A great basketball season came to an end on Tuesday night in Canton for the Lady Patriots of Winston Academy.
The Lady Pats were at Canton Academy playing in the Class 4A state tournament and met up with No. 1 seed and defending state champion Central Hinds. After being down by just five points midway through the first half, the Lady Pats saw the lead grow to 11 by halftime and would fall 68-49 to CHA.
In her final game as a Lady Patriot, Julia Gregory again led the squad. The District MVP and MAIS All-Star had 18 points in her finale. Her classmate Braley Dickerson finished with 11 points.
To get to the state tournament, the Lady Patriots had to grab at least one win in the North State tourney in Clarksdale.
WA got just that in the second round as the Lady Pats dominated the home team Lee Academy in a 48-8 blowout. WA held Lee scoreless in two of the four quarters and led 37-4 at halftime for the easy win.
Julia Gregory led the way with 18 points in the win as she scored 15 of those in the first half. The senior had four 3-pointers to help get the offense going. Fellow senior Braley Dickerson had 10 points in the win, all coming in the first half.
The Lady Pats ran into trouble in the semifinal round last week as they took on Washington School. The Lady Generals came out in a Box and One and shut off the scoring for Gregory and offense was tough to generate by the Lady Pats.
Just six points for Gregory made it difficult for WA to overcome and the team fell 37-26. Dickerson was the team leader with eight points.
“We had our chances,” Beals said. “I thought we were prepared and had the plan and Washington shocked me with the Box and One. The other players have to score, and we didn’t do that with the other four. We just didn’t get the bounce.”
The Consolation Game brought a different challenge from Kirk Academy as the points went up for the two teams. 20 points in the first quarter from the Lady Raiders made for a tough hill to climb and the Lady Pats could never fully get back in the game as Kirk took third place in a 67-55 win.
Gregory came alive with 23 points in the loss, and she made 7-of-7 foul shots.
WA ended a great season 19-7 with a district title and a trip to the state tournament. The Lady Pats delivered the program’s first district championship in 22 years with five All-Division players.
It was a season that coach Beals didn’t want to end, but the head man enjoyed the ride with his players all the same.
“It’s been a great season,” Beals said. “We were one of eight teams competing for a state championship and that’s what you want when you throw the ball out. I’m really proud of these girls and how far we came.”
