The Achilles heel for the Columbia Wildcats all season has been their inability to score consistently, especially when they can’t get out and run in transition. If they are going to make a run in the Class 3A playoffs, though, that’s going to have to change in a hurry.
In the Region 8-3A consolation game Friday night, the Wildcats (8-9) did just enough to represent the district as the No. 3 seed with a 56-52 home victory over West Marion.
Head coach Jordan Dupuy said the Wildcats didn’t play particularly well and came out flat early on. They turned it on in the third quarter to extend the lead to 11 points and had to squeak it out in the end as West Marion nearly mounted a comeback.
“It wasn’t very pretty, but we got the job done,” he said.
Offense has been a concern all season for the Wildcats, and it didn’t get any better against the Trojans, remaining highly inconsistent. However, one player did get hot and changed the momentum of the game.
“Jakeithen Lewis had a big (second half) and hit some big shots for us. I think he had four 3-pointers in the second half, and they were all really good momentum changers,” Dupuy said. “His play in the second half was probably the key.”
Columbia has a tough challenge in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs and will go on the road Friday night to take on Morton (21-6) at 6. Dupuy said Morton is extremely athletic and physical and plays exceptionally hard.
“Everyone on the court is a dual threat who can play off the bounce and shoot from the perimeter. They play a lot of different defenses in the full court and the half court. They’re going to constantly be in attack mode in both offense and defense,” he said. “Honestly, if we play like we’ve been playing, it’s going to be a long night. We’re going to have to play our best just to have a shot to be able to pull it out in the fourth quarter. This is by far the best team we’ve had to play all year besides probably Oak Grove.”
The first-year coach added that with Columbia’s tendency to be inconsistent offensively, the Wildcats will probably have to slow the game down to have a chance.
“I don’t necessarily like to (slow the game down), but I talked to my guys on Sunday and told them they’re going to have to have almost a football mentality,” he explained. “We need to win time of possession and make the game a little shorter than we usually try to make it. If we can score quick on a fast-break layup, fine; if not, we need to take our time and play defense for a while. (Morton) is much better playing fast.”
With a win over Morton, the Wildcats will take on either St. Andrew’s Episcopal or Wilkinson County in the second round Tuesday night at 6.
