WEST POINT — New Hope High School senior basketball player Willie Ousley brings a high level of energy to the court.
For the Trojans, the good news is Ousley also brings that energy on the defensive end.
On a night where defense had stretches of being optional, the return of Ousley to the lineup after an injury proved pivotal as New Hope knocked off West Point 85-77 in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A, Region 2 game played Monday night at West Point Gym.
“It felt good to be back,” Ousley said. “I was trying to provide a lift, a spark. We really wanted this game badly. My job was to go out there and get some things done defensively and to score when I could. When we have five guys contributing on offense, we can be tough to beat.”
New Hope improved to 14-9 overall and 3-3 in region play. The Trojans won their final three region games to earn season splits with Saltillo, Oxford and now West Point.
In the region tournament next week at Oxford, top-seeded West Point will play fourth-seeded Oxford, while second-seeded Saltillo will play third-seeded New Hope.
Ousley did not start but he did play about three quarters after missing two games with an elbow injury.
“He really is a big piece of everything we are trying to do,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said. “He just brings such a high level of energy. He is flying around and that rubs off on the other guys. He is a senior, so he has been in the big games. Really, there was not a lot of defense played in that game. We just needed some people to step up.”
New Hope has always tilted to the offensive side of the scale. During a season-opening nine-game win streak, New Hope scored 70 or more points six times. The Trojans enter the final two games of the regular season with back-to-back performances of that magnitude.
“When everybody on the court is scoring, we have a chance,” Ousley said. “You can tell me how much we have grown in practice the last couple of weeks. Everybody is getting more involved. I think the confidence level of each individual player is higher, because there is a chance they could lead us on any given night. We have to work on the defense but we can make that better.”
To Ousley’s point, sophomore Kyree Fields led New Hope in scoring with a career-high 17 points. The Trojans placed five in double figures, with Heratio Jackson adding 16, Ousley adding 14, Terryonte Thomas adding 13 and Toddy Jennings adding 12.
“The guys did a great job of finding me tonight,” Fields said. “After the first couple of shots went down, I started feeling good. We may have the most unselfish team in the state. That is why it is fun to come out and play with this team every night. Offensively, we have come a long way. When we share the ball and make shots, we have a lot of confidence that we can win any game.”
McBrayer marveled at his team’s ability to place five in double figures Monday night. He is also aware of the defensive improvement necessary for a legitimate run in the Class 5A playoffs.
“When everybody is involved, we can be pretty good,” McBrayer said. “You can be such a different matchup when each player on the court is scoring. Kyree really stepped up and had quite a night.”
West Point fell to 12-13 overall and 4-2 in region play. In the first regular-season meeting, New Hope lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter as West Point came all the way back for a 60-57 victory.
“The coaches talked about not letting up,” Ousley said. “We knew this was a four-quarter game. We were really motivated to play this game, since we lost the last one. It really mattered to us.”
New Hope started strong. Jackson, Thomas and Fields each hit 3-point baskets as the Trojans built a 19-5 lead less than six minutes into the game.
Ousley entered late in the quarter and scored as time expired to give his team a 23-10 lead.
Behind the strong offensive play of Shaunderrious Westbrook and A.J. McFarland, West Point remained competitive.
Westbrook had 18 first-half points but his team’s problems on the defensive end were too much, as New Hope led 45-32 at halftime.
“Defensively, we were not good,” West Point coach Brad Cox said. “You aren’t going to win a game when you give up 85 points. We just never really got started on the defensive end. It doesn’t matter how many shots you make if you can’t get some stops.”
West Point did eventually get some stops and freshman Austin Crowley heated up on the offensive end as well. A Crowley 3-point basket had the hosts back within 51-47.
Still, Jay Shinn and Jackson combined for six straight points and New Hope built a 10-point lead after three quarters. Only back-to-back 3s in the closing seconds by Crowley and McFarland brought the final deficit within single digits.
The teams combined to hit 17 3-point baskets, with West Point hitting 13 of them.
Westbrook finished with 24 points, while McFarland had 18 points, Crowley had 15 points and Kelly Martin had 13 points.
“We beat each team in the district at least once,” McFarland said. “So we still have confidence that we can go win the district championship. We just have to play a little better overall and we know we can.”
In the opener Monday night, the West Point girls took a 68-42 win over New Hope.
For West Point (18-7, 4-2), Jamia Hollings had 20 points, while Amari Heard had 18 points and Amiya Rush had 10 points.
For New Hope (7-14. 2-4), Lanoria Abrams had 16 points, while Alaysha Jennings had 11 points.
In the region tournament, No. 1 seed Oxford will face No. 4 seed Saltillo, while No. 2 West Point will again face No. 3 New Hope next week.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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