this group here, they’re just special. It’s all on the players, we get to go out there and have fun with them, but those guys come out here and compete hard, play hard and they answer the bell… It’s hard to put into words but, they’re just a great group of kids.” The win not only sends Sulphur Springs to the Regional Quarterfinal, but is also their 30th win of the season. Another milestone reached, was the 100th career victory for Shaver as a head coach. The next matchup for Sulphur Springs will be Tuesday night in Rockwall Heath, where they will once again go up against the No. 6 ranked Dallas Pinkston Vikings. The two teams have faced each other once this season, back on Jan. 10, where Pinkston pulled out a close victory. For anybody who can’t make it to Tuesday night’s matchup, join our live broadcast on Front Porch News and Chad’s Media.