Columbia High School basketball tipped off the new year on a high note Jan. 6, earning a pair of district wins over Sumrall. The Lady Wildcats won 36-34 in a defensive battle, and the Wildcats came out on top in an 84-79 double overtime shootout — thanks in large part to a pair of career-best scoring performances — both crucial wins in Columbia's race to earn spots in postseason play.
The girls game was closely contested from start to finish. With the score tied 10-10 after one quarter, the Lady Wildcats (9-6, 2-0) were held to only four points in the second, allowing the Lady Bobcats to carry a 16-14 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Their luck on the offensive end changed significantly in the third, however, with Payshunce Sims scoring eight points and Jakira Brown tacking on six as the Lady Wildcats' doubled their opponents' scoring total, taking a 28-23 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
Similarly to the second quarter, the Lady Bobcats made life difficult for the Lady Wildcats' offense in the fourth, holding them to only eight points while stringing together enough points to close the gap and tie the game. With only seconds remaining in regulation, however, Sims drained a pair of free throws to lift Columbia back into the lead, and they held on until the final buzzer to seal a well-earned, 36-34 victory. Brown, who's emerged as the Lady Wildcats' top scorer as a sophomore, led the team once again with 14 points in the outing, followed by Sims with 10 and Jalaysha Allen with six.
The boys game followed a pretty similar script, with both teams trading blows with big shots throughout the first quarter to enter the second with Sumrall leading 18-17. Success at the free throw line helped the Wildcats (9-6, 1-1) pull ahead 30-29 by half, led by Avyon Lewis, who scored nine points in the period.
Both offenses ramped up their efforts in the third, but stellar shooting performances by Lewis and Kendale Johnson allowed the Wildcats to protect the lead. With 10 points from Lewis and nine points from Johnson, Columbia carried a 52-45 lead into the final eight minutes of action. But the Bobcats weren't ready to give up just yet. Down the final stretch of regulation, a trio of timely three-pointers allowed them to close the gap, knotting the score up at 57-57 by the final buzzer to extend the game into an overtime period.
The shots kept falling in overtime, with both teams scoring more through the final ten minutes than they had in any of the previous four quarters. The Wildcats inflicted a lot of their damage from the charity stripe, led by sophomore Ceecee Watts, who made seven of eight attempts from the line to match Johnson with eight points in overtime. In the final two minutes, those free throws made all the difference as Columbia slowly pulled away to secure an 84-79 victory. Johnson and Lewis shared the honor of being the Wildcats' leading scorers, both pitching in a career-best 29 points to help Columbia secure its first win against a Region 7-4A opponent.
Both teams from Columbia traveled to Purvis on Tuesday for two more district matchups, but results were unavailable at press time. They'll be back on the road Friday for contests against Poplarville, and they'll return to their home floor Jan. 20 for district showdowns against FCAHS.
