The Columbia Academy basketball program set off for Brookhaven last week to participate in the Brookhaven Classic before returning to gobble down Thanksgiving turkey.
The Cougars (6-0) picked up a hard-fought win during the first day of action before cruising for a 38-point win on Day 2.
It took all 32 minutes of game action against Oak Forest Academy Nov. 19 for Columbia Academy to secure a 46-40 win. Tate Duncan led the way for CA with a game-high 28 points, while Ras Pace chipped in 10. The Cougars missed some opportunities early that kept the score close, according to head coach Dale Watts.
“They had some speed on the perimeter and had a couple of guys who could really fill it up from three. They stretched our defense,” he said. “In turn down the stretch, we had to protect the ball a little more and make free throws.”
Against Adams County Christian the following day, the Cougars used a balanced scoring punch with Pace leading the way with 20 points, followed by Duncan with 16 and Ethan Stringer with 14 for a 66-28 victory.
Duncan is in the midst of a breakout campaign, averaging 24.8 points per game this season, and Watts said the Cougars will need to collectively work to keep it going.
“Tate is a big, big part of our scoring punch. As the year goes on, it’s not going to be a secret that people are going to focus on him more; he and Ras both,” he said. “Tate is going to have to do a really good job of positioning himself to receive a pass, and then the guys are having to learn how to get him the ball. They’ve done a good job so far. Tate is going to have to be able to extend his game and be more diversified. It can’t just be around the basket. He’s going to need to extend to 16-18 feet and even from three. He’s been working on that, and he’s going to do that.”
The Lady Cougars, meanwhile, improved to 7-1 with a pair of lopsided wins over Oak Forest and Adams County.
Oak Forest, which featured an up-tempo offense that ran in transition every possession, tested the Lady Cougars in their 60-29 win.
“It really helped my girls to learn how to get up and down the floor a little more, especially getting back on defense,” he said. “It was a little different pace and tempo for us, and I think it helped us prepare for some of these teams we’re going to face in December.”
Macey Jones paced CA with 24 points, followed by Lauren Rowley with 20.
Adams’ speed also forced the Lady Cougars to make defensive adjustments, but they were able to withstand it for a 56-36 victory.
“They had a girl that was really quick that could get it by us on the perimeter, and she shot the ball well coming off some ball screens,” Watts said. “It helped our man-to-man defense to be able to cover ball screens and help on dribble penetration.”
Rowley, who is averaging 19 points in her last six games, led the Lady Cougars with a game-high 23 points, while Macey Jones had 12 and Morgan Jones chipped in nine.
Columbia Academy will head be on the road at Sumrall Thursday night, with the Lady Cougars tipping off at 6 p.m. and the Cougars immediately following.
Pictured Above: CA's Megan Rowley pushes it in transition. | Photo by Mark Rogers
