After hitting the first spell of adversity this young season, Justin Childs was ready to see how his Winston Academy team would respond this week.
The Patriots started the year 4-0 but lost 59-52 to Carroll Academy and 87-49 to Riverside in the same week. It prompted a gut check for the Patriots in a week where they had three more teams to contend with and not enough time to sulk.
They responded exactly how the coach wanted them to by knocking off Columbus Christian, Benton Academy and Nanih Waiya and moved to 8-2 on the year.
“I think we did a good job of getting refocused after a few bumps in the road,” Childs said. “We focused on what was ahead instead of what was behind us. It was refreshing to see how they responded.”
The first test of the week was on the road at Columbus Christian, a team that the Patriots have struggled with in recent years. On top of the struggles of the past, WA allowed a barrage of 3-pointers in the first half for a tied ball game at 27-27.
The team made some adjustments in the second half, however and out-scored Columbus Christian 26-14.
“Columbus had eight 3-pointers in the first half and just one in the second half so we did a great job adjusting,” Childs said. “That’s a really good team who we haven’t beaten in a long time so that was a really good win.”
In the 53-41 victory, WA held CCA to just 28 percent shooting from the field and they dominated the rebounding at 51-25. Blake Peterson scored 17 in the win and pulled down eight rebounds in 30 minutes.
Collin Mills also hit double figures again with 16 points. Nash Vanlandingham put up a major number on the boards as he pulled down 22 on the night and had eight points.
On Thursday evening, the Patriots utilized an explosive first quarter against Benton Academy to blow them away 63-37. WA put up 27 points out of the gates and were leading 42-19 at the break. They cruised the rest of the way to get another big win.
Turnovers were a major story in the victory as WA forced 30 of those and scored 30 points off of them. The Patriots also had 17 assists. Peterson had 13 points and Noah Dempsey finished with 11 points and eight steals.
Winston capped off the successful week by hosting the Red Hills Showdown and welcoming in teams from around the state that included Nanih Waiya. Childs got a chance to square off with his high school coach Jason Morgan in the process and he took home bragging rights with a 55-36 win.
The game unfolded similarly to the Benton contest with the Patriots exploding in the first half to seal the win. This time, it came in the second quarter as WA scored just four points in the first.
After the unproductive opening stanza, WA put up 30 in the second and led 34-17 at the break.
“I think we were about as prepared as we could have been for that game,” Childs said. “We came out and were really sluggish in the first half but we blew it open in the second quarter and started eating clock from there. We did a great job competing and responding.”
WA hit 42 percent of its shots in the win and out-scored Nanih Waiya 42-20 in the paint. They also forced 27 turnovers. Vanlandingham had a team-high 14 points and a double-double with his 13 rebounds. Peterson was named player of the game, however, as the senior scored nine points, had eight rebounds, seven blocks and four steals falling just shy of a triple double.
Mills scored 11 in the win.
This week gets tougher for the Patriots as they hosted Kirk Academy on Tuesday, travel to Hebron Christian on Thursday and are back home against Oak Hill Academy on Friday. All games are approximately 7:30 p.m.
“December is our measuring stick month and we’ll be able to tell if we’re a legitimate contender or not,” Childs said. “We’ve got Kirk Academy who has some of the best man-to-man defense in the state. Oak Hill is going to be one of our toughest games so far because they have a transfer in from West Point that is a game-changer for them. It’s going to be a tough week.”
LADY PATRIOTS
The girls squad had a seven-game winning streak snapped on Saturday but continued their impressive run in the non-conference games this season with a 2-1 week.
It began by the Lady Patriots knocking off Columbus Christian 47-30 on Tuesday. They were paced in scoring by Lilly Sisson as the Mississippi College signee scored 12 points. Madelyn Bright had 11 points in the victory.
WA continued its success against Benton Academy with a 47-27 win and had three players in double figures. Sisson finished with 18 points, Bailey Wood had 15 and Bright had 12.
In the Red Hills Showdown, Winston finally met its match for the first time in recent weeks when Class 2A MHSAA opponent East Webster took home a 35-29 win. Wood had 12 points.
The Lady Patriots are back in action this week by also playing Kirk Academy, Hebron Christian and Oak Hill. Games will take place at approximately 6 p.m. for the girls.
