A busy end to 2019 gave East Webster basketball coach Jon Ginn an opportunity to let his players reset the batteries as the new year turned over.
It was a rough non-conference schedule for both teams filled with some ups and some downs, but Ginn believes both young squads came out the better for it. Now it’s time for the games that matter the most as Class 2A, Region 2 play begins in full force this week.
The girls enter Region 2 play at Bruce on Tuesday with wins already over Amory, Ingomar, Philadelphia and Mantachie among others, but it’s what they’ve done against some better programs that has Ginn excited. One game in particular against South Pontotoc in the Christmas Tournament really impressed Ginn.
The Lady Wolverines (9-7) led for most of the ball game against the traditional winner from north Mississippi but lost in heartbreak with a buzzer-beating shot to drop a 34-33 game. Though they couldn’t hold on to the lead and they ultimately loss, they handed the Cougars their lowest scoring output of the season and showed they could compete with really good ball clubs.
There are other losses to solid programs like New Site and Vardaman that also helped harden the team in the first part of the schedule to get ready for district play this week.
“I never like to lose, but honestly the loss to South Pontotoc was the best thing for us. It made us look at things that really needed to be corrected,” Ginn said. “The challenging schedule has helped, and our girls aren’t scared to compete against a team that is bigger, stronger and quicker or the north Mississippi teams. If we can correct a couple of things like rebounding and pressure things with the ball, we’ve got a chance to win this division.”
Shan Culpepper is the leading scorer in the first 16 games with 10.3 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. Shemeriah Culpepper has 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds and Lauren Graves has 8.1 points.
Bruce is a tall task on Tuesday for the girls team as the Lady Trojans are 7-5 with wins in five of the last six games including one over Houston, a team that beat East Webster earlier this season in overtime. They will take on Eupora at home on Friday after beating them earlier this year in a non-district game.
The boys team is in the middle of a rebuild for the Wolverines but Ginn has seen them grow just the same.
They’ve lost a lot of production the last two seasons and new faces are starting to take over on the team. They went 6-10 in the first half of the schedule but they also had a five-game winning streak before falling to better teams in New Site and Louisville in the last two games.
Reid gatlin is leading the way with 13.5 points and Sedrick Taylor is averaging 7.3 points though 10.5 has come in the lasts six games. The Bruce team they’re playing is 3-12 this year and they defeated Eupora 59-37 when they met last month.
This is a week for the Wolverines to show that they have gotten better since early in the season and they’re ready to make some noise in district play.
“It’s kind of a similar thing with them, I don’t think that they go into any of these games scared or intimidated in any way,” Ginn said. “You don’t like to have a lot of losses on your record but the teams have prepared us for what we’re about to play. I think that we’re starting to get the fact that to win those games we’ve got to get tougher.”
