The Lady Cougars conquered the second of their three quests Saturday afternoon in front of Cougar Nation, thoroughly dominating Central Hinds Academy 49-18 to earn the title of 2019 MAIS AAA South State champions.
Columbia Academy (28-8) was by far the best team in the field, winning all three of its games in the tournament by an average margin of 30.3 points per game, with its closest game decided by 20 points.
Head coach Dale Watts said it was a really big deal for the Lady Cougars to win South State, on top of District 4, and it wasn’t easy by any stretch despite their large margins of victory. He added having the tournament at CA was big advantage for the Lady Cougars.
“I was really pleased that Cougar Nation showed up for the girls on Friday and Saturday. It was big help to have the stands full of home folks cheering for us, and it made a big difference,” he said. “Protecting your home turf is always big. It was no doubt an advantage of us, and it was a big boost in the community.”
Watts also said winning the tournament and subsequently earning the No. 1 seed in the South for the AAA Overall Tournament is a big plus for the Lady Cougars in their quest to capture a state title. He noted avoiding Leake Academy, the top seed from the North, in the second round, which could have been a potential matchup if CA was the 2-seed, was just as important.
“No. 1, we’re opposite of Leake. Being the No. 1 seed out of the South is important. It lines us up with a good opportunity,” he said.
The Lady Cougars began the overall tournament Tuesday afternoon against Starkville Academy at Leake Academy, but results were unavailable at press time. Prior to the matchup Tuesday morning, Watts said the game would come down to CA’s defense.
“They’re an experienced team. They went to the state tournament last year and won the first round, so they have some experience under their belt. They have a couple of really good shooters that can hit the 3-point shot,” he said. “I feel good about our chances. We do have them a little bit in size, and if we can contain those shooters and don’t give them too many looks, I feel like we can win.”
With a victory over Starkville, the Lady Cougars would advance to the semifinals to take on either Hillcrest Christian, who they have beat three times this season, or Winston Academy Friday afternoon at 1. The championship game would be Saturday at 2:15 p.m.
To claim the South State title, CA matched up with Hillcrest in the semifinals Friday and was led to a 48-28 victory by Macey Jones and Lauren Rowley. Macey Jones paced CA with 17 points, followed by Rowley’s 16 and Morgan Jones’ eight.
In the championship game Saturday, the trio of the Jones sisters and Rowley paved the way again. Macey Jones and Rowley each had 14 points, Morgan Jones added 11 and Gabby Sullivan chipped in eight.
UPDATE: CA BEAT STARKVILLE ACADEMY 44-34 TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND WILL PLAY IN THE SEMIFINALS FRIDAY AT 1.
Pictured Above: CA's Lauren Rowley attacks a Central Private School defender off the dribble Feb. 13. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
