By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
BROOKLYN – In basketball, taking easy shots is always better than taking difficult shots.
And once that started happening for the Forrest County AHS boys, everything fell into place quite nicely, as the Aggies raced past Columbia 60-45 in Region 7-4A action Friday night at Ellis Shoemake Gymnasium.
FCAHS improved to 15-4 overall and 4-1 in region; Columbia dropped to 5-10 and 2-3.
“Offense comes and goes sometimes,” said FCAHS coach Scott Landry. “But we did a good job of guarding in that first half. When you only give up 11 points in a first half, that’s something to be proud of.”
It was a sloppy start by both teams, as neither team shot the ball well in the first quarter, which ended with the Wildcats on top 7-6.
The Aggies made just 2 of 8 shots from the field in the first period, and Columbia was only slightly better, connecting on 3 of 9, including a 3-point by senior Aaron Jefferson that put the Wildcats ahead.
“We’re still trying to shoot the basketball better, but you’ve got to make your free throws and layups when your struggling offensively,” said Landry. “I thought they were tougher than us a lot of the night, and that’s something I’ve got to fix. That’s my problem.”
But the second quarter was an altogether different story.
After the Aggies tied it up with a free throw, senior Avery Sledge beat the Wildcats down the floor after a turnover and threw down a monstrous jam that got the Aggie bench and the Aggie crowd on its feet.
It was the last lead change of the game, as FCAHS used a pair of 8-0 runs to build a double-digit lead it would never relinquish.
“I try to make plays to get everybody in the game and get the momentum going our way,” said Sledge. “Defense is our main priority. We work in practice every day on defending. We pride ourselves on defense.”
The second quarter was also when the Aggies started getting out in the open court for fast-break opportunities.
“That’s what we do best,” said Landry. “When we can get out and not have to call set plays, and we can use what God has given us and push the basketball, then that’s what’s beneficial for us.”
Joshua McArthur was the chief beneficiary of the Aggies’ transition game, getting numerous layups of the break. The 5-foot-10 junior led Forrest County with 26 points.
“My point guard set me up for a lot of easy baskets in transition,” said McArthur. “I always tell him to push it so we can get easy looks.”
The Wildcats, on the other hand, had trouble getting shots, and they had trouble making the ones they got, converting just 5 of 19 from the floor in the first half.
“We start two freshmen and a sophomore,” said Columbia coach Jordan Dupuy. “And the guys that I’m putting in off the bench are guys that are from the football team that are still trying to get acclimated. I’ve only had them for about a month.”
FCAHS led 24-11 at halftime, and it was more of the same at the start of the third quarter.
McArthur and Sledge each had a pair of layups, then McArthur added insult to injury by swishing a pair of 3-point shots midway through the period to give the Aggies a 39-17 lead.
In all, FCAHS hit 6 of its first 7 shots in the second half, while Columbia missed its first seven shots from the field.
“We had to learn what they were doing again,” said McArthur. “They changed a lot of things from the first time we played them (in December). They were pretty good on the trap.”
But the Wildcats showed their mettle in the final minutes of the third quarter, hitting 4 of their last 5 shots in the period in a 10-0 run that got them within striking distance.
“Our effort was good,” said Dupuy. “We’ve just got to improve out skill set. I feel like we can be a tough out (in postseason). We did a lot of good things tonight. Their length and athleticism hurt us a little bit, but I can’t complain about our effort.”
Columbia kept fighting in the fourth quarter, but the Aggies managed to keep at least a 12-point margin.
“They were well-schemed, they were ready for us, and they threw us off our game,” said Landry. “They were playing zone some possessions, then switching to a man on other possessions, with a good trap, so they kept us on our heels the whole game.”
Jefferson’s 3-point shot with 4:45 to play made it 46-34, and that’s when the Aggies put the pedal to the metal again, scoring eight unanswered points, and, again, it was McArthur and Sledge who did the damage.
Sledge drove unimpeded down the lane for another monster slam, then McArthur turned a steal and a missed shot into a pair of transition baskets that put the Aggies ahead by 20.
And after shooting poorly from the foul line in the first half, the Aggies converted 12 of 16 free throws in the second half and were 18 of 31 for the game.
With February, and the Region 7-4A Tournament at Purvis looming on the horizon, the Aggies are looking to peak at the right time.
“We’re still a work in progress,” said Landry. “We’ve got a lot of work to put in. We need to get better on the details. We know what to do, but we’ve just got to go out there and execute it. It’s going to be a daily fight to get a little better each day.”
Sledge finished with 15 points for Forrest County, and junior Jason Jefferson added nine points, eight coming in the first half, and all on putback layups. Aaron Jefferson led Columbia with nine points, and the Wildcats also had three players with eight.
In the girls game, Columbia rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half and defeated the Lady Aggies 46-42 in a back-and-forth contest.
FCAHS (6-13, 1-4) led 18-15 at halftime, then swished four straight 3-point shots to build a 29-21 lead midway through the third quarter.
But the Lady Wildcats finished the period on an 11-2 run to grab the lead, then increased their margin to six points and were able to hold on for the victory, just their second of the season.
Jakira Brown scored 22 points to lead Columbia (2-13, 1-3) and Payshunce Sims added 18 points. Eden Thumm had 18 points to lead Forrest County and Brooke Blanks added 12 for the Lady Aggies.
Prep Basketball Summaries
Friday at Brooklyn
BOYS
Forrest County AHS 60, Columbia 45
Columbia 7 4 18 16 – 45
FCAHS 6 18 17 19 – 60
FORREST COUNTY AHS (15-4, 4-1 in 7-4A): Avery Sledge 15, Joshua McArthur 26, David Combest 6, Christian Gaskill 3, Jason Jefferson 9, Jeremiah Hawthorne 1.
COLUMBIA (5-10, 2-3 in 7-4A): Cam Watts 8, Jeremiah Tatum 2, Kendale Johnson 8, Avyon Lewis 8, Lucious Prejean 6, D.J. Cloyd 2, Amarion Fortenberry 2, Aaron Jefferson.
GIRLS
Columbia 46, Forrest County AHS 42
Columbia 8 7 17 14 – 46
FCAHS 7 11 13 11 – 42
COLUMBIA (2-13, 1-3 in 7-4A): Payshunce Sims 18, Jakira Brown 22, Patrice Oatis 4, Bailey Expose 2.
FORREST COUNTY AHS (6-13, 1-4 in 7-4A): Brooke Blanks 12, Ashira Hart 3, Alyssa Murry 4, JaMiya Lee 1, Jada Armstrong 2, Eden Thumm 18, Ta’Niyah Brown 2.
