By Laurence Hilliard
A 37-34 loss to Clarkdale in the opening round of the 4A payoffs Monday ended the Kosciusko girls basketball season.
In a low-scoring game, the Lady Whippets trailed 9-6 after one quarter, 37-34 at the half and 40-35 through three quarters before coming up short at the end.
“It was a close game throughout,” said Kosciusko coach Cory Guyton. “We trailed the entire game. Just never could get an offensive rhythm. We didn’t make a 3-point shot.”
He said missed free throws and some defensive lapses cost the Lady Whippets. “We gave up some crucial transition points that came back to bite us.”
Kosciusko struggled to score in many games while the defense usually played well. Guyton feels his team should win if they hold an opponent to 40 points or less, but that was not the case against Clarksdale.
Kaleysha Miller led the Lady Whippets with 11 points. Zanya Peteet had nine.
Kosciusko was the second seed from Region 4-4A following a 40-39 victory over Yazoo City and a 44-43 loss to Louisville in the region tournament at Louisville. Both games went right down to the wire.
Yazoo City rallied from a 29-20 deficit entering the fourth quarter to tie the game before a free throw by Miller gave Kosciusko a 40-39 lead in the final seconds. A Yazoo City shot for the win at the buzzer was unsuccessful.
Miller led the Lady Whippets with 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting and added six rebounds. Ozaria Landfair was 6 of 6 from the line and scored eight points.
The championship game with Louisville was another nail-biter. Kosciusko trailed 13-6 after one quarter, rallied for a 19-19 tie at the half and led 37-36 through three quarters.
“It was a back-and forth game,” Guyton said.
A layup by Makayla Sam put Louisville up 44-43 in the final seconds and Kosciusko failed to get off a final shot. It was Kosciusko’s third loss to Louisville following 45-27 January 2 and 48-39 January 22.
Miller had 13 points, Landfair and Peteet 12 each.
Miller was named 4-4A Offensive MVP. Peteet, Landfair and Morgan Brown were chosen all district.
Looking ahead to next season, the Lady Whippets will be led by Miller and Peteet as seniors. “We have some key pieces coming back,” Guyton said.
Eighth graders Luna Pearson and Khyleigh Greer moved up to the varsity in December and will be counted to contribute.
To prepare for the 2026-27 season, Kosciusko will have a summer program in June. “Every year you want to work on your overall game. You never know what type of situation or atmosphere you will be in,” Guyton said.
