Gary Beals has been coaching basketball for decades, and he’s spent time coaching up both girls and boys along the way. This year, he’s back coaching both teams for the first time in several years, and his second year at Winston Academy has been an adventure already. Since taking over the girls in the summer, Beals has seen tremendous growth from his team and a 3-2 start to tip off the season. “It was quite a change for me because you’ve got to be a little softer when dealing with girls than with boys. We adjusted our practice schedule, and they’re really starting to buy in,” Beals said of his team. “We’re figuring out our system and learning how to win. Thursday night (vs. Starkville Academy) was a big step in the right direction. Instead of playing not to lose, we played to win. We went on a 7-0 run to end the game, and I thought the seniors really stepped up.” Last week ended on a high note for the Lady Pats with the team coming up short early in the week but winning back-to-back games to close it out. After being tied up at 18 at the half at Oak Hill, the Lady Pats had just three points in the third quarter that dug the team in a hole trailing by 15 points. WA fired back in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Lady Raiders 19- 10 but came up short 46-40. AnnCarter Perkins led the team with 10 points. WA used that late run to fuel them the rest of the week. The team came home for the home opener at Farrell Rigby Gymnasium and blew the doors off of Calhoun Academy with a 62-15 win. A 40-point first half highlighted what was an impressive night on the court. Haley Bradford led the team with 13 points while Braley Dickerson managed 12 points. Ten players scored points in the win. The finale of the week was a marquee win for the Lady Pats. After trailing 26-23 at the half to Starkville Academy and trailing by one heading to the fourth quarter, WA was able to close the game strong and outscore the Lady Volunteers 53-47 for the big early season win. Bradford led all scorers with her best game this season dropping in 17 points while Julia Gregory had 11 points in the win. The seniors are the players that Beals is really relying on early on this year. Bradford leads the charge for a group that has been playing basketball together for a while now. Bradford has been one of the key players on the roster since she was in eighth grade, and the team has also had a lot of help from the other seniors in Betsy Karson Hatcher, Madi Lee, Mayson Smith, and Larissa Salers. “I was very blessed in having a great player coming back in Hailey Bradford. She’s an under the radar type player, but she’s a great basketball player,” Beals said. “She is a great leader, and as she goes, we go. I have four seniors and that makes a difference because of the experience that they all have.” WA Boys Varsity Basketball This season is year two for Beals since leaving Choctaw County after a successful stint there. Unlike the girls team, Beals’ boys have experience with the coach as he implemented the system last year and returned a large part of the squad this year. “I’ve got more depth. I can go eight or nine (players) and not drop off any,” Beals said of his team. “Trey Williamson is back out and can shoot it really well. I lost two seniors last year, and these guys have matured. That’s going to be a big benefit for us.” There’s not much that Beals can be upset about early on after his team entered a tough situation on short notice. The football team’s run to the second round of the playoffs meant that the season began for them just three days after their football season concluded. Beals brought in his players on Sunday and had a game on Monday night which was a win at Oak Hill. “I’m very well pleased. They got beat on Friday in football, and they played on Monday. We had an hour and 20-minute walk through on Sunday and shot some shots, and they did well,” Beals said of his team. “It’s a lot easier with them because they’ve been in the system since last year. Getting them into basketball shape is going to be their biggest issues.” In that win at Oak Hill, WA came back from a 25-21 deficit at the half and overcame a four-point disadvantage as well in the fourth quarter to finish strong and win the game 55-50. J.R. Coleman and Bryson Wright had 13 points each in the game while Secatra Miller finished with 11. On Tuesday, WA had a similar showing as the girls did against Calhoun Academy. With the rust knocked off, the Pats threw in 47 points in the first half including a 30-point second quarter on the way to a 61-13 ball game. Thirteen different players got in the scoring column led by Omar Scott with 11, and the team had a well-balanced game. SA was the challenge on Thursda,y and the Patriots got themselves in a hole early. WA scored just six points in the first quarter and 14 at the half as it fell behind by 20 points. It was a spirted second half, but the hole was too deep in what would become a 62-38 loss. Miller had 16 points as the team-high scorer. The Patriots (2-1) and Lady Patriots (3- 2) will have two home games this week. The teams played on Tuesday vs. Columbus Christian and will host Newton County Academy on Thursday.
