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GREENSBORO -- Western Guilford head coach Art Wade calls Reggie Perkins a microcosm of his team. Perkins, a buttery 6-foot-1 junior who recently committed to Western Carolina, opened Friday's 67-50 win over Southeast Guilford with a textbook 3-pointer, the kind that would have barely woken up the net had it been napping.

His next attempt missed everything.

Perkins finished with a respectable 13 points, but you get the sneaking suspicion that his and Western's air balloons could still rise a few miles higher if they could just cut a few sandbags.

"He's got to be a killer," Wade said. "His numbers (11 points and three assists a game) aren't where he thought or I thought they'd be, but he is improving on his weaknesses, which will make him a better player. As long as he's our guy, everything's all right with me."

The Hornets, who improved to 11-3 overall and 3-1 in the Metro 4-A Conference, opened the first quarter on a 15-8 run, the second on a 9-2 run and the third on a 6-0 run. They got a game-high 28 points from Antwan Wilkerson, a 6-foot-5 forward who transferred from Northeast Guilford for his senior season and entered the game leading the team in scoring (14), rebounds (8) and blocks (1.5) per game.

De'Eric Baldwin provides bulk down low and laughs in practice, and 6-foot-5 freshman Donovan Gilmore is a freak athlete who can touch the top of the backboard's white square with a standing jump. Division I scouts who came to watch someone else "all left the gym with his name and number," Wade said.

But it's Perkins who Wade thinks could be the engine that carries this team to the next level, and he said he's not afraid of that push.

"Sometimes, it's a lot of pressure," Perkins said, "but it makes you better to know that the team relies on you."

The Hornet have gotten wake-up calls when needed. They got waxed by Northern Guilford and Ragsdale in a preseason scrimmage, then started the season 5-0.

They lost in triple overtime to Wesleyan Christian Academy in a holiday tournament, a game they once led by 15 and still led by two in the final 10 seconds of regulation before an ill-advised shot gave the Trojans new life. Western has now won four straight since that letdown, with a critical game at Dudley looming Tuesday. The Hornets have only three seniors in their nine-man rotation.

"We're doing OK, but we could be a year away from really being something," Wade said. "We're close."

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com

Southeast Guilford -- Tevin Johnson 15, Malik Wright 9, Artez McRae 9, Andre McRae 7, Danny Pressley 4, Vashon Soloman 3, JT McKeller 2.

Western Guilford -- Antwan Wilkerson 28, Reggie Perkins 13, De'Eric Baldwin 7, Neal Spinks 5, Donovan Gilmore 4, Tyler Stutts 4, Rashad Hayes 4, Adrian Moore 4.