WOODVILLE &045; Juan Wyatt is just up the road from his Fayette home as a freshman at Alcorn, but to Bryant Spiller he might as well still be wearing a royal blue jersey and shorts.

The memory the Wilkinson County senior point guard has of Wyatt hitting one of two free throws to eliminate the Wildcats from the Region 7-3A tournament last year remains haunting.

Spiller led the Wildcats with 14 points that night, but Wyatt’s conversion at the charity stripe with eight-tenths of a second left Wilkinson County on the short end of s 54-53 loss and out of the playoffs once again.

&uot;I still think about it,&uot; said Spiller, who leads his Wildcats into Natchez High tonight. &uot;It was a chance to go to the playoffs and we missed out. I don’t have to say anything, they (his teammates) still talk about it.&uot;

The disappointment of turning in his uniform before another postseason began has been plenty enough fodder to drive Spiller, who is averaging 18.2 points per game to go along with more than seven assists and seven rebounds this season.

That opening round affair was a true Jefferson County-Wilkinson County epic, as the game see-sawed back and forth until Wyatt toed up the foul line.

&uot;If I had a wish, it would be that we could send Bryant to the playoffs,&uot; Wildcats head coach Henry Storey said. &uot;We want to playing Friday night in the late game on the 20th&uot; for the Region 7-3A tournament title.

Storey sees Spiller as his undisputed floor leader, an extension of himself on the floor, who commands the respect of his teammates.

The mutual respect the two share plays a current key role as the Wildcats are mired in a four-game losing streak.

&uot;Right now we’re in a shooting slump. Nothing seems to be falling for us right now,&uot; Spiller said. &uot;They’re good looks, but nothing is going in.&uot;

The drought dropped Wilkinson County from being a No. 2 seed to the fourth seed when the region tournament begins at Hazlehurst next Tuesday.

&uot;You need to look at the whole person,&uot; Storey said of Spiller, a four-year starter. &uot;He has the character, the family and church backgrounds that all play an important part into who he is. It’s all information into telling you who you’re dealing with.&uot;

Spiller attributes his added toughness and even keel to cousin Sherrell Ford, who played high school ball with Dallas Maverick Michael Finley and himself reached the NBA as a member of the Seattle Supersonics.

Spiller has seen his cousin play live against the Chicago Bulls several years ago when Spiller attended Finley’s summer camp, where his all-around skills were matched up with the country’s elite young talent.

From watching Ford, Spiller drew inspiration to sharpen his versatility on the floor, as his cousin was able to play multiple positions.

&uot;His biggest problem is he gets lazy with his passing sometimes,&uot; Storey said. &uot;It’s not something that happens every game. Other than that, you can put him on the floor and tell him to run for 90 minutes and he’ll do it.&uot;

Spiller believes his game is ready for the likes of a Division I-A program, but acknowledged a couple of years at a junior college can only help him polish his skills.

That’s why here shortly, he’ll bypass offers from Middle Tennessee State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and some other Southwestern Athletic Conference schools and attend Southwest Community College in Summit.

&uot;He’s tougher on himself than anybody else,&uot; Storey said. &uot;When you’ve got somebody like that who wants to win, you’ve always got to like your chances.&uot;

The top four finishers at the region tournament make the big dance, with the champion and runner-up hosting first-round playoff games.

Positioning becomes of greater importance when realizing the fourth-place team plays at the Region 6 winner, which presumably will be Prentiss and Arkansas signee Al Jefferson.

But, heck, if that’s in the cards for Spiller and the Wildcats, there’s no question he’ll take it.

All he wants is to taste the playoffs. Give him a sample and he won’t be satisfied with just one.

&uot;It’s not necessarily a matter of wanting to send Bryant out &045; none of my players have been to the playoffs,&uot; Storey said. &uot;That’s enough incentive to go out, want to win and get into the playoffs. Once you’re in the playoffs, teams don’t look at you record anymore.&uot;