Winston Academy has had a strong start to the year on the basketball court, and the teams went back to work again last week. Hosting two home games against Columbus Christian and Newton County Academy last week, the Patriots and Lady Patriots combined to go 3-1 and take another step forward. The boys team was perfect in their opportunities last week. It started with Columbus Christian last Tuesday in a barn burner of a matchup. The two squads were back and forth for most of the game with Columbus Christian leading 15-12 after a quarter and then 30-28 at the half. The Patriots used a strong defensive second half limiting the visitors to just eight points in the fourth quarter and broke a tie after the third quarter on the way to a narrow 51-50 win. Some key free throws in the fourth from Bryson Wright were big, and he scored six of the team’s nine points in that final quarter and finished with 14 points. Omar Scott led both teams with 22 points. It was a dominant Thursday night game for the Patriots, however, as they welcomed in NCA and blew away the visitors from Decatur with a 63-19 win. Three WA players scored in double figures led by Secatra Miller and Scott with 14 points each, and JR Coleman had 12 points. Scott shot 6-of-8 from the field with six steals, Miller had seven steals, five rebounds, and two assists, and Wright had 10 rebounds, five steals, and four blocks. For the girls, it was heartbreak on Thursday night. After falling behind early, the Lady Pats battled back into the game and took the lead in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough in what would be a 49-48 loss to NCA. Betsy Karson Hatcher led the team with 11 points while Haley Bradford had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Against Columbus Christian, WA grabbed a 59-39 win. Bradford had 15 points while Layton Nowell scored 14 in the victory. The boys team heads into Thanksgiving week at 4-1 on the young season while the girls are 4-3. The two squads will have the week off for the holiday this week before jumping back into action on November 28 on the road at Central Holmes.
