Ridgeland boys basketball coach Jeremiah Faber knows his team is not filled with tremendous offensive talent.
The Jaguars don't have a go-to low-post threat and they are often indecisive on offense.
But Faber believes Ridgeland will be competitive as long as it dedicates itself to defense.
"Defense will always be the No. 1 priority," Faber said.
The Jaguars' staunch defense was displayed last weekend in wins against visiting Hilton Head High and host Bluffton.
Ridgeland defeated Hilton Head 40-36 after it outscored the Seahawks 10-6 in the fourth quarter. Hilton Head did not score in the final quarter until there was 1:22 remaining.
In a 56-51 win against Bluffton, Ridgeland had six steals and held the Bobcats to eight first-quarter points.
Ridgeland began the season with a 73-55 loss to Wade Hampton on Dec. 4 and Faber made defense the focal point during the ensuing week's practice.
"The whole tone was established (last) Monday night," Faber said. "We worked on defense."
Ridgeland scored 10 first-half points against Hilton Head, but trailed 16-10 because its defense did not allow many quality shots. In the second half, Ridgeland's man-to-man defense was aggressive and it utilized its press to force turnovers. The Jaguars had seven steals.
Torray Amlett (14 points) helped ignite the offense. He finished an end-to-end dash to the basket with a layup that pulled the Jaguars to within 21-20 midway through the third quarter and a few possessions later, after grabbing a rebound, his free throw tied the game 24-24.
"Just take it over," Amlett said.
In the fourth, two early Tyron Mikell free throws gave Ridgeland (2-1 as of Monday) a 32-30 lead. The Jaguars' trapping defense forced Hilton Head out of its rhythm and a Tevin Stevenson 3-pointer with 6:22 remaining gave Ridgeland a 37-30 lead.
"We like pressing because almost everybody we press, they just want to get the ball out of their hands and hurry and by the time they do that, it will be a bad pass," said Amlett, who had seven rebounds and two steals.
Amlett is one of the returning players Faber is counting on, but that doesn't mean those who played a lot last year are guaranteed to see a lot of playing time this year.
After Maurice Dargon had a strong week of practice, Faber decided to start the 6-foot-4 junior over senior Jac'que Polite.
Faber wanted to reward Dargon for his efforts and let the veterans know nothing is guaranteed.
"The players need to understand nothing will be given to them," Faber said. "Some returning players feel entitlement to start."
Faber said he thought about starting senior point guard Medicus Deloach over sophomore Jeremy Scott, but Deloach missed practice the day before the game against Hilton Head, so Scott started.
Scott had four points and four assists against the Seahawks. He scored 12 points against Bluffton.
Faber won't start those who don't practice hard.
"If you are not getting it done in practice, you are not going to get it done during the game," he said.
During last week's defensive-minded practices, Faber and the coaches went back to the basics. In the loss to Wade Hampton, Faber was disappointed that the returning players did not seem to understand the defense.
So last week the team went back and learned what it had already been taught. The team worked on help-side defense, stepping out on dribblers and seeing the ball and man.
"We can't overlook an aspect of the game defensively and assume they know," Faber said. "That's what happened the first (game). We assume because we have returning kids they would retain information and that didn't happen."
Since Ridgeland has yet to establish a low-post presence, Faber wants the team to drive and attack the basket instead of settling for outside shots. The Jaguars were 4 for 15 on 3-pointers against Hilton Head, 6 for 15 against Bluffton and through three games are 11 for 36 (31 percent) from 3-point range.
Faber knows Ridgeland's defense gives the team its best chance to be a Region 5-A contender.
"When man-to-man (defense) is played correctly, it's an awesome instrument to have on the floor," Faber said.