The Kosciusko (17-4, 5-0 Region 4-4A) boys basketball team went 2-0 in Region 4-4A play last week, posting wins against Leake Central and Choctaw Central.
The Whippets defeated the Gators, 46-43, last Tuesday, and closed the week with a 36-34 win on Friday against the Warriors.
“Our defense was pretty good; we always can play better on defense, in my opinion,” Kosciusko coach Eleazarus Greenleaf said. “The guys stuck to the defensive game plan, and we came out with a victory in both games against two really tough teams. Both teams are well-coached, and they’re very disciplined on offense. We were able to play defense in the fourth quarter when we needed to.”
Calvin Banks scored a team-high 11 points and collected nine rebounds against Leake Central. Antonio Harmon and Omarion Cobbins finished with eight points apiece, while Eshavious Mays ended with seven points.
Leake Central led 9-6 after the first quarter and Kosciusko led 21-20 at halftime. The Gators held a 35-33 advantage after the third quarter, but Kosciusko outscored Leake Central 13-8 in the fourth to earn the win.
Harmon recorded 12 points against Choctaw Central, while Banks ended with 10 points. JaQuan Hall pulled in eight rebounds.
Choctaw Central scored 11 points in the first quarter, but the Whippets’ defense held the Warriors to just nine points in the second quarter and seven points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
“I think the kids are buying into the concept of playing defense in order to get victories,” Greenleaf said. “When you have kids who are buying into playing defense, you can have something special within the team.”
Kosciusko this week has games against Louisville (Tuesday), at Northeast Lauderdale (Friday) and at Louisville (Saturday).
GIRLS
The Kosciusko (14-6, 1-4 Region 4-4A) girls dropped back-to-back contests against Leake Central and Choctaw Central last week.
Leake Central earned a 73-49 win on Tuesday, while Choctaw Central defeated the Lady Whippets, 71-38, on Friday.
Ariel Fleming had 15 points against Leake Central, Jakya Young scored 13 points and D’Nayah Williams ended with 10 points.
The Lady Gators led 13-12 at the end of the first period and extended their lead to 34-21 at the half.
“I just thought we got off to a slow start,” Kosciusko coach Cory Guyton said. “They came out and they hit a lot of shots. We just didn’t recover from it. We played a little bit better in the third quarter, but it looked like they had a lead that was insurmountable at that time.”
Young scored 18 points against the Lady Warriors. Williams chipped in with eight points.
Choctaw Central led 28-14 at the end of the first quarter and 54-16 at halftime.
“Choctaw Central is one of the better teams in the state, but it was another one (where) we started off slow and got behind,” Guyton said. “That kind of hurt us starting off late. We pulled together a little bit in the third quarter, but we just can’t have these slow starts.”
The Lady Whippets will look to return to the win column this week. They host Louisville on Tuesday and visit Northeast Lauderdale on Friday. They travel to Louisville on Saturday.
“I feel like they’re still positive,” Guyton said of his team. “I think we’ll recover from it. We just have to keep on fighting. There’s still a long season ahead of us, and we still have the district tournament to go.”
