Andrew Voyles has been the captain of the Wetumpka boys basketball team for some time now, and his performance against the Elmore County Panthers was a perfect example as to why.
Voyles got back into his usual scoring ways against the Panthers in the semifinal of the Elmore County Tournament, which was hosted on Wetumpka’s home floor. Voyles finished with 24 points, six assists and three steals to boot.
“We're finally getting our whole team healthy,” Wetumpka coach Steven Thomas said. “We're still missing one another, big, and we expect him back in January, so trying to get everybody healthy and getting guys in the groove. We had Andrew and Nolan (Fitch kind of leading the charge with Justin (Godwin) being a facilitator, and Tom (Suddith) has been hurt for a while.”
The Indians have been nursing injuries here and there for the better part of the season but are starting to take form as they collectively get healthy again. Voyles has remained a key piece of the Tribe’s scheme this season, despite his numbers on the stat sheet being quiet in comparison to his usual performances. This is because his opponents have schematically designed their defensive approaches to slow him down. This has allowed for players such as Fitch, Godwi, and Logan Gaare to step up into crucial roles in the scoring department.
Voyles is currently averaging 21.3 points per game and is shooting 56% from the field.
The Indians have two legitimate rotations Thomas utilizes, and Voyles serves as the centerpiece for both. The big scoring nights are always an any given game scenario for Voyles, but even when his jump shots aren’t falling, he still adds direction leadership on the floor. This creates the strong depth Wetumpka boasts within their lineup, and will be a crucial factor as to how they make a run later in the season.
“The goal this season, of course, was to win the area, and how we're playing now, we still have moments, but it can get better,” Thomas said. “That's kind of what we're harping on. We're taking one game at a time and moving on to the next game, and we still can play better. We still haven't really put a full four quarters.”
