With two victories last week, Kosciusko boys’ basketball is assured of an opening round bye in the Region 4-4A tournament and will qualify for the state tournament. The Whippets improved to 6-2 in region play with wins over Louisville, 62-57, and Northeast Lauderdale, 76-62.That left Kosciusko tied for the lead with Leake County. The other four teams – West Lauderdale, Choctaw Central, Northeast Lauderdale and Louisville – are all 3-5. Kosciusko will play one of those teams in the semifinals.“Louisville is always a close game,” Coach Eleazarus Greenleaf said. “It always comes down to the final minute.”That was the case last week. The Whippets took a one-point lead into the final minute, then stretched it out to the final margin when Antonio Harmon and JaQuan Hall each made two free throws.“We kept playing defense. We kept limiting their shots,” Greenleaf said. “It was a good and exciting game. I love coaching those games.”Harmon had 22 points and 19 rebounds, Hall notched 16 and seven, and Azikwe' Mays added 12 points.The victory over Northeast Lauderdale was a reversal of a 59-56 loss to the Trojans Jan. 12. Greenleaf said the Whippets were sluggish in that first game.“We never really got into the ball game. We didn't get a rhythm. Not to take anything away from Northeast, they're a good team. But we could have played better,” he said of the earlier matchup.In last week's game, Northeast Lauderdale rallied from a double-digit deficit to within a point, 27-26 at the half. Kosciusko took control in the third quarter, outscoring Northeast 19-11, and pulled away for a fifth consecutive victory.Defense and rebounding were the keys in the second half, Greenleaf said. “They kept off the boards in the first half. At halftime, I made a point that we would have to rebound as a team,” he said.The Whippets had four players in double figures. Harmon had 22 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, Mays logged 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists, Davion Roby posted 18 points, and Hall put up 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.It was a season high for Roby. “He shot the ball with confidence. In the last couple of games, he was in a slump,” said Greenleaf. “I told him to keep shooting and eventually he would make some shots. He made the first shot he took and he took off from there.”The Whippets were set to play West Lauderdale Tuesday (after The Star-Herald deadline) and conclude the regular season with a home game against Leake Central Friday that will determine top seed for the region tournament. Kosciusko won the first matchup against Leake 61-54 on Jan. 19.GirlsThe Lady Whippets lost both games, 57-41 to Louisville and 53-35 to Northeast Lauderdale last week. Coach Cory Guyton said slow starts was the problem in both games. “We got too far behind,” he said.The losses dropped Kosciusko to 1-7 in region play.“We have to improve on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively,” Guyton said. “We have to limit these slow starts, and we have to put more points up on the board.”Aaliyah Amey was the one bright spot against Louisville with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Mariah Woods, Hannah Olive, and Jakayla Seawood had seven points each.Jamiya Gray was the leading scorer against Northeast Lauderdale with 13 points, two rebounds, and two steals. Ariel Fleming and Woods each scored six points.The games with West Lauderdale and Leake Central will determine Kosciusko's seeding for the region tournament, which will be played at Louisville beginning Monday, Feb. 8.
