There is still more room for growth and it’s something that Gary Beals is pressing on his team daily, but the Winston Academy Patriots are making a move.
Beals’ team had two big challenges last week in the form of district ball games and performed well. Despite splitting games against Leake Academy and East Rankin Academy, it was a productive week.
The Rebels have been a daunting task for the Patriots for years and WA went toe-to-toe with the Rebels. Trailing by just two points in the final 40 seconds, the Pats missed four free throws in two different sequences and it added up in a heartbreaking 46-41 loss.
Those free throws are indicative of what Beals is preaching to his team about finishing ball games.
“We’re playing really good defense and playing hard. We get ourselves in situations to win in the last couple of minutes and I just haven’t found that person that wants the ball in their hands. We just have to finish.
“We’re getting a lot better. As long as you get in situations where you have a chance to win, that’s all you can ask for. Eventually we’re going to get it turned around.”
After trailing 20-15 at the half, the Patriots came out in the third quarter fired up and scored as many points that frame than the entire first half as they took the lead at 30-29. It had WA in position to get the win but the free throws proved costly down the stretch.
Bryson Wright scored 14 points in the ball game with 10 of those coming in the second half.
That work from Wright was flipped against East Rankin and it changed things for the better for the visiting Patriots. Wright scored 10 in the first quarter alone hitting two 3-pointers and giving WA a 14-7 lead. That set the tone for WA to control the ball game and play shut down defense for three quarters as it held ERA to under 10 points in the first three frames in a 51-27 win.
It was an all around solid effort for WA as Omar Scott scored 14 points, Secatra Miller scored 11 and Wright finished with 10.
The win got WA to 6-11 on the season and 1-4 in district play. The team has a chance to continue to build this week with two more tough matchups against Lamar at home and then Simpson on the road on Friday night.
“Lamar is going to be a hard battle. They’ll get after you full court and if we can finish on the other end, we’ll be in good shape. We’ve been missing a lot of layups and put backs,” Beals said. “Simpson, we’ve got to handle their pressure as well. If we can get it to half court and slow it down, I see a much-improved game.”
Girls
It was a tough week against strong competition for the Lady Pats and they came up short against Leake and East Rankin.
Going up against one of the great programs in Mississippi high school basketball history like Leake is never an easy task and last week proved to be no different. The Lady Rebels were hard to stop on the offensive side of the ball racking up 25 points in the first quarter and 52 in the first half alone on the way to a 69-28 victory.
The Rebels nearly scored as many point in either of the first two quarters as the Lady Pats did in the entire ball game. WA tried to keep pace in the first quarter scoring 12 points but deteriorated as the game went on scoring just eight points in the second, two in the third and six in the final frame.
Hailey Bradford scored nine points in the game to lead WA. Betsy Karson Hatcher had eight points.
East Rankin followed up that game by knocking off the Lady Pats 53-36 in the second game of the week. ERA jumped out to an 18-3 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Bradford led again with 11 points.
The losses dropped the Lady Pats to 2-15 on the season and 1-4 in district play.
