Winston Academy split decisions on the basketball court last week with each of its teams but Gary Beals thought that both took a step forward.
The boys got a win over Park Place before coming up short against Leake Academy in two district showdowns.
In the first game last Tuesday, the Patriots used a second half surge to break a 20-20 tie at the half and grab the 54-46 victory. A 19-point third quarter and 15 more in the fourth got the Pats the cushion that they needed in a hard-fought game.
“Trey Williamson hit four 3-pointers which was big against the zone,” Beals said. “It was a very big win because if we happen to beat East Rankin by 11 we can be third in the division. A lot of us have beaten up each other with Leake, Lamar and Simpson in our district.”
Williamson had 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from long distance in the win for the Pats while Omar Scott finished with a team-high 18 points and a double-double as he also pulled down 10 rebounds and had four steals. Bryson Wright and Secatra Miller each had 10 points with Wright swatting four shots for blocks and recording three steals.
On Friday night, the outcome was different for the Patriots as the team fell once again to the Leake Rebels. Leake won the game 57-40, but Beals was proud of the team’s effort.
“We played really well against Leake, we just couldn’t score. We don’t have the shooters,” Beals said. “We’re getting there, we just can’t finish right now. We get fouled and miss free throws and don’t give ourselves a chance because we take bad shots instead of swinging the ball. Other than that, I think we’re playing well. I felt a lot better after Tuesday’s game.”
Scott again led the team with 14 points and had another 10-rebound performance, but the Pats were just 2-of-12 from 3-point range and made just 2-of-6 from the free throw line as well.
The Pats continue to stay above .500 still, however, with an 11-10 record and they’re now 3-6 in district play. A win by 11 points over East Rankin this week would have wrapped up the No. 3 seed in the district tourney for the Patriots and that game took place before press time.
Thursday’s game against Kemper Academy was played on the road to close out the regular season. The district tournament is set for next Tuesday.
Girls
The Lady Pats had the same fate as the boys, splitting decisions with the two district foes.
The Park Place game was a great opportunity for Beals to play a lot of players and he did just that. In a 57-14 blowout, Beals had nine different players score in the game with 13 playing.
The Lady Pats gave up 11 points in the first half and just three points in the second half with Park Place failing to score in the final frame. Hailey Bradford was the standout yet again as she scored 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the game. Madi Lee finished the game with eight points and six steals while Mason Smith and Anncarter Perkins have five steals each.
“We came out from the start with the five seniors and we dominated,” Beals said of the win. “Hailey got us off with her good play and it wasn’t a ball game after that. The girls continue to give me effort, we just have some spots where we can’t get anybody to step up if they contain Hailey.”
One of the games where Bradford was again on her own from a scoring standpoint was against Leake. The Lady Rebels have one of the best teams in the state for a reason and they shut down everyone around Bradford and it allowed the visitors to get a dominant third quarter in order to pull away in a 51-32 win.
WA was within striking distance at halftime trailing 31-18, but zero points in the third frame pushed that lead out to 24 points going into the fourth and that was enough.
“I felt good about where we were at against Leake and just asked them to keep it a 10 or 12 point game going into the fourth but we just laid an egg in the third quarter,” Beals said. “With Leake being able to shoot the ball, they stretch you. They put you in matchup problems and they get downhill quick. “
Bradford had another good game with 19 points and five rebounds, but no one else on the team scored more than four points. Smith and Lee pulled down six rebounds.
The Lady Pats now enter the final week of regular season competition with a 13-10 record and 2-7 district mark. WA will play East Rankin and Kemper Academy this week and is paired with ERA again in the district tournament.
