In two victories last week, Kosciusko girls basketball outscored their opponents 33-2 in the first quarter. It was 12-2 after one period in a 59-38 win over Greenwood and an eye-opening 21-0 in an equally eye-opening 73-14 victory over Wingfield.
Coach Cory Guyton said defense has been the key to the fast starts.
“We’re coming together. We’re improving and that’s good.” he said, but, “I still feel we have a way to go. We have a lot of things we have to clean up from top to bottom before we play the top tier teams in our district.”
D’Nayla Williams led the Lady Whippets in both games. She had 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals against Greenwood, and 19 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in the rout of Wingfield.
Against Greenwood, Bracie Jamison scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds, and Haley Olive had 10 points, three rebounds and two steals. Aaliyah Amey had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals against Wingfield. Jamsion scored 12 points off the bench on four-of-seven shooting from three-point range, and had six rebounds and two steals.
Guyton had never coached a team that outscored the opponent 21-0 in a quarter. The 73 points were the most for a Kosciusko girls’ team since an 82-36 victory over West Lauderdale two years ago. It probably would have been more if the fourth quarter had not been played with a running close, the result of a 50-point lead (62-12) at the end of the fourth quarter.
The website MaxPreps has scores going back to 2006 and the 59-point margin is the largest during that time.
It was the second game in a row that Kosciusko outscored their opponent in all four quarters. Against Greenwood, the Lady Whippets stretched the lead to 23-12 at the half and 42-25 through three quarters leading to the final 19-point margin.
Boys
The Whippets dropped both games, losing to Greenwood 69-58 and Wingfield 40-35.
“We have to grow up and we have to grow up quick,” said Coach Eleazarus Greenleaf.
The loss to Wingfield was especially painful, resulting from very poor free throw shooting and an ice cold fourth quarter. The Whippets outscored the Falcons in each of the first three quarters, with leads of 8-5 after one period, 20-16 at the half and 34-37 entering the fourth quarter.
But Kosciusko went scoreless for the first 6:50 in the fourth, managing only one point during the period, and made only one of nine free throws during the game.
“We missed some easy shots at the basket,” Greenleaf said. “Things like that can’t happen if we are to compete night in and night out.”
Wingfield took command with three 3-point baskets midway through the period, turning a 34-29 Kosciusko lead into a 38-34 deficit.
Greenleaf was out sick for the Greenwood game.
Keonte Williams led Kosciusko scoring in both games with 22 points against Greenwood and 10 against Wingfield. Davion Roby had 20 in the Greenwood game and nine against Wingfield.
Greenleaf plans to work on layups in practice.
“When someone is in the area, we tend to miss layups,” said the coach.
The Whippets and Lady Whippets will play West Point Saturday in a tournament at West Lowndes.
