Improvements keep coming for a young Winston Academy girls basketball team under first-year head coach Kelley Greer.
The Lady Patriots are on a three-game winning streak after a successful trip to Columbus and the MUW tournament over Christmas Holidays last weekend. Hailey Bradford scored 19 points and was the MVP in Friday night’s 44-16 blowout win over Kemper Academy.
Bradford and the Lady Patriots came back for more on Saturday against Columbus Christian and took home a hard-fought 33-28 victory in that game. Bradford was again there to lead the way with 17 points. The victory took the Lady Pats to over .500 for the first time this season at 7-6 right before they start district play.
“I feel like we’re playing really well,” Greer said of her team. “I’ve changed my practice schedule up and going a whole different route. We’re focusing on one weakness and getting it fixed and then moving on to the next thing. They’re working really hard and the chemistry is really good.”
District games pick up on Friday when the Lady Pats will come home to host rival Starkville Academy in Louisville. It’s a challenge that Greer believes her young team is ready for after the tough schedule they’ve played to this point.
“They’ve improved a whole lot,” Greer said of SA. “They’ve got some tall girls and are very good fundamentally. I think it’s going to be a good game, we’re just going to have to play really hard. They’re really good.”
BOYS
The losing skid continued for the WA boys as they fell to 2-10 on the year thanks to a couple of losses at the MUW tournament.
Facing off against the Caledonia B team in the game on Friday night, WA lost a close battle 59-54. Brantley Wright had one of his best games of the season in defeat with 19 points and Cage Palmer added 18 of his own as the Patriots fell just short of getting the win.
On Saturday night, it was another tough loss for the Patriots as they fell 47-43.The nip and tuck affair was saw Winston trailing just 36-34 after three quarters but Columbus Christian was able to hang on for the two-possession victory. Wright and Palmer did the most work again on Saturday as they each finished with 15 points.
