For the first time in head coach Charlie James’ five-year tenure, the Wildcats made it out of the second round and advanced to the Class 3A Elite Eight Monday night.
In the second-round game against McLaurin that was pushed to Monday from Saturday due to a slick floor, Columbia (15-16) made every play it needed to down the stretch to come away with a 61-54 victory.
James said it’s a relief to finally make it out of the second round after falling twice in that round and twice in the first round.
“It’s been five years now, so it feels good. I’m real proud of the guys; they hung in there,” he said. “We came out with a lot of energy but kind of got stagnated in the second quarter. We picked it back up in the second half, though.”
The triumph sends the Wildcats to Camden Thursday night at 7 to take on one of the favorites to bring home the state title, Velma Jackson (22-6). The Falcons defeated Seminary, which beat Columbia three times this season, 69-57 Saturday and are as scrappy as they are talented, according to James.
Velma Jackson has an explosive offense that averages 63.9 points and is led by sophomore Joshua Lee. The 6-foot-1 guard averages 20.8 points and shoots 51 percent from the field and a blistering 46 percent from behind the arc.
Where the Wildcats will have to win the matchup is in the paint with Jaheim Oatis and Tykelvis Wright. Velma Jackson’s tallest player is 6-foot-3 forward Charlie Jones, who averages 11.6 points, while Oatis and Wright are both 6-foot-6. Despite being only a freshman, Oatis has shown he can take over and control a game inside when his motor is running high. Wright typically doesn’t do much on the scoring end, but he is a great rim protector and has 11 blocks in three postseason games.
The winner will advance to play in the Final Four Wednesday, March 6 at 1:30 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson against either Yazoo County (29-0) or Nettleton (27-4). The championship is set for March 9 at 3, with Houston, Holly Springs, Jeff Davis County and St. Andrew’s Episcopal alive on the other side of the bracket.
Monday night against McLaurin, Columbia got off to a great start, leading 11-3 at the end of the first quarter, but McLaurin battled back with a 11-1 run to begin the second quarter. The Wildcats finally ended the run with Oatis providing a boost off the bench but trailed at the half, 24-22.
The game was nip-and-tuck the entire third quarter, with Columbia clinging to a 36-34 leading heading into the final stanza.
TJ Monroe had just three points going into the fourth quarter, which is well short of his average, and James said it felt like the talented senior was pressing some rather than allowing the game to come to him. That changed in the fourth, though, as he erupted for 10 points to finish with 13 and went on a 6-0 run by himself with a 3-pointer and three the old-fashioned way to lift Columbia to a 50-43 lead midway through the quarter.
“He picked up three fouls so I sat him and told him, ‘Just settle down, man. It’ll come to you; just play.’ When we put him back in, I thought he answered the bell well,” James said. “He did what TJ does and has been doing all year.”
Then it was Darius Stewart’s turn to lead the Wildcats. Stewart, who shouldered the scoring load early while Monroe struggled, made three consecutive stellar plays — a leaning floater in the lane, a great pass inside to hit a cutting Kentrel Bullock and a layup off a strong drive.
With McLaurin trying to foul under two minutes trailing 56-49, Oatis fired a great pass before McLaurin converged on him to Bullock, who put the nail in the coffin with another layup.
Through the first 20 games of the season, Stewart was averaging just 6.5 points per game and shot 50 percent or better from the field just four times. In the 10 games since, he’s averaging 12.6 points and has shot 50-plus percent eight times. He led Columbia with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists Monday.
“Darius has come along really well. He’s improved if you look back to where we started until now, he’s been ideal and a big part of what we’re doing,” James said.
Bullock added 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night, while Monroe had 13 and Wright had three blocks. But it was Oatis’ play off the bench that made the biggest difference. His insertion into the game in both halves coincided with some of Columbia’s best runs, and he scored 13 points while altering a number of McLaurin shots on the other end.
“He was able to give us some interior scoring. Just his presence alone, offensively and defensively, was huge for us tonight,” James said. “We’re just fortunate we were able to get him back (Monday), and he came through in a big way.”
James added the pass Oatis made to Bullock to seal the game was indicative of his growth this season.
Pictured Above: Columbia's Darius Stewart soars for a layup after beating a McLaurin defender off the dribble. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
