The Louisville (7-5) boys stretched their winning streak to six games as they went 3-0 last week in tournament play at East Webster High School to win the 2018 East Webster Tournament championship.
The Wildcats defeated Oak Hill Academy 86-51 last Thursday, and then earned a 69-67 win against Philadelphia on Friday. Louisville beat host East Webster 75-62 on Saturday in the championship.
“I think we grew from this tournament,” Louisville coach Kenyon Ross said. “We’re just really getting into a rhythm because we had the chance to play three games back-to-back-to-back, instead of having those breaks. And I think that helps us a lot with basically trying to get into a rhythm. It was a good tournament to go to, and we played some good competition up there. I'd like to thank the fans who supported us during this Christmas break. They took time out of their busy schedule to support us, and I greatly appreciate that.”
Louisville had five players score in double figures in its win against Oak Hill. Vasedrick Culberson led the way with 15 points, TeQuavious Braggs posted 14 points, Tyrell Thames ended with 12 points and Bryandrea Shumaker and Deonte Yarbrough pitched in with 10 points apiece.
Braggs logged a team-high 19 points against Philadelphia, and Shemar Eiland poured in 14 points.
“We played a Philadelphia team that’s been battle tested and has played several 6A schools,” Ross said.
In Saturday’s championship game against East Webster, Braggs scored a team-high 22 points. Jy’Kevious Hibbler added 12 points, and Thames and Clayton Maury chipped in with 10 points.
Louisville returns to the hardwood on Jan. 4 for its Region 4-4A opener at Kosciusko.
GIRLS
The Lady Wildcats (10-2) split a pair of games in last week’s Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum.
A day after Christmas, the Lady Wildcats suffered a 59-44 loss against Olive Branch, but the team recovered enough to earn a 63-13 win against Noxubee County one day later.
“Playing a team like Olive Branch really opened our eyes up to some things that I kind of knew we had deficiencies in,” Ross said. “It helped me to correct those problems. Now the kids really know what they need to focus on. Going into that tournament, it gave me what I was looking for, and a couple of games we have coming up in the month of January will help us prepare for a playoff run.”
Lymyia Fifer tallied 12 points against Olive Branch, and Areyanna Hunter ended with eight points.
Kiersten Ball had a team-high 14 points, and Ajira Thompkins scored 10 points in the Lady Wildcats’ win over Noxubee County.
The Lady Wildcats travel to Kosciusko on Jan. 4 for their Region 4-4A opener.
