After advancing to the semifinals of the Class 3A Region 8 Tournaments, both the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats were ousted by Jefferson Davis County Feb. 15 at Seminary.
However, by making the semifinals of their district tournaments both Columbia squads clinched a spot in the Class 3A state playoffs.
The Lady Wildcats struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm last Thursday against Jeff Davis, shooting just 34 percent as a team and not having a single player score more than six points. The big story was the Lady Jaguars defensive pressure, harassing Columbia into 27 turnovers to just five assists.
“I was worried about that going in, and it came to fruition. We just weren’t able to handle their pressure,” head coach Charlie James said. “They played extremely well and physical, and we kind of shied away. I thought that hurt us down the stretch.”
The Lady Wildcats season then came to a close Monday night in the first round of the playoffs, losing to Forest 82-63 on the road.
“They were able to dominate us on the boards and get a lot of second shots. I thought we played them really well, though,” James said. “We were shorthanded. Christina (James) got sick the night before, so that took away our inside presence. The girls stepped up and played well. We just weren’t able to stop their runs. I thought that was one of our best games.”
Tyra Conerly ended her Columbia career on the hardwood in style, though, scoring 28 points, good for her third-highest scoring output as a Lady Wildcat. Jaleel Hartfield contributed with 18 points, and Jasmine Sheppard added eight.
While the Lady Wildcats season may be over, James believes the younger players could use it as a springboard into the future.
“I told them last night going forward when life presents you with opportunities, you have to be able to take advantage of those opportunities,” he said. “They don’t come around too often. We missed some good opportunities this year, but hopefully going forward we’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.”
The Wildcats, on the other hand, hung tough throughout their late night matchup with the Jaguars, but after entering the fourth quarter down by one point they were outscored 18-12 in the final stanza for a 68-61 loss.
Columbia was efficient scoring the ball, shooting a superb 56 percent from the field and led by TJ Monroe’s 20 points and Nick Averett’s 18, but free throws were its kryptonite.
“We missed 23 free throws. That was the difference. I thought the game played out exactly the way I imagined it would play out. I thought we would have the opportunity to really win it at the line. We got the opportunities and just didn’t take advantage of it,” James said. “To lose a game by seven points and know you missed 23 free throws, it made that night very tough but just one of those things you have to deal with.”
Jaheim Oatis added 11 points, and Ralpheal Luter had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
James added the Wildcats would need to do a better job of staying focused after going 20-of-43 from the line, and he needed to do a better job of getting them focused. That focus was put to the test Tuesday night in Philadelphia as the Wildcats traveled to take on Choctaw Central in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs, but results were unavailable at press time.
Heading into the matchup James believed the Wildcats had a strong chance of making it to the second round.
“We’re going to need to be extremely disciplined,” he said Tuesday morning. “They are a very disciplined team. With athleticism I think we match up real well. We’re going to have rebound the basketball. It’s going to be a hostile environment; they always have a packed house up there. If we go in and execute the way I think we’re capable of, I think we have a great opportunity before us.”
Update: The Wildcats were defeated by Choctaw Central 58-49 Tuesday night, ending their season.
Pictured Above: Nick Averett rises for a jumper. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
