Compared to what Columbia Academy has delivered on the hardwood the past five years, it’s been a difficult year for the Marion County private school.
However, the Cougars (10-16, 4-3) continue to keep pace in the district standings despite relying on several underclassmen. They were able to jump on Bowling Green early Jan. 25 and hold on for a 41-26 home victory despite not playing quite as well in the second half, according to head coach Dale Watts.
But they ran into a buzz saw Friday when Brookhaven Academy came to town and delivered the Cougars a 55-35 loss.
“The Fortenberry brothers are big, strong kids who are (6-foot-5, 6-foot-4), and we just didn’t have an answer for them and couldn’t match up. They had a little guy who on that particular night was shooting the ball well,” Watts said. “You combine that with Hays having strep, and he was subpar health wise. He tried to play, and I give him credit for that, but he was sick and wasn’t physically 100%.”
The veteran coach added the Cougars aren’t shooting the ball well right now and have to rely too much on defense and ball control.
They played Oak Forest Academy Tuesday night on the road for their final district game of the season, but results were unavailable at press time.
While the Lady Cougars (13-16, 2-5) lost both of their games last week, they remained in a good position going into Tuesday night to make the playoffs. They played at Oak Forest (results unavailable), and as long as they don’t lose by more than 20 points, they will be the No. 4 seed from their district. The Lady Cougars beat Oak Forest 48-28 the first time around, but it could be a different story the second time around.
“It’s a different situation when you play down there, and the officiating is different,” Watts said.
In a 30-24 home loss to Bowling Green Jan. 25, the Lady Cougars committed 20 turnovers, with many of them being unforced turnovers.
“The turnovers beat us,” Watts said. “We kept it fairly close, but in the last minutes of the game, they did a little bit of what we do. They started controlling the ball and extended our defense.”
It didn’t get any better Friday as the Lady Cougars lost to a really talented Brookhaven Academy squad 54-24. Brookhaven won state in softball, and Watts said a lot of those same girls play basketball as well.
“They came out and smacked us right in the mouth, and we didn’t respond well,” he said. “They have size and length inside, which makes it difficult for us to score inside. They have exceptional guard play, and they have shooters on the perimeter who can not only make shots but create shots. They are a difficult matchup for us.”
Both Columbia Academy squads will finish the regular season Thursday night against Lamar Christian for senior night.
