East Webster’s quest to make it to the Big House came to an end on Saturday night as powerhouse Ingomar took a 60-54 win over the Wolverines.
The Wolverines took one of the favorites in Class 2A all the way to the fourth period before falling by six points.
“Our boys went toe-to-toe with the hottest team in Class 2A,” East Webster coach Michael Seger said. “Ingomar had won 11 of 12 games and was averaging almost 70 points a game in that span. We went into their gym and competed. We expected to win and played with that mentality.
“In an extremely hostile environment, our team played together and gave the East Webster fans and community an effort to be proud of. Unfortunately, we missed some good looks from beyond the arc and around the rim that could have changed the game.
“I’m proud of these guys. They have changed the culture of East Webster boys basketball and made it relevant again. When East Webster boys get back to Jackson (and they will), it will be because of the foundation laid by this group of guys over the past three years.”
Ingomar (29-7) built a lead in the first half they they wouldn’t give up as they outscored East Webster 17-14 in the first and 17-15 in the second to lead 34-29 at the half. After each team scored 11 in the third period, Ingomar was able to hit 13-of-18 free throws in the fourth to hold on for the win.
“When the game was over, coaches and players were disappointed for one another but not in one another,” Seger said. “Tears were shed because the guys wanted to continue competing together. Charlie Brand, Isaac Patterson, Art Thompson, and Jacob Ginn have been tremendous senior leaders for this team and have left a high standard of excellence for future teams to imitate. It has been a privilege to be their coach and to see their 'hard work bring profit.'”
saac Patterson led East Webster with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals while Charlie Brand had 14 points and six assists. Art Thompson had eight points while Sedrick Taylor had seven points and five rebounds while Jacob Ginn chipped in seven points.
East Webster 72,
Riverside 54
The Wolverines jumped out to a big lead in the first period and never looked back as they took an 18-point win over Riverside in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.
East Webster jumped out to a 21-8 lead in the first and led 36-21 at the half. Riverside outscored East 19-18 in the third and East finished off the game with an 18-14 fourth period.
“I thought we did an outstanding job of sharing the ball and finding the hot hand or the offensive mismatch,” Seger said. “I'll take our chances anywhere if we play like this on both ends of floor. We played with incredible focus and effort defensively and our offensive execution was beautiful. The guys were together on both ends of the floor.”
Isaac Patterson led East Webster with 25 points and 12 points while Art Thompson had 12 points and five rebounds. Jacob Ginn had 11 points while Sedrick Taylor added nine points. Charlie Brand had eight points and seven assists while Carrin Townsend added seven points.
Riverside’s D.J. Stewart, a four-star recruit headed to Mississippi State, was held to 15 points, his second lowest output on the year after averaging 26 in the regular season.
Much-improved Lady Wolverines fall to Coahoma County
By Robbie Robertson
Webster Progress Times
The East Webster girls had one of the toughest draws in the first-round of the Class 2A state tournament with No. 2 ranked Coahoma County.
The Lady Wolverines gave Coahoma all they wanted but ended up with a 38-33 loss to end their season.
For coach Michael Seger, it was a bittersweet loss.
“I can't describe how proud I am of these girls for their improvement over the course of the season,” Seger said. “After beginning 7-9, these girls went 8-3 over the home stretch of the regular season and played their best at the end. My life is better because I have experienced the privilege of coaching these girls. They have been like big sisters to my sons.”
The Lady Wolverines finished the season with a 15-12 record.
In a tight contest, Coahoma County ended East Webster’s season with a five-point victory on Monday night.
Coahoma, who was ranked No. 2 in Class 2A for the majority of the season, had their hands full with East Webster.
“We played an incredible game against a great opponent on the road in an extremely hostile situation,” Seger said. “Our girls gave me everything they had and gave themselves a chance to win while our second leading scorer/leading rebounder was at home with the flu.
“We had experimented against Philadelphia at played a controlled tempo, slow-paced game. We used that same strategy against Coahoma County. We were able to keep them out of the lane and out of their transition offense.”
Coahoma led just 8-6 at the end of the end of the first period and 18-16 at the half. Coahoma outscored East Webster 7-4 to take a 25-20 lead going into the fourth. Both teams scored 13 points in the fourth as Coahoma held on for the win.
Whitney Winter led East Webster with 17 points and eight rebounds while Mikeria Clark had five points and eight rebounds. Mariah Bell had four points, four rebounds and three assists. Mari-Todd Brown had three points and four rebounds while Jaden Johnson had eight rebounds. Shanayshia Culpepper had five rebounds while Kadash Bryant added four assists.
“Mariah, Kadasha, and Whitney were major keys in our defensive strategy in the game against Coahoma County,” Seger said. “They chased their three best players around while the others protected the lane and grabbed rebounds. It was definitely our best defensive outing of the season.
“Whitney Winter, Mikeria Clark, and Jaden Johnson played perhaps their best games of the season in terms of statistics and impact.”
