Even when things don’t go well for a large stretch of time, Columbus High School sophomore Hannah White never loses faith in her basketball team.
“We feel like we will always find a way to get it done,” White said. “The chemistry on this team is so outstanding. With each win, we get a little more confidence. Being on a winning streak is what allows us to think we can win on any night against any opponent.”
Columbus ran its winning streak to 11 with a 53-49 victory against No. 10 Tupelo in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 2 game Tuesday night at the Falcon Lair.
“I always thought we could do this (have a winning streak),” Columbus senior Zaria Jenkins said. “The girls on this team have played together for a long time. We believe in each other, and we are always building each other up. We are more together off the court than we are on the court. It’s the ultimate team. That is why we win games. We know what everybody is going to do. You come to the gym and you focus on playing your role.”
The matchup between the region leaders didn’t disappoint. It was grueling, physical, and intense.
Columbus needed a big lift from reserve Kyla Temple in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, it took the offensive punch of White and Jenkins to escape with the victory.
Columbus overcame 11 missed free throws and fought uphill most of the night.
“Really proud of how we competed,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said. “We played a very difficult non-district schedule for nights like this. You could tell we were battle tested. When we had to find a way, we found a way.”
Columbus lost its season opener to Choctaw Central. The first eight games also included two losses to undefeated and second-ranked Starkville. The last loss took place Dec. 10. Nothing but wins have followed.
“When we have a tough stretch in a game, we turn to our defense,” Columbus senior Tori Weir said. “That is what we did in this game. We were down and needed something to turn things around, so we turned to our defense. When we turned it up a notch on defense, we got easy baskets on offense.”
Hairston said her team’s bench play has been a key in the streak. She said the play of Temple and Kennedi Stephens was important in the latest win.
Tupelo (16-5, 3-1) hit three first-quarter 3-pointers and built a 15-6 lead. The Lady Falcons rallied behind the play of Temple, who had two blocked shots, two baskets, and three offensive rebounds in a four-minute stretch of the second quarter.
Still, Columbus (16-3, 4-0) didn’t come all the way back until the final possession of the third quarter. White went to the line, hit the first of two free throws, missed the second but muscled her way to the basket for a putback as the third quarter horn sounded. That three-point possession gave Columbus a 38-36 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Stephens converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to send the Lady Falcons off and running. Columbus ran the lead to 45-37 on a steal by Jenkins and fast-break basket by White.
“Every possession matters,” Hairston said. “I think that is the most valuable lesson this team learned from last season. We played with a lot of maturity. We made the ‘have-to-have-it’ plays tonight. I think that is a sign of how much this team has grown up from last season and throughout this season.”
Tupelo closed to within two with 1 minute, 45 seconds left. However, Jenkins shook off the bad karma of her teammates and hit six-straight free throws to ice it.
“We knew this was a big game,” Jenkins said. “I really had a lot of confidence when I stepped to the line there at the end. We had worked so hard to come back. We just had to push a little bit harder.”
Jenkins had 16 points to lead Columbus, while White had 12 and Weir had 11.
Jalancia Kohlheim had 13 points for Tupelo.
“Sometimes, teams don’t talk about a winning streak,” Weir said. “This team is a little different. Each time we play and win, we have more confidence. We are glad the wins are adding up. It makes us feel like we can compete.”
In the second game, the Tupelo boys — also ranked No. 10 by The Clarion-Ledger — cruised to a 71-56 victory against Columbus.
After a high-octane, first quarter featuring 38 points and a 21-17 Tupelo lead, the pace slowed frantically.
Tupelo led 27-20 at halftime. The Golden Wave then opened the second half with a 10-2 run and weren’t threatened after that.
Robert Woodard II appeared to tweak an ankle in the second quarter and missed most of that period. He played through the pain in the second half to finish with a team-high 19 points. Denijay Harris added 17 points.
“We simply had way too many turnovers,” Columbus coach Gary Griffin said. “We had unforced errors that led to easy baskets. You can’t give a team ranked in the state that many extra opportunities. We also had some missed free throws. Just overall, didn’t play with the kind of execution you have to have to beat a very good basketball team.”
Columbus (11-9, 3-1) saw a four-game winning streak snapped. The Falcons had overcome a tough start to the season to win seven of eight games before Tuesday night.
Tupelo (18-4, 4-0) ended the winning streak by feasting on offensive rebounds and at the foul line. In the second half, Tupelo was 15 of 23 at the foul stripe.
Jaylon Copeland led Tupelo with 16 points. Nick Ratliff (15), Kylan Hamilton (12), and Tyjil Hereford (11) also scored in double figures.
Columbus will step out of region to play host to Forest Hill on Friday and play Saturday at West Point in makeup games Saturday. The region series with Tupelo will be completed Tuesday night at Tupelo.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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