Defense was the name of the game as the Kosciusko boys basketball won twice last week. The Whippets defeated Forest 66-42 and Neshoba Central 52-44.JaQuan Hall led Kosciusko to the easy win over Forest with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Azikwe' Mays had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists and Davion Roby scored 12 points.Neshoba Central led 12-9 after one quarter before Kosciusko's defensive effort took over, holding the Rockets to 10 points over the next two periods. It was 18-18 at the half and Kosciusko led 31-22 through quarters.“Our defense really took over the game from start to finish,” said coach Eleazarus Greenleaf. “Neshoba Central runs a lot of motion offense, a lot of back door cuts. We told our guys to fight through the screens. It was a total team effort defensively. All credit to our guys.”Antonio Harmon paced the Whippets with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Hall had 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals and Mays 10 points and four rebounds. Zae Gordon scored 15 points for Neshoba Central, which fell to 5-8. With the two wins, Kosciusko improved to 7-2.Greenleaf is pleased with the defense, but said the offense needs improvement. “The shots are just not falling. We are going to get in the gym and put up shots to find our rhythm. Once we get going making shots, that's something the other team has to prepare for.”The Lady Whippets split, edging Forest 45-44 and losing to Neshoba Central 59-40.“We made a few big shots in the fourth quarter to pull it out,” coach Cory Guyton said of the win over Forest. “It was a team effort, making the shots we had to make.”Aaliyah Amey had 17 points, 12 rebounds and four steals for Kosciusko, Ariel Fleming 10 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists, and Jamiya Gray eight points, six assists, five steals and three rebounds.Playing on back-to-back nights, Guyton said his team ran out of gas against Neshoba Central. “We kind of lost our legs in the second half.”Amey had 11 points and 12 rebounds, Gray eight points, nine rebound and four assists and Haley Olive five points and six rebounds.Hama’ya Fielder had a game-high 24 points for Neshoba Central (9-2). Kosciusko is 5-3 entering the Christmas break.Kosy’s next games are Jan. 2 at McAdams. The Whippets and Lady Whippets begin Region 4-4A play at Choctaw Central Jan. 5.
