Whitefield Captures Region 9-A Basketball Crown

Kenneth Gaines hates losing.

The Whitefield Academy shooting guard needed to come up big with the game tied at 41-41 with under three minutes remaining against Paideia.

This game was for the Region 9-A championship, and Gaines wasn’t about to let his Wolfpack go down in defeat.

When Whitefield Academy needed a big shot, it got it -- from the hands of Gaines.

Gaines let a 3-pointer rip that hit nothing but the bottom of the net to put the Wolfpack up 44-41. Paideia answered with a 3-pointer from Keenan Palmore to tie the game, but Whitefield Academy’s Kennard Backman hit two free throws to put them back ahead.

After a rebound on the ensuing possession, the Wolfpack put the ball in Gaines’ hands on a fast break. He drove through two Paideia defenders, scored a soft layup and drew a foul. The Whitefield faithful erupted and Gaines capped off the play with a free throw, earning three points the old fashioned way.

This sparked Whitefield Academy and ended Paideia’s hopes of winning a rematch for the region title. Whitefield Academy outlasted the Pythons 55-45.

“I don’t like to lose,” Gaines said. “I know my team doesn’t like to lose. I was supposed to step up the whole game anyways so I was just doing what was completely necessary. It wasn’t anything extra. That’s what’s called for me.”

Gaines finished the game with 19 points and celebrated with his team when they were presented the Region 9-A championship trophy. Gaines was named to All-Region Team, along with Backman and teammate Tekele Cotton, who was named the region Player of the Year.

“It feels special,” Cotton said. “It feels like all the hard work has paid off. We do a lot of hard work around here.”

Added Whitefield Academy coach Tyrone Johnson: “To be honest, the guys who were named on the All-Region Team stepped up. That’s what it’s supposed to be. Otherwise, it means you’re overrated.”

Cotton finished with 12 points, but his last two brought the Whitefield Academy house down. With the game in hand, Cotton was fed the ball with a running state with 19 seconds left. He threw down a one-handed dunk, causing the raucous student section to scream even louder than it had through the course of the game.

The student section acted as a true sixth man for Whitefield Academy, letting Paideia have it every chance it had, screaming the common “Air Ball” chant when someone misfired and directing a “You Can’t Dunk” cheer at a Paideia player who was stuffed by the rim in the first half.

“They help us out a whole lot,” Cotton said of the fans. “They give us energy.”

Cotton added his fellow students will ask the players what to expect from their next opponent -- names and all. It’s as if the fans get just as good of a scouting report as the players do.

With the game tight in the fourth quarter, the student section jumped up and down, screaming “I believe that we will win” over and over. That was Gaines’ favorite chant of the night, saying the team feeds off the fans’ energy.

“If you have a quiet game, it’s going to seem boring regardless of any highlight you have,” Gaines said. “So whenever you have the people behind you it gives you that extra juice.”

Whitefield Academy held a 24-18 lead at halftime, and increased it to 26-19 with just over five minutes to play in the third quarter. However, Paideia made a run, led by sophomore Cameron Myers. Myers scored six of the Pythons’ next nine points, which helped tie the game at 28-28.

Myers’ play helped push Paideia to go up 36-34 heading into the fourth quarter. But that’s when the Wolfpack stepped up and secured its region championship.

“It’s a blessing before God,” Johnson said. “It’s something you can’t take for granted. They’re hard to come by.”