With 11 games under its belt, the Columbia Academy Cougars basketball squad is off to a blistering start with a 10-1 record and some impressive wins.
The Cougars didn’t lose a single player to graduation from last year’s team, and head coach Dale Watts said having the entire rotation back with experience has been and will be a huge plus.
Tate Duncan, Ras Pace and Ethan Stringer lead the way as the senior leaders and have the Cougars on pace to go much further than a year ago. Columbia Academy went 19-13 last season and was eliminated in a controversial game by St. Aloysius in the first round of the south state tournament. With wins over several 4A and 5A opponents and a .909 winning percentage thus far, Watts said CA has a chance to go all the way.
“We’ve played some good folks and done pretty good,” he said.
Watts added that the senior trio has been playing meaningful minutes for several years, and they understand the system and how the Cougars want to play.
Cody Fortenberry, Hays Carley and Jeffrey Pennington got a lot experience last year as freshmen and have improved a lot but still have a little ways to go, according to Watts.
“These younger guys are going to have to step up and fulfill their roles, but I feel good,” he said. “For us to beat PCS, Parklane and Jackson Academy, they’re all 5A schools. I made the schedule a little tougher in regards for the boys.”
Duncan has been the early star for the Cougars and is averaging 18.4 points per game and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 senior lefty excels in transition and is a menace on the offensive glass. Pace has been a do-it-all chess piece, spending time at both point guard and shooting guard, and is averaging 13.9 points, five rebounds and five assists. Fortenberry is Columbia Academy’s third-leading scorer at 11 points and is hauling in five boards per game.
Last season Watts consistently referred to the Cougars as an “extreme team,” meaning they would either play very up tempo or completely slow the game down, depending on the opponent. Now they are letting their athleticism run free with a fast-paced attack and forcing teams to try to keep up. Watts said, though, that a time will come when they won’t be able to rely on their athleticism.
“We’ve given folks a lot of trouble with our full-court pressure (defensively) and the speed of the game. But as the year goes on, teams will adapt and we’re going to have to really execute in our half-court game defensively and offensively,” he said. “Last year I think we were extremely weak in the half-court defense. So I really think that’s going to be a big key to how far we go.”
Most recently the Cougars beat Laurel Christian School 79-41 Dec. 3, Oak Forest Academy 65-46 Dec. 5 and Centreville Academy 82-54 Saturday. Columbia Academy was on the road Tuesday night at Lamar Christian, but results were unavailable at press time. They return Friday night to take on Amite School Center and will play host to Wayne Academy Saturday night.
Pictured Above: CA's Tate Duncan banks a layup off the glass against Oak Forest Academy Nov. 21. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
