Lady Wolverines slip against Lady Oilers at Big House
JACKSON – It's been a magical first year for coach Courtney O'briant-wright taking over as the coach of her alma mater.
O'briant-wright and her team made it all the way to the Mississippi Coliseum on Tuesday to compete in the
Class 2A State semifinals and were within striking distance in the fourth quarter. Fatigue, turnovers and missed free throws piled up in the end, however, and the Heidelberg Lady Oilers closed strong in a 59-33 blowout win over the Lady Wolverines.
The game was much closer than the final score indicated but wasn't any easier to swallow for the coach and her team. The Lady Wolverines turned the ball over 34 times and shot just 11-of-27 from the foul line in defeat.
“I'll say about 99% of it was self-inflicted,” O'briant-wright said. “Da'nasia Logan is our point guard who we look to every game and she was just nervous, then you have our senior Shameriah Culpepper and I don't think her nerves ever went away.”
There was a wild pace from the start between the two teams as neither could get its footing. East Webster had more turnovers than shots taken in the first quarter falling behind 10-3, but Culpepper finished the quarter strong with back-to-back baskets that closed the lead to 10-7 at the end of the frame.
The offensive struggle continued in the second quarter. The Lady Wolverines plugged away thanks to the defense holding the Lady Oilers to just two points in the first 7 minutes and tying the game at 12-12. Heidelberg held a narrow 14-13 lead at the break.
Offense started to pick up for the two teams in the third quarter.the Lady Oilers started to wear down a tired East Webster defense. The lead grew to 37-26 as the Lady Oilers scored 22 points after that rough first half and had all the momentum heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Wolverines tried to get in position in the fourth by drawing fouls and getting to the line, but inconsistencies there only got the lead down to five points. Heidelberg took advantage of that and pushed it out to 43-33 with a 3-pointer with 5:15 left. Another one put the game out of reach at 46-33.
Heidelberg closed the game on a 19-0 run as East Webster struggled to finish out the game and ended the year a game short of playing for it all.
“I prepared for the game, but I didn't prepare for them to lay down and give up the way that we did the last 5 minutes of the game,” O'briantwright said. “I think we got frustrated, looked at the clock and saw no hope. In practice, we've been down like this before and we've battled, but I think it was just a different atmosphere in the Big House and the nerves were already there. (in the) fourth quarter, they just gave out.”
Logan finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals while Culpepper closed her career with 10 points and seven boards. It was a tough way to finish out the season, but the Lady Wolverines have much to look forward to next year.
With the trip to Jackson and the Final Four being the first for every player on the team, East Webster now has the experience out of the way and can build on it. Logan will be returning for her senior year along with fellow rising senior starter Madeline Warn. Sophomore Nekendra Patterson is also back while eighth grader Yasmine Roberts cut her teeth in the post and will be ready to take the next step after Culpepper's exit.
The ending stings, but there's more good things on the way for the Lady Wolverines.
“It was really, really good to make it all the way down here,”
O'briant-wright said. “When we lost to Choctaw County, everybody started counting us out. We just battled, battled and battled and we did what we were supposed to. Making it to the Big House is just one step for us.we're prepared to come back next year.”