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Woodrow Wilson boys basketball, 7th-ranked 4A team in state, oust South Oak Cliff in bi-district round

For Woodrow Wilson coach Patrick Washington, his team’s 65-59 win over South Oak Cliff was one part relief, one part consternation.

Relief in that Woodrow, No. 7 in the final Texas High School Basketball Coaches rankings and a legitimate contender in the 4A boys basketball playoffs, avoided stumbling in the bi-district round.

Worry in that Woodrow sputtered out of the gates — going 12-for-33 in the first half while committing 11 turnovers — and struggled to score in the fourth quarter. If not for seven free throws from Chance Houston in the fourth quarter, Woodrow’s playoff hopes might have been in jeopardy.

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“I’m not going to take anything away from SOC,” Washington said. “They’ve got great tradition, and coach [James] Mays does a great job. But we needed to execute a little bit better, especially in the fourth quarter.”

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Woodrow (24-7) went on a 15-5 run in the second quarter to take a halftime lead. But state No. 14 South Oak Cliff (19-10) retook the lead two minutes into the third quarter, 33-32, on a lay-up by David Myers.

With Mays implementing a platoon that used every player on his bench, South Oak Cliff hassled and hurried Woodrow into 23 turnovers.

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However, when the game looked to be getting away from Woodrow, its senior stars Trey Washington and Zach Coleman stepped up. Washington hit two third-quarter three pointers, and Coleman — who led all scorers with 17 points and had 11 rebounds — made several key second-half baskets.

“We were just making too many mistakes early,” Coleman said. “When we settled down, and started playing together, it started to work for us.”

After the game, news quickly trickled down to the tunnels outside the locker rooms at Ellis Davis Field House about Carter’s upset loss to Hillcrest. Patrick Washington shook his head but said he wasn’t shocked. The message was clear: Anything can happen, especially when DISD teams face each other in the first round.