The VR coach got to see his team put together a solid game that was indicative of what his team can be capable of as the season resumes at the beginning of January.
"I'm very proud of our guys. I've been riding them pretty hard about these high expectations at Villa Rica and in the community and we've got to play up to everybody's expectations. I've been on them hard, talking about learning to win games and close out close games. We've taken some steps in the right direction the last few games," Robinson said.
The game resembled more of a track meet than a basketball game through the opening minutes, as both teams were racing up and down the floor. That didn't suit the Wildcats (12-1) early, finding themselves in an 8-0 hole through the first four-and-a-half minutes.
Then Josh Lay knocked down a 3-pointer and things started going VR's way. The Wildcats finished the quarter on a 12-1 run to take a three-point lead at the quarter break and increased it to five points by halftime. That would change, however, as the Tigers would repeatedly get back in the game and take small leads throughout parts of the second half. But for every Handley answer, the Wildcats had a response of their own.
"I'm proud of how our guys handled the adversity throughout [Saturday's] game. We would go up, they would go up and we kept battling back. We had different kids do it. Marcus [Miller] stepped up and hit 12 free throws in a row," Robinson said. "We've got a bunch of good players right now. They're all playing well for us now. We just need to keep them all on the same page and all working toward one goal."
It was Rodney Hill's 14 points that led the Wildcats, Lay — tournament MVP — scored 13, Miller's 12 free throws accounted for all of his points of the game and Delano Mims, also named to the all-tournament team, scored 11.
"[Lay] does a good job. He's a mismatch. People look at him as a guard. But, realistically, he handles the ball well enough to be a guard, at the same time, he's incredibly strong and he leaps really well. He's weird. He's the only kid I know who's dominant dribbling with his right hand, but he shoots with his left hand," Robinson said. "He's a good player."
Along with Lay and Mims on the all-tournament team, Marcus Thurman (Bowdon), Josh Johnson (Bremen), Trevor Shell (Temple), Michael Hemphill (Paulding County), Justis Ward (Central), Matt Turner (Mt. Zion) and Handley's Travius Dunson rounded out the group.
Overall, Robinson was proud of the way the tournament ran, as well as his team's performance.
"We'd like to say thank you from Villa Rica High School, our community, our coaching staff who did a great job hosting the event. West Georgia, we hope will continue to allow us to use this venue in this tournament. I think it's a great asset for the community to have this coliseum here and give the kids an opportunity to be a part of something special," Robinson said.
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