On one possession Tuesday night, Columbus High’s D.D. Walker and C.J. Scott teamed up on the Kemper County point guard.
Walker made the steal and fed Scott in the front court for a fast-break lay-up attempt.
Scott’s shot rimmed out but Jay Jay Swanigan was there for the putback.
It is that kind of defensive prowess and teamwork that has the Columbus boys’ basketball team off to an 8-2 start.
Columbus rode the strength of an 18-0 first-half run to post a 77-42 win over Kemper County Tuesday night at the Falcon Lair.
“We came out all quiet tonight,” Swanigan said. “When we hit the floor, it was a different type of intensity. Everybody was hustling for loose balls. Everybody was playing defense and having fun.”
Trailing 8-7 early, Columbus scored 18 straight points and held Kemper County scoreless for better than eight minutes.
“Our defense was really good,” Walker said. “We really fed off each other. Once somebody made a steal, somebody else was ready to do it. When we all play together on the defensive end, we are really good.”
Swanigan scored the final 13 points of the run, including an old-fashioned 3-point play, two steals and a blocked shot.
“Just felt like I got into a rhythm,” Swanigan said.
Smith preaches defense and his squad – though young in some areas – has bought in. After struggling on the offensive end in a 38-33 win over Starkville Friday night, Columbus showed it has some offensive mettle Tuesday night as the Falcons forced the issue more and scored multiple baskets in transition.
“We have size and depth this year,” Smith said. “The first thing we try to do is to get all of the guys to buy in on the defensive end. We have already gotten that. Our defensive effort tonight was superb.
“Now, we are working on better offense and better rebounding. You see signs. We didn’t start the game with a lot of focus, but after we had the run, we played the type of game that we need to play.”
After Kemper County stopped the run with a basket, Columbus scored the next eight points. A 3-point basket by Walker extended the lead to 33-10. A deep 3-pointer by Joshua Turner as the half expired gave the Falcons a 37-14 lead.
“Once we started communicating, everybody got comfortable on the defensive end,” Swanigan said. “When everybody communicates on defense, we are going to make some plays. The biggest key to the game was boxing out and getting rebounds. We stayed strong like the coaches asked us to.”
The Columbus starters had one last run as 10-0 bulge pushed the advantage to 61-26 late in the third quarter. The reserves played hard and kept the game in hand the rest of the way.
“We told the bench players to play hard because we are going to need them later,” Smith said. “It was good to get everybody out there. They were able to lick their wounds and play through some mistakes. It doesn’t matter who you play, as long as you play with same intensity every night. That is what we have been preaching.”
Swanigan paced Columbus with 20 points, while Scott had nine points and seven assists. Walker added nine points, while Chris Deloach had eight points and six rebounds. Artavious McDyess had eight rebounds.
“We are off to a good start but we have a long way to go,” Walker said. “This team has potential. That is why it is exciting to come to practice every day.”
Columbus girls 68, Kemper County 60: In the opener, the Lady Falcons scored the game’s final eight points to secure the win.
“We took a big loss Friday night, so I was glad we came back and played really well,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said. “We have a lot of inconsistency. We have been focusing on our free throws, so I was glad we were able to go to the free throw line and win the game there.”
Kayla Rodgers hit a layup with 1:22 left to break a 60-60 tie for Columbus (5-4). After a huge defensive rebound by Bethany Jones, she hit two free throws on the offensive end. Bri Edinburgh followed with four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win.
“We have to grow up fast,” Hairston said. “Right now, we are playing with four 10th graders out there most of the time and sometimes they don’t have an understanding of what is going on. We have had a real hard time closing out games this year. So, I hope we took a major step in the right direction there.”
Columbus had its best quarter of the season with 31 points in the third quarter. Holding a 23-20 lead at halftime, Columbus opened its largest lead at 25 points, at 52-27.
Kemper County ended the quarter with a 12-2 run and kept chipping away to start the fourth quarter.
The Lady Wildcats eventually scored eight straight points to tie the contest at 60-60 with 2:45 left.
“They applied pressure and we didn’t do a real good job of handling it,” Hairston said. “Offensively, we are good team. We feel like the score the ball against most teams. Athletically, we have some athletes. It is just a matter of being disciplined all the time.
“We need to be more mentally and physically tough. Hopefully, we will be pull things together when it is time to pull things together. We just have to keep working and keep going in the right direction.”
Jones paced Columbus with 15 points, while Rodgers added 10 points.
Kemper County received 12 points from Kasmine Nunn and 11 points from Ebone Newton and Trinity Key.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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