ABERDEEN – The Choctaw County boys basketball team played at undefeated (27-0) Yazoo County in the opening round of the MHSAA 3A playoffs Tuesday after finishing fourth in the 4-A tournament with a victory over Hatley and two losses.
The Chargers built up a 33-13 halftime lead against Hatley in the opening round and held on for a 45-44 victory despite scoring only 12 second half points.
“They (Hatley) went to a box and one (defense) and we didn’t attack it very well,” said coach Gary Beals. “We took some bad shots and were too aggressive on defense. We went for steals instead of playing responsibly. We gave up too many shots in the middle.”
Zavier Coleman led the Chargers with 14 points. Kendall Coleman, the target of Hatley’s box and one, scored 11 points. Keller Wren led Hatley with 12 points.
The victory assured Choctaw County a spot in the state playoffs.
The Chargers were defeated by Nettleton, the top-seeded team, 60-41 in a game that was never really close. Ques McNeal scored 14 points for the Chargers and Kendall Coleman had 11. Dedrick Johnson and Shawn Pounds had 19 each for Nettleton.
Houston outscored Choctaw County 21-13 in the fourth quarter for a 55-47 victory in the consolation game. Despite the loss, Beals was pleased with his team’s performance following the loss to Nettleton.
“We played a pretty good game. They bounced back and gave a good effort against Houston. We had a lead in the fourth quarter, but we had a couple of bad possessions and didn’t capitalize on some free throws.
“We turned the ball over a couple of times against their pressure defense. That put us in a bind. But overall, I was pleased with the effort by our young kids.”
Kendall Coleman had 15 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Zavier Coleman scored 11 points on four of six shooting. Freshman Red Parker was perfect on five shots from the floor and scored a game-high 16 points for Houston.
The Chargers made only 7 of 13 free throws and were outscored 21-7 from the line.
Nettleton won the tournament with a 65-61 victory over Aberdeen.
GIRLS
The season ended for the Lady Chargers with a 45-29 loss to Hatley in the tournament’s opening round.
“We had three starters out and we just couldn’t finish it,” said first year coach Mandy Jewell. “We were back and forth until about three minutes left in the game.
“I had players in positions they haven’t been in all year and a very young team at that. They played hard and I was proud of that. We have so much to build on for next year’s season.”
Alaysia Weeks led Choctaw County with 12 points, including two 3-point baskets that pulled the Lady Chargers even in the third quarter. Jabria Esters had eight points and Amelia Pratt seven.
La’Genesis Johnson, the team’s leading scorer, missed the game with an ankle injury. She was joined on the sidelines by point guard Tyliah Alston (ACL) and Mya Parish (flu).
South Pontotoc won the tournament with a 51-37 victory over Nettleton,
