The West Lowndes boys basketball team isn’t used to getting outrebounded.
In fact, coach Michael Huffman said, Friday’s home game against McAdams was the first time the Panthers were bested in that category all year.
So maybe it’s no surprise that West Lowndes suffered its first MHSAA Class 1A, Region 5 loss of the season Friday: a 63-59 defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs.
“We got beat on the boards,” Huffman said. “That right there can hurt you.”
It cost the Panthers all evening Friday as they fell to 5-1 in district play, matching McAdams’ mark. By beating the Bulldogs by nine points on the road Jan. 5, though, West Lowndes still has a hold on the district’s No. 1 spot.
That could change, though, Huffman warned. The Panthers have four more games to play — a home date with Nanih Waiya and road contests against French Camp Academy, Ethel and Noxapater — and need to finish strong.
“We’ve got to be able to get back because the season’s not over,” Huffman said. “This is just Round 2. There’s a Round 3 coming up.”
Keeping with that metaphor, the Bulldogs’ win Friday was decided just before the bell. McAdams scored six straight points to break a 55-all tie with two minutes to go, giving itself enough of a cushion to win. Darrell Brooks’ layup got West Lowndes within two points with 15 seconds to go, but the Bulldogs got out on the break for a crucial basket to make the lead four as the clock wound down. The Panthers’ Decamby Willis barely got off a shot that wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.
McAdams coach Kenyon Ross said his team’s win will go a long way in trying to reestablish a tradition of success at the school. With a young squad that starts just one senior, the Bulldogs hadn’t fared well in previous games against bigger programs, but Ross said Friday’s victory will help their confidence.
“The key is to understand they can be good,” Ross said.
Converting West Lowndes turnovers into points at the rate McAdams did Friday night was a big reason why the Bulldogs headed back to Attala County victorious. The visitors consistently pushed the ball up the court for quick-hitting layups after forcing the Panthers into miscues.
“Anytime you can get any points off a turnover, that helps out a lot because those are what we consider easy baskets,” Ross said. “Anytime you can get easy baskets, it makes the game much better for you.”
Where Ross said McAdams struggled Friday was in the same area in which Huffman lamented the Panthers’ difficulties — on the offensive glass. Both teams got themselves multiple second-, third- or even fourth-chance buckets, and Ross said those self-inflicted wounds were the reason West Lowndes held onto a narrow lead. The Panthers led by five points almost constantly — after the first quarter, at halftime and after the third quarter.
But McAdams came out firing with six straight points to start the fourth quarter, sending players far downcourt on the Panthers’ shots and hurling the ball to them for easy baskets. Suddenly, the Bulldogs had a one-point lead.
“We started thinking instead of playing,” said Huffman, who again cited his team’s rebounding troubles. “That right there hurt us a little bit.”
After McAdams’ lead grew as large as four points, West Lowndes fought back as Jataquist Brown tied the game on an and-one layup with 2:07 to go. But the Bulldogs bookended a missed 3 by Jamarveion Seals with a jumper and a layup to go back up four, then took advantage of an offensive rebound to add two more points.
Huffman called timeout with West Lowndes down 61-55 and 1:10 to go, but the Panthers could only get within two points as McAdams sealed the road win.
“We played hard,” Huffman said. “We just didn’t play smart, and that got us beat.”
Huffman said the Panthers “got lucky” to win their previous game against Noxapater, a 70-62 West Lowndes home win Tuesday, after trailing. On Friday, they wouldn’t get lucky again.
“Sometimes when you don’t play well in one game, it’s hard to come back and play well the next game,” Huffman said. “It just happens.”
But with the No. 1 seed still within reach for the Panthers, all is not lost. West Lowndes hosts Nanih Waiya on Tuesday with a chance to make amends.
“We’ve got to just get back to work and just keep playing,” Huffman said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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