There aren’t many games before Christmas that carry the importance that last Friday night did for two rival basketball teams.
As East Webster and Choctaw County hit the court in Cumberland, the two were both playing under some pressure. With Class 3A, Region 4 play beginning earlier than usual, the Wolverines needed a win to stay around the top of the standings after a loss to Nettleton earlier in the week. CCHS was looking to start undefeated in league play.
An intense back and forth affair played out like a February contest and the home team found a way. Some big defensive stops and a late run in the game propelled the Wolverines to a bit 56-46 win to get back on track.
“We depend a lot on our outside shooting and we’re just not shooting it well right now. We’re finding other ways to win,” coach Jon Ginn said. “We always want to be known as a defensive team. We want to be able to stop people. We just had to find a way to get it done.”
With only one player from each team in double figures, it was a contest built around total team efforts. Neither team played particularly clean with some misses around the rim, but the effort was superb on the defensive end.
Omarion O’Briant and Hardy Fason were two big pieces that helped spring the Wolverines in the fourth quarter in what became a 14-0 run to take a deficit and turn it into a 49-40 lead in the final 3 minutes of the win.
“As the game went, we just got a little more determined,” Ginn said. “Omarion was big. He was calling for the ball and we’ve been trying to get him to do that. Dee (Bingham) gave us some great minutes off the bench defensively and Hardy, the things that he gave us tonight were huge. When we had to find a point here and there, we found them.”
The game was defined on its runs and the 14-0 spark in the fourth was the biggest. Trailing 37-35 heading into the final quarter, the Wolverines gave up a 40-35 lead early in the fourth before going on that run. CCHS climbed back in it with six-straight points in a minute’s time to close it to 49-46, but EWHS prevailed.
In the first quarter, the Chargers came out hot with an 11-2 lead with six points coming from superstar Caleb Cunningham and it called for a timeout from Ginn. After that timeout, the Wolverines went on an 8-0 run and they cut it to 13-10 after a quarter.
After an eight-point quarter from Cunningham, the Wolverines’ defense allowed just six point the rest of the way to the talented junior. Ginn thought the game plan worked.
“We gave up a little bit of size. We really concentrated on keeping Caleb out of the lane and he hit some of them. We weren’t going to let him get dunk after dunk and wanted him to be an outside jump shooter.”
EWHS led 23-22 at halftime but would give up a 9-0 run out of the locker room to fall behind 31-23 with 4:30 left. EWHS marched right back and tied the game briefly at 33 on an O’Briant layup before falling behind heading into the fourth.
O’Briant finished with 14, as did Cunningham.
The Wolverines (12-3, 3-1 Region) prepared for Pillow Academy in the East Webster Christmas Classic that started Thursday and Starkville Academy on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The Chargers (9-3, 2-1 Region 4) took on Oak Hill Academy at that event on Thursday before playing Pillow Academy on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
They hope to learn some things from the defeat.
“We had some bad turnovers late and they went to a press,” coach Chris Pettit said. “Our point guard fouled out and couldn’t play for most of the fourth quarter. Caleb battled his butt off and didn’t get much of a break all game. We fought and fought just came up short.”
Girls
The Lady Chargers were missing some starters on Friday night and the Lady Wolverines pounced in a 65-28 victory.
After a tight first quarter, EWHS blew the doors off in the second and continued to build on the way to a runaway win against the district rival.
“The first two quarters we were off to a rocky start as normal, but I was really proud with how they picked it up,” coach Courtney O’Briant-Wright said. “The more they compete and take care of business early, they’ll be fine the rest of the year.”
EWHS (11-4, 4-0 Region 4) held a narrow 15-14 lead in the first quarter as the Lady Chargers stayed in the hunt. A full court press defensively began to wear on a CCHS team that was short on experience and the Lady Wolverines would outscore the visitors 21-4 in the second quarter to build a 36-18 advantage. It was a 29-10 second half for the Lady Wolverines as the lead grew to the point of a running clock.
The Lady Chargers dropped to 11-4 on the year and 1-1 in league play as they were missing four players including star players Jalia James and Katrelya Pratt. They’ll have another shot at the Lady Wolverines on January 23 in Ackerman.
CCHS was back in action against Kosciukso on Thursday. The Lady Wolverines played Pillow Academy on Thursday and will take on Starkville Academy on Friday in the East Webster Christmas Classic at 7 p.m.. At the turn of the new year, the Lady Wolverines will have a chance to lock up district play and they’re in the driver’s seat.
“I feel good about our chances, but it’s hard to beat people on the road. When you play on the road, everything is different with officiating and the atmosphere,” O’Briant-Wright said. “I think we’ll be good if we take care of the ball.”
