The Columbia Academy Cougars are nine games into their season on the hardwood but still are having some difficulties figuring out their identity as a team and playing up to their potential.
Last season the Cougars cruised to a South State title, going 33-3 in the process. So far this season, the Cougars are 4-5 and seem to be up one game and down the next.
The Cougars hosted Simpson Academy Friday night and were able to combat Simpson’s quickness and shooting with their size, beating the visiting Cougars 67-42.
“They ran the ball on us a lot, but we were able, with our size, to get control of the game,” CA head coach Dale Watts said. “Owen (Harper) had a big game, and the guards played well. Simpson had a very good shooting team from the perimeter, and we managed to keep that in check. Overall, we were able to get some stops and we, too, were able to run the ball on them.”
Throughout the first half, Simpson kept pace with Columbia Academy, but some schematic tweaks in the locker room allowed the host Cougars to break away.
“(Simpson) started off shooting really well. The second half we made some adjustments to be able to slow down their fast break,” Watts said. “When we were able to slow down their fast break, that stopped their scoring. We did a good enough job to not give them second shots and controlled the boards.”
Harper controlled the interior throughout the night, scoring a game-high 26 points, while Ras Pace added 14 and Tate Duncan chipped in 11.
The Cougars remained at home Saturday night to take on Presbyterian Christian, but the Hattiesburg private school eked out a 33-32 victory.
Columbia Academy was in control of the game through the first half and led at halftime 24-19, but PCS made a run early in the second half, then slowed down the game to try and maintain the lead.
“We had some dry runs where we didn’t score and let them get back in the game,” Watts said. “Then as it got closer they began to spread the floor more and possess the ball more, so it became a possession game. We were defending them pretty hard, but they weren’t shooting the ball.”
Watts added that PCS had multiple possessions that took between 60 and 90 seconds off the clock apiece, shortening the game and taking the Cougars out of their rhythm offensively. They still had a chance to win it late but couldn’t pull off some late-game magic.
“We finally hit a three with under a minute to go to make it a one-point game, then we had a couple of opportunities — they had a lane violation and we had the ball — but we just couldn’t finish and couldn’t score in those situations and lost the game,” Watts said.
Jay Stringer led the Cougars with nine points, followed by Duncan with eight and Ethan Stringer with six, but Harper couldn’t get anything going as he was consistently swarmed every time he touched the ball and scored just five points.
“They had three people around him every time he had the ball,” Watts said. “In the first half, Tate hit a couple threes and Ethan hit a three so we had some three-pointers that loosened them up. But that dried up and they were really focusing on Owen and (Jay). They were really focusing inside on us. They were just swamping (Owen) down in (the post), and we didn’t take advantage of it.”
The Cougars will get a chance to play a lot of basketball in a short period of time — something that hasn’t happened so far this season — as the Columbia Academy Holiday Tournament begins next Thursday.
With four teams in the field, each team will get a chance to play one another in the round robin tournament. While it is set up in pool play format, there will be a champion crowned. If any of the four teams — CA, East Rankin Academy, Brookhaven Academy and North Pike — goes 3-0, it will receive the championship trophy. If two teams tie at 2-1, the winner will be determined by their head-to-head matchup. If three teams happen to finish 1-2, the winner will be decided by defensive points allowed.
The Cougars host East Rankin Thursday night, North Pike Friday night and Brookhaven Saturday, with each game set to tip off at 8.
Pictured Above: Ras Pace surveys the floor. | Photo by Benjamen Sanford
