By Robbie Robertson
Webster Progress TImes
So far, the East Webster Wolverines are two for two after clinching the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Division 2-2A Tournament and securing a 20-win season.
East Webster won two more games this past week, beating Houston 65-50 on Tuesday night and French Camp 64-30 on Friday night in the regular-season finale to improve to 20-4 on the season.
The Lady Wolverines split a pair of games, losing to Houston 50-38 and beating French Camp86-24 to finish the regular season with a 14-10 record.
“This is a special group of young men,” East Webster coach Michael Seger said. “One of our goals was to win 20 games in the regular season and this group accomplished that. I’m proud of them.
“Our senior girls played great and their example trickled down all the way to the eighth graders. We are playing our best basketball of the season headed into the playoffs. I hope they continue to believe in each other and their potential.”
The East Webster boys are the top seed in the 2-2A tournament and receive a first-round bye and will play the winner of Eupora and Calhoun on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The boys championship game is set for 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
On the girls side, the Lady Wolverines are the No. 2 seed and also receive a first-round bye. They will play the winner of Eupora and Leflore County on Thursday at 7 p.m.
East Webster boys 65,
Houston 50
The Wolverines overcame a slow start and took a 15-point win over the Class 4A Hilltoppers.
East led just 13-12 at the end of the first period but then outscored Houston 20-9 in the second period and led 33-21 at the half. The Wolverines used a 21-15 advantage in the third period to stretch the lead out to 54-34 heading into the fourth.
“We weren't really focused to start the game. We were careless with the ball and didn't play very good defense,” Seger said. “We really improved our defensive effort in the second and third quarters. I was very pleased with our offensive balance. We really shared the ball well.”
Carrin Townsend led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points while Isaac Patterson had 13 points. Art Thompson had 11 points while Charlie Brand and Sedrick Taylor had 10 points apiece and Jacob Ginn chipped in six points.
Houston girls 50,
East Webster 38
Houston used big bookend periods to take a 12-point win over the Lady Wolverines on Tuesday.
Houston led 14-7 at the end of the first period and 23-17 at the half. The Lady Wolverines cut into that lead in the third, outscoring Houston 10-9 to trail 33-26 heading into the fourth. But Houston pulled away and outscored East Webster 18-11 in the fourth to take the win.
“We played extremely hard and defended really well,” Seger said. “We have to do a better job ending the possession with defensive rebounds. We got some really good shots in the lane, but their length affected our ability to finish. I am proud of the way we competed. Houston has two really good guards and good size inside. I hope we can build off this effort.”
Isha Townsend led East Webster with 15 points while Mari-Todd Brown added nine points. Mariah Bell had five points while Whitney Winter and Kadasha Bryant had four points apiece.
East Webster boys 64,
French Camp 30
The Wolverines used a big second period to grab their 20th win of the season on Friday night.
East Webster led 18-15 at the end of the first period but then outscored the Panthers 24-3 in the second to take a 42-18 lead at the half. East continued to extend its lead in the second half, outscoring French Camp 12-6 in the third and 10-6 in the fourth.
Art Thompson led East Webster with 18 points, seven rebounds and five steals while Carrin Townsend had 17 points, eight steals, six rebounds and five assists. Isaac Patterson had 11 points while Charlie Brand added 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
East Webster girls 86,
French Camp 24
The Lady Wolverines scored early and often as they hammered the Lady Panthers by 62 points.
East jumped out to a 32-9 lead and led 47-13 at the half. East continued to add to its lead as they outscored French Camp 22-8 in the third and 17-3 in the fourth.
Senior Mari-Todd Brown had a big night as she poured in 23 points on seven 3-pointers. Mikeria Clark had 1o points while Mariah Bell added nine points. Meri-Grace Gregg and Lauren Graves scored eight points apiece while Whitney Winter and Kadash Bryant scored six points apiece. Shan Culpepper had five points while Jaden Johnson and Madison Gregg had four points apiece and Isha Patterson added three points and 11 rebounds.
