The Columbia Lady Wildcats are peaking at the right time as they began the Class 3A playoffs Tuesday night after a strong showing on their home court in the Region 8-3A tournament last week.
Columbia (10-15) traveled to Yazoo County (13-15) Tuesday in a first-round playoff matchup, but results were unavailable at press time. Lady Wildcats head coach Charlie James said Monday that he believes his squad has an advantage with its quickness against the Lady Panthers.
“They look like they got some good-sized girls with one big girl in the middle. We’re going to be quicker than her,” he said. “They have a girl that can shoot pretty decent from the outside. They have some bigger guards so I think we’ll be a little quicker at the guards. One through five, it should be interesting.”
In the Region 8-3A semifinals Feb. 13, the Lady Wildcats tied up Jeff Davis County 42-42 midway through the third quarter but couldn’t close the deal in a 68-54 loss. After losing to the Lady Jaguars by a combined 59 points in their first two matchups, James was pleased with the result.
“The girls probably played their best basketball all year in the district tournament. I was really pleased with their effort and energy. They really did a great job of stepping up and meeting the challenge,” he said. “When Jeff Davis went on that second run in the third quarter, we got a little winded and I wasn’t able to rest some people. I think that was the difference.”
James said when he watched film of the game, he believed the Lady Wildcats should’ve been up double digits at halftime but missed 10 free throws and countless layups. Instead they trailed by six at the break.
Jasmine Sheppard paced Columbia with 26 points, while Aniyah Fortenberry and Jaelah Echols each had eight. Kadajah Cook and Myjouis Lewis both added six points.
The Lady Wildcats rebounded Friday in the consolation game with a 45-33 victory over Seminary.
With the emergence of Cook at point guard, Sheppard has been able to shine as a scorer off the ball, unlocking several extra elements for Columbia’s offense.
“Kadajah has really allowed us to some things we weren’t able to do early in the year,” James said.
He added Lewis’ defense has been great, and Fortenberry and Echols have also improved of late.
“They’ve bought into what we’ve been talking about all year,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with how they’ve done that.”
Pictured Above: Columbia's Kadajah Cook races out in the fast break against Jeff Davis County Feb. 13. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
