The wins keep on piling up for the Cougars, and they are now just one win away from setting the new school record for consecutive wins.
Columbia Academy (25-1, 12-0) concluded District 4 play Saturday undefeated and tied the school record with 25 straight victories in the process. The record was previously set by the 1973-74 AA state championship squad. The Cougars remain the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A and the No. 2 team in MAIS behind MRA.
The Cougars annihilated Ben’s Ford 63-14 on their home court Jan. 21 behind a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double by Cody Fortenberry. Fortenberry’s return to the rotation has been evident since returning from a leg injury that held him out for two months, and head coach Dale Watts called it tremendous for the Cougars.
“Cody can jump well, can rebound well, can run the floor well and he can score in a lot of ways,” he said. “The big thing that’s going to happen is when we get to the playoffs teams are going to start focusing on those three guys more and more — Tate (Duncan), Ras (Pace) and Ethan (Stringer) — and show us some combination defenses. That’s going to be a big deal for us, and I think Cody is back and will really help us.”
Watts added that while Fortenberry’s timing is still just a little off, he doesn’t see any drop off in the 6-foot-3 sophomore’s athleticism.
Friday night in the battle of the Wattses, where Dale Watts and the Cougars faced Brookhaven Academy coached by Dale’s son Josh, Columbia Academy outlasted the visiting squad thanks to an onslaught of long balls by Pace.
The senior combo guard erupted for 30 points while draining six threes and grabbed six rebounds.
Pace usually cuts his teeth scoring wise with his mid-range game, but Brookhaven sagged off him in the corners and dared him to shoot from behind the arc rather than letting him get to his patented pullup 17-footer. He made them pay for that mistake.
“I think they thought he couldn’t shoot the three as well as he did,” Watts said. “They were backing off, and hey, the big thing you have to do when somebody gives you something take advantage of it. When Ras started hitting them that well, it gave them problems.”
Duncan added a casual 20 points and seven rebounds in the win as well.
Watts lauded the Cougars’ defense and their effective on the defensive glass, which limited one of Brookhaven’s biggest strengths: scoring on second-chance opportunities.
“It was a real competitive game even though the score got a little bit one-sided there. They just didn’t shoot the ball as well as we did,” Watts said.
Saturday at Wayne Academy, the Cougars secured the No. 1 seed in the District 4 tournament and their 25th straight win by besting Wayne 71-42. Duncan had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Fortenberry poured in 17 points and dished out four assists, and Pace chipped in 14 points and six boards.
Watts said Wayne has a really good point guard and a few kids that can really play, but Columbia Academy was able to press Wayne and turn it into a transition game.
“That’s way more to our advantage,” he said.
The Cougars played host to Silliman Institute Tuesday night for the potential record-breaking 26th win in a row, but results weren’t available at press time. Watts said Monday the Cougars will place no significance on breaking the record if it happens.
“I like records, but I like to talk about them after the season is over,” he said.
Columbia Academy will remain at home Thursday night to take on Copiah Academy and close the regular season Friday at home against Simpson Academy.
The district tournament will be held Feb. 4 through Feb. 8 at Bowling Green.
Pictured Above: Columbia Academy's Cody Fortenberry runs the floor in transition. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
