The West Marion Lady Trojans had a chance last week to elevate themselves to the No. 2 seed in the Region 8-3A Tournament that is being played this week but lost back-to-back games to fall all the way down to the fourth spot.
The Lady Trojans (15-9, 5-5) had a golden opportunity to build momentum at home Feb. 1 against Tylertown but collapsed down the stretch in a 38-35 loss. Head coach Calvin Newsome said they had the perfect game plan and a lead in the fourth quarter, but it was like the Lady Trojans went brain dead with the game on the line.
Up 35-33 with a minute to play, West Marion’s defense collapsed and allowed Tylertown to take the lead with a 3-pointer. Then with a chance to take back the lead, Newsome said the Lady Trojans jacked up a shot instead of running their offense to get a good look. West Marion had one last chance to tie the game following a Lady Chiefs free throw, but Raven Jones missed the final shot.
In the regular season finale, West Marion’s offense practically took the entire first half off in a 33-25 loss to St. Patrick Feb. 3.
“Our last game of the season was our worst of the year. We had one point at the end of the first quarter and just seven points at halftime,” Newsome said. “We just weren’t focused, not focused at all. We still lack that discipline, and when you have that lack of focus and discipline, the worst comes out.”
West Marion played OLA Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the district tournament with a playoff berth on the line, but results were unavailable at press time. With a win over OLA, the Lady Trojans will play Tylertown in a rematch on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Trojans played Jeff Davis County Tuesday night with a playoff spot up for grabs, but results were unavailable. A loss would end the Trojans’ season, while a win would advance them to the second round to take on St. Patrick Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
