Buckner plays well down stretch for Cougars

Starkville Christian School guard Isaac Buckner is playing some of his best basketball in the stretch of his senior season.

After leading the Cougars with 13 points in a loss to French Camp last Friday, Buckner exploded on senior night on Monday with 26 points and helped Starkville Christian to a 56-38 win over Kemper Academy.

Buckner was chosen the OCH Regional Center Athlete of the Week for those back-to-back double-figure scoring performances.

He can remember stepping onto the practice court for the first time in the sixth grade with the Cougars and he has enjoyed the ride.

"The amount of growing I've been through personally is insane," Buckner said. "It's the friendships I've made with these guys and knowing that I'm going out and will be able to watch them continue to grow and be in my position is pretty nice."

It has been a family affair for the Buckners at Starkville Christian as Isaac has been coached by his brother Luke since the eighth grade.

Isaac said Luke has made a positive impact on him.

"To be able to have Luke as my coach has been lifechanging," Isaac said.

In Monday's victory over the Rams, Isaac scored the first eight points for the Cougars with a pair of 3-point field goals. He had a total of five 3-pointers in the game.

Starkville Christian had already built a 37-19 advantage over Kemper Academy at the end of three quarters, but two more 3-pointers by Buckner pretty much put the game out of reach at 43-19.

When Buckner is not hitting from long range, he has the knack of driving to the basket and making something happen for his team.

Buckner's game may not always be as consistent as brother and coach would like. Luke still agrees Isaac can be fun to watch.

"Sometimes he drives me nuts," coach Buckner said. "Sometimes he's not missing, but sometimes he can't get it to fall in."

The Cougars finished the season on Tuesday night when they defeated Meridian Home School 61-43 and Buckner had another good outing with 18 points.