The Columbia Wildcats are starting to resemble the 2016-17 squad that made a serious run the second half of the season. That version of the Wildcats started 4-8 in non-district play then won all 12 district games and a playoff game to improve to 17-8 before a second-round exit in the playoffs.
Following a 4-11 start this season, Columbia (8-11) has reeled off four straight quality wins, including in its first three district games. Now at 3-0 in district play, the Wildcats are beginning to look like one of the two favorites in Region 8-3A, alongside Tylertown, which is also 3-0 inside the district and made it to South State last season.
Head coach Charlie James said that while the current club is less experienced than the Wildcats of two years ago, he does see some parallels.
“I see some of the same work habits,” he said. “That team was more experienced than this team with three or four seniors with TJ, and this team has two sophomores and two freshmen with TJ. It’s a little bit different, but I see some similarities in our work.”
The game that announced the Wildcats as a district favorite was a 66-65 road win over Jefferson Davis County Jan. 8. With 10 seconds remaining, the Jaguars took a 65-64 lead, but Columbia bounced right back as Jaheim Oatis made a great outlet pass to the streaking Ziquae Amos, who gave the Wildcats a 66-65 lead with five seconds on the clock. Jeff Davis got one last look at a game-winning shot, but Columbia’s defense was in great position to contest the shot to preserve the victory.
James said Oatis’ all-around performance was the difference maker in the back-and-forth contest. The 6-foot-6 freshman led Columbia with 19 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting and converted three offensive rebounds into three putbacks. He also had three assists and two blocks.
“That was probably the best performance he’s had all year,” James said. “He really played a great game and scored on several buckets inside, made some great passes and had some stops at the rim. He really moved his feet well and was really in tune to the game. I told him if he plays like that all the time, he could be really special.”
The Jaguars mirror Columbia in their style in a lot of ways, using their athleticism and defensive schemes to create turnovers and attack in transition. Columbia was able to withstand turning it over 20 times, though, by shooting a gaudy 57 percent as a team.
TJ Monroe added a double-double for the Wildcats with 15 points and 10 rebounds, including four offensive. Kentrel Bullock had one of his best games as well, using his speed in transition to get to the rim and finishing with 12 points. Amos added nine points and five boards.
At home Friday it was the outside shooting of Monroe and the inside duo of Oatis and Tykelvis Wright that led Columbia to a 61-48 victory over Wesson. Monroe made five 3-pointers and scored 27 points to go along with 12 rebounds. A 6-foot-5 athletic big, Wright returned to the rotation with a vengeance, scoring 13 points, hauling in 10 rebounds, six offensive, and dishing four assists. Oatis added 12 points on 71 percent shooting and blocked two shots.
“We were able to take advantage of our inside presence,” James said. “I thought going in we had an advantage inside, and we put Jaheim and TK (Tykelvis) Wright at the same time. We were able to get three guys in double figures, and inside is really where we made our move in that game.”
James added he has been planning on playing Wright and Oatis together, but Wright was out of town during the holidays. Friday’s win over Wesson was the first time the twin towers have played extensive minutes together, which unlocks another level for the Wildcats, according to James.
“They allow us to be able to pass over the top to each other when they’re both in the game, and we can make that skip pass inside,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll see a little more of that coming.”
The Wildcats were on the road at Tylertown Tuesday night, but results were unavailable at press time. The two favorites split their two matchups last season, and James said Monday he studied the loss to find an area to attack the Chiefs.
“In the game they beat us, there was some stuff we just didn’t do. We were out of position defensively and didn’t take advantage of our interior (presence) like we should,” he said. “Hopefully (Tuesday) night we’ll clean those things up.”
The Wildcats will remain on the road Friday to take on Seminary.
Pictured Above: Ziquae Amos, who had the game-winning layup against Jeff Davis Jan. 8, skies toward the basket against West Marion Jan. 7. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
