The Whippets of Kosciusko High School extended their winning streak to five games after they went 3-0 last week.
Kosciusko earned a 68-63 overtime win against Louisville on Tuesday and defeated Northeast Lauderdale, 58-55, on Friday. They concluded their week with a 67-53 win against Louisville on Saturday.
The Whippets now sit at 20-4 overall and they remained undefeated in Region 4-4A play with an 8-0 record.
“It actually was a tough week going in and playing Louisville,” Kosciusko coach Eleazarus Greenleaf said. “It was a great game (Tuesday). They’re a really good team that can shoot the ball exceptionally well. We actually were up 13 (points) and they came back and we went into overtime. In overtime, we grabbed a hold of the lead and held on from there.”
Antonio Harmon scored a team-high 21 points in the week’s opener against Louisville. JaQuan Hall added 12 points and 10 rebounds and Omarion Cobbins finished with 10 points.
Harmon for the second consecutive game led the Whippets in scoring behind a 14-point effort against Northeast Lauderdale. Hall posted 12 points and eight rebounds, and Calvin Banks ended with eight points.
Harmon closed the week with a 21-point outing against Louisville. Hall provided 12 points, while Cobbins chipped in with 10 points.
“The week overall, we had three tough games,” Greenleaf said. “My guys played defense when they needed to play it, and that was the determining factor of all the games. We locked down on the defensive end, we got out in transition and got some easy baskets. That’s what attributed to all the wins.”
Kosciusko hosts West Lauderdale on Tuesday and ends the regular season on the road at Leake Central on Friday.
GIRLS
The Lady Whippets went 1-2 last week to fall to 15-8 overall and 2-6 in Region 4-4A games.
Kosciusko opened the week with a 59-44 loss to Louisville on Monday. The Lady Whippets bounced back with a 37-36 win on Friday but dropped their second game in a row to Louisville, 52-22, one day later.
Jakrya Young scored 14 points to go with eight rebounds in her team’s first game against the Lady Wildcats. Ariel Fleming added nine points, and Aaliyah Amey contributed eight points.
“I thought we played fairly well in the beginning,” Louisville coach Cory Guyton said. “We kind of lost it toward the second half. I thought we showed some good spurts in the game, just with a young team, still trying to bring everything together. It’s coming along, we just have to hit that right spurt.”
Young poured 24 points on Northeast Lauderdale in her team’s one-point win. She was 7-of-17 from the floor and connected on four of her 10 3-point attempts. She also added three steals. The contest featured six lead changes and two ties.
“I thought we came out with a lot of energy,” Guyton said of his team’s showing against Northeast Lauderdale. “We played some good defense. We had got a lead, and I thought they played very well off of that. We came away with the second district win of the year.”
Amey led Kosciusko’s scorers with six points in the Lady Whippets’ second game against Louisville. Young finished with five points, and D’Naylah Williams pulled in eight rebounds. The Lady Whippets were 7-of-37 from the floor.
“I think we were just out of gas playing them,” Guyton said of the Lady Wildcats. “We came out flat. Louisville came out hitting on all cylinders. Credit to them, they came out and did what they had to do. We didn’t recover from it.”
Kosciusko this week hosts West Lauderdale on Tuesday and closes out the regular season at Leake Central on Friday.
“It’s a learning experience,” Guyton said. “We just have to go back and get things together and get ready for West Lauderdale on Tuesday."
