Jaquan Hall scored a team-high 17 points last Tuesday to help lead the Kosciusko boys to their first win of the season as the Whippets defeated Germantown 50-49. Hall was 6 of 11 from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point territory.
Calvin Banks made two free throws after drawing a foul as time expired to seal the one-point win. Tuesday’s contest featured seven lead changes and eight ties. The Whippets scored 11 points in the fourth quarter.
“We came out kind of relaxed and not focused in the first half,” Kosciusko head coach Eleazarus Greenleaf said. “We went into halftime and made some adjustments, and told them as far as the defensive intensity, it had to pick up. That’s what we did in the second half. We were more focused on the defensive end, which is what got our offense going.”
Hall added nine rebounds, and the Whippets collected 26 rebounds in the contest. Banks tallied nine points and was 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. He added five assists.
Jaden Collins and Omarion Cobbins scored eight points apiece. Cobbins recorded five steals and contributed four rebounds.
The Whippets were scheduled to play West Point in the Premier Medical Group Shootout on Saturday, but West Point unexpectedly left the tournament. The Whippets were credited with the win by forfeit. Greenleaf said no explanation was given as to why West Point exited the tournament.
“We were supposed to play West Point (Saturday), both boys and girls showed up, and they stayed for about 15 minutes and then they left,” Greenleaf said.
Kosciusko (1-1) hosts Leake Central on Tuesday and plays in the JZ George Tournament on Thursday and Friday. See bracket breakdown in Prep Notebook.
GIRLS
The Lady Whippets dropped to 1-1 on the young season after falling to Germantown 69-41 on Tuesday. A slow start by Kosciusko led to an offensive burst by Germantown that gave the Lady Mavericks a lead they would not surrender.
“We had a bunch of turnovers in the beginning of the game that led to easy points from Germantown,” Kosciusko head coach Cory Guyton said. “We made a run in the third quarter, but I think the deficit was too much to overcome. I was proud of them for their third-quarter effort.”
Jakyra Young led the Lady Whippets with 16 points, four assists and one steal. Ariel Fleming added seven points.
“We tried to make a game of it, but at the end, we had too many mistakes to win the game,” Guyton said.
The Lady Whippets were also scheduled to play West Point during Saturday’s Premier Medical Group Shootout and were credited the win by forfeit after West Point prematurely left the tournament.
The Lady Whippets host Leake County on Tuesday and travel to the JZ George Tournament on Thursday and Friday.
