After McAdams boys lost two games while making less than half their free throws, coach Kenyon Ross had his players spend an entire hour and a half practice shooting free throws.
“That’s all we did,” he said.
The expression is “practice makes perfect.” The Bulldogs were not perfect from the line against Choctaw County Monday, but were improved, hitting on 12 of 20 in a 76-67 victory.
That came after losses to Louisville and Philadelphia. The Bulldogs were 11 of 23 from the line in a 57-53 loss to Louisville and 8 of 19 in a 50-41 loss to Philadelphia, continuing season long woes from the line.
“It's a very big problem for us.” Ross said. “We're trying to correct it.”
Despite the win, Ross was not happy with his team’s play on the defensive end. He felt his players might have taken Choctaw County lightly. The Chargers entered the game with a 1-8 record, including a 68-29 loss to Kosciusko one week earlier.
“A win is a win, but we have to get better,” said the coach.
Cameron Fleming led four Bulldogs in double figures with 16 points. Kendarrius McBeath had 13 points, Jalen Greer 12 and Marcus Ball 10. Caleb Cunningham scored 30 points for Choctaw County.
Against Louisville, McAdams took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter but was outscored 26-19.
“Most of our problems are self-inflicted,” Ross said. “Unforced turnovers, missed free throws, missed layups. Things that we can correct. That's the good thing.”
The Bulldogs had a one-point lead with two minutes left but gave up layups on three successive Louisville possessions.
Fleming had 23 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Bulldogs. He was accurate from the field, 10 of 18, but only two of seven from the line. McBeath had 13 points and seven rebounds. Cam Ingram scored 17 points and Tre'Jon Coburn 16 for Louisville.
McAdams lost Omari Barron Hampton, one of only two players on the team over six feet, to a knee injury during the game and he did not play against Philadelphia.
The loss to Philadelphia came one week after the Bulldogs defeated the Tornadoes 47-36. McAdams led 21-15 at the half but was outscored 21-7 in the third quarter.
Without Hampton in the post, McAdams was out-rebounded 44-23. “We're a really small team,” Ross said.
Tyrick Davis was the only Bulldog in double digits with 11 points. McBeath had eight and Fleming seven. Devontae Scott had 19 rebounds and 15 points for Philadelphia.
GIRLS
The Lady Bulldogs followed up losses to Louisville 65-23 and by Philadelphia 55-42 with a 42-24 victory over Choctaw County.
McAdams jumped out to a 12-2 first quarter lead against Choctaw County as Samaria Evans scored nine points and Shatikka Greer hit a three pointer. McAdams continued to add to the lead, outscoring Choctaw County in every quarter.
Due to foul trouble, coach Ashley Brown had to go to the bench and reserves played a big part in the win. Ten players saw action and eight scored, including freshman Kenady Cross who gave the team a spark off the bench.
Evans finished with 13 points and Greer with 10. Destinee Love had 14 points, 12 in the second half, for Choctaw County.
McAdams trailed Louisville 40-16 at the half and was scoreless in the third quarter. Ameri Gadson had seven points and Mary Smith six. Jacylin Houston scored 23 points for Louisville.
The Philadelphia game was close at the half. The Lady Bulldogs trailing by six points, but Philadelphia pulled away by outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 14-6 in the third quarter. Cross had 12 points. Jaiden Burnside led three Philadelphia players in double figures with 13 points.
McAdams will host a holiday tournament with seven games scheduled for Monday and six Tuesday. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will both play Yazoo County Monday and Kosciusko Tuesday.
Ross said hosting the tournament is a tradition going back to when Wilson Jackson was the coach, and he said it is one of the state's premier holiday tournaments.
A feature matchup will be undefeated Leake Central boys against Holmes County Central, the state's third ranked 5A team, scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, just before the McAdams-Kosciusko games.
Ethel girls and boys play Monday, the Lady Tigers against Velma Jackson at 2:10 p.m. followed by the Tigers against Kosciusko at 3:30.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs played Yazoo County Tuesday.
McAdams, Kosciusko, and Ethel basketball teams will compete at the McAdams High School Holiday Tournament Monday and Tuesday, December 27-28 with 13 games over two days.
