WEST POINT — The West Point High School girls basketball team”s season ended Monday with a 67-48 loss to Indianola Gentry in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State tournament.
West Point senior guard Kelsei Ewings, the team”s leading scorer, was held to 22 points (13 in the second half). The Lady Wave (20-5) committed more than 20 turnovers.
Ayanna Lynn had 20 points and Christina Reed added 19 for Gentry (26-3).
West Point coach Jemmye Ann Helms was disappointed her team didn”t match Gentry”s intensity, especially at home. She also bemoaned her team”s lack of rebounding, which saw Gentry record 14 second-chance shots in the first half.
Gentry took 34 shots to West Point”s 20 in the first half, and the Lady Wave trailed 34-18 at halftime.
“You got to be prepared to play rough and physical when you get to the playoffs because everybody”s gonna play that way,” Helms said. “We didn”t prepare well enough in that area (rebounding), and it killed us. They got every rebound they wanted. When that happens, you”re not gonna stay in the game with anybody.”
Ewings scored nine points in the first half and struggled to find her shot. The senior guard was just 3 of 12 from the field and had five turnovers at halftime.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth,” Ewings said. “That was it.”
Gentry will face Jackson Lanier in the next round. Thirteenth-year Lady Rams coach Charles Williams was surprised to see his team rebound so well because it has been an issue for most of the season. He described the Lady Rams” rebounding as a “sometimes” trait.
Though they struggled to convert some of their second-chance opportunities, Williams was delighted to see the playoff intensity show up on the boards.
“We don”t do anything different in practice. We just stress rebounding,” Williams said. “A lot of teams are gonna miss the first shot, but we”ve got to eliminate the second or third shot. Tonight was a good defensive and offensive rebounding night for us.”
Five Lady Rams scored in a 17-5 run to open the second half. They led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter before West Point used a 10-5 run to close the period.
Ewings got loose for a pair of 3-pointers and appeared a more active in the second half, but her first-half ineffectiveness had her teammates doing more watching than reacting, Helms said.
The scenario was just the way Williams hoped it would go.
“We knew she was a big-time scorer,” Williams said of Ewings. “We tried to get her into the lane to have to make plays (where the traffic is). Once you get a player in the lane, if they can”t elevate over someone they”re going to struggle.”
Wilma Davis (10 points) was West Point”s only other player to reach double figures.
West Point has a district championship and a 20-win season to remember, but Monday”s loss will sting because it was far from its best performance, Helms said.
“Had we played our best and lost, I would accept it,” Helms said. “It”s not a reflection of how bad my kids want it, it”s just we didn”t have it tonight. One part of our game did not carry over and better another part.
“When you have bad nights, you got to handle it, go on, and enjoy the school year.”
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