There was a lot on the line when Kosciusko played West Laurderdale Monday in the opening round of the Region 4-4A girls basketball tournament at Choctaw Central.
The Lady Whippets had defeated the Lady Knights easily the two times the teams met during the regular season, 71-35 and 58-32. But this time it was win or go home, with the season ending for the loser.
Kosciusko struggled for a quarter and a half. A three-pointer by Regan Andrews midway through the second quarter gave West Lauderdale a 15-14 lead. But the Lady Knights were scoreless for the final four minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half while Kosciusko ran off 18 straight points on the way to a 54-29 victory,
Coach Cory Guyton attributed the slow start to an earlier than usual tipoff at 4 p.m. and nerves. “Once we got into the rhythm, we played well.”
A free throw by Naja Mays resulted in the game's fifth and final tie at 15-15. Jamiya Gray scored eight straight points and D'naylah Williams made it 25-15 at the half, converting both free throws from a technical foul assessed the West Lauderdale bench.
Gray and Williams were a dynamic duo, Gray with 27 points and Williams with 14 of her 18 in the second half as the Lady Whippets pulled away.
Gray was also the leading scorer in both games last week, the 58-32 win over West Lauderdale and 50-42 over Leake Central in overtime. She had 21 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists against West Lauderdale, and career highs of 31 points and 18 rebounds in the Leake Central game that decided third place in the region. It was tied at 36 at the end of regulation before the Lady Whippets outscored the Lady Gators 14-6 in the extra period, with Gray contributing nine points.
“In the fourth quarter and overtime they showed how resilient they can be,” Guyton said. “They showed the intensity that we need.”
Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Kosciusko led West Lauderdale 30-8 at the half on its say to the easy victory. Williams had nine points, nine rebounds and two steals, Mays six points, three rebounds and two assists.
“We got a good defensive effort out of some of our younger people,” Guyton said. “We had a chance to play some of the younger girls to give them some experience.”
Kosciusko played defending state champion Choctaw Central Tuesday, with home court for the opening round of the 4A playoffs at stake. The championship and consolation games will be Friday.
The playoffs begin Monday against teams from 2-4A.
